Image: Octopi Media.

This weekend’s ninth round of the Pro Motocross Championship at Unadilla will see Justin Barcia make his return to action, marking his first 450MX start of the 2023 season.

Barcia was initially injured toward the end of April at round 15 of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship in Nashville, with complications delaying his return.

Despite sitting out the final stages of the 450SX season and missing the majority of Pro Motocross, the 31-year-old currently sits 10th in the combined SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) standings.

“It’s been a process, for sure, a lot to think about,” said Barcia. “We’re past the injury now after two surgeries, lots of training and a lot of recovery, so I’m definitely excited to come back at my home race in New York for the fans and myself, just to get out there.

“There are no expectations set because I’ve been off for a lot of months, so I just want to go out there and have fun and build. Obviously, as a racer, you always want to be competitive, but I just need to get back to the races and enjoy being around the team, as well as my family and friends there. Unadilla’s going to be a cool race!”

Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GasGas team manager Max Lee added: “We are very excited to have Justin Barcia back racing with us at Unadilla. It’s been longer than we all expected for him to be returning to the races, but we are as excited as ever to have him alongside Pierce Brown this weekend.

“Without a ton of time that Justin has had on the bike, it looks like he hasn’t skipped a beat. I’m excited to bring him back to his home MX race of the season and hopefully bring some more excitement as well!”

With Barcia lining up alongside 250MX team regular Pierce Brown this Saturday at Unadilla, Caden Braswell’s time with the team will come to an end. Braswell originally signed on to contest the first four rounds of Pro Motocross, but was extended through Washougal in a four-race extension at that point.

“Caden will no longer be joining us at the races this season,” explained Lee. “The team is very thankful for the opportunity to work with him and for keeping us racing, since for the first six rounds, he was our only rider. We wish him the best in the next step of his career and hope he can keep improving. See you at the races!”