Glendale marked the toughest night of the 2024 AMA Supercross Championship season so far for Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing, with team riders Justin Barcia and Ryder DiFrancesco each experiencing their share of adversity, but remaining motivated to bounce back in the coming weeks.
Barcia and his Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing MC 450F Factory Edition charged to a sixth-place finish in his Heat Race, ensuring Bam Bam a place on the line and a decent gate selection as the Main Event arrived.
The Main Event would mark a challenging outing for the experienced premier class front-runner, who battled hard just outside the top 10 before going down and eventually being credited with 18th position. He’s currently 10th in the 450SX standings entering a single weekend off.
With the return of the 250SX West division inside State Farm Stadium, Ryder D completed qualifying in eighth position, equipped with his GASGAS MC 250F Factory Edition, before racing to sixth place in his Heat Race and enjoying a share of momentum leading to the night’s Main Event.
An unfortunate crash, however, saw DiFrancesco end his night prematurely in Glendale with a DNF, but will be fit to race-on in Arlington next month. He will also take advantage of the upcoming six-week break in the 250SX West schedule.
Max Lee – Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing Team Manager: “It was a tough night for the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS team. Ryder started out strong during the first part of the day, he had a couple of bad starts, but ultimately a crash in the Main ended his night early. He was evaluated and released, so will be ready to line up at the next 250 West round. Justin struggled all day, the team worked to get things better, although he ended up crashing in the Main as well. We’re ready for a weekend off to regroup and we’ve got some work to do before Arlington.”
