Make-Or-Break – Justin Barcia's Intent To Impress 1

Justin Barcia's off-season movements are not obvious to the naked eye, yet so much has been altered as the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season looms. A MC 450F - GASGAS' most competitive steed – remains his weapon of choice, but the parallels to last season end there.

It is a crucial moment for Barcia, whose PIERER Mobility Group contract will expire in the autumn, as he must underline his effectiveness in 450SX's deepest field in order to extend his career past its 16th season. The stakes are higher than ever and adjustments – some out of his control – have reshaped his preparation. Come the intense environment of Anaheim, there will be nowhere for him to hide.

For the past four years, Barcia has operated on the periphery of the PIERER Mobility Group hierarchy. The Troy Lee-owned GASGAS team often felt isolated compared to the KTM and Husqvarna outfits, leaving its riders on the outskirts. However, a structural overhaul has traversed this divide. The GASGAS outfit is now an in-house operation and benefits from shared resources, as well as equal treatment, in pre-season preparation. Husqvarna's manager, Nathan Ramsay, has overseen the creation of the new 'red' team.

The positives that come with that have become quite obvious to Barcia, who shared his opinions at a recent media junket. "I have never been involved in a test like the one from a couple of weeks back," he stated with an honest outlook. "A lot of Austrians came in to work with Chase [Sexton], Aaron [Plessinger], Malcolm [Stewart] and me. I have never had that! A little bit in California, sure, but this is the first time where the Austrians came across to do one test with all of us. It feels like we are all equal now, in a way.

"I think this is what they have wanted to do for a long time. Have all of us in the same ballpark, routine and facility. Would it have helped had this happened sooner? Probably so. It just would have made it all easier. In the past, being sort of a separate team, we were on our own a bit. You could easily head in one way when the brand was going that way. Now we are all one. It would have been easier for me to improve if I was in this position a lot sooner."

Growth and discomfort sit hand in hand when change beckons, but Barcia is seemingly taking it all in his stride. The MC 450F looks the same, besides the Rockstar livery, but he is on a different frame – the same one that both Sexton and Plessinger used last year – with different handlebars and an exhaust system. Similarly, no staff have been transferred across from the defunct TLD team and so he faces a transition period with countless new faces. Barcia remains unfazed.

"I have slipped into the group really well," he stated. "Sean Murphy is our team manager – Nathan oversees it a little bit – and I am more in house with the PIERER Mobility Group. I was pretty much the only person who moved across from the TLD side. Me, Ryder [DiFrancesco] and Olly [Stone] moved over. Olly is not with us anymore though. It is pretty much a new team for me, which is wild. It is massive.

"I tried this frame last year. For me, we did not have time to make it what we needed it to be. It seems like they worked all of the kinks out. KTM – Chase and Aaron – have been on it for a year. I did my first test in California and then flew to Aldon's, where the track was a lot more tore up. We did not have to alter anything with the frame or geometry for that surface. I have been on the same set-up for the last month. I'm pretty comfortable with it. The speed picks up week after week, so I am looking for a stiffer setting now."

These technical and team updates are just a part of Barcia's expedition; his decision to train beneath Aldon Baker marks another pivotal shift in his life. The lure of learning how Baker pushed riders like Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart to multiple championships was too much to resist, despite the stipulation to move four hours south of his previous home. Despite Baker's reputation for pushing athletes past their respective limits, Barcia believes that the structure has made all the difference.

"It is very structured," he said. "I've done a lot of different routines in my career. The gym work is more focused on the muscles that we use on the dirtbike. The bicycle is used to do lower intensity stuff – I am definitely not cycling as much as I used to. It is more structured over the whole week. It is very busy. Sunday is our only day to recover, but it is cool to experience and learn from it. It is nice to see what the past champions did. It is nothing crazy, just a really good facility that has everything."

Barcia will one of the two most experienced riders in Monster Energy AMA Supercross, yet he is adamant that he is not near the end. It is his intent to extend his contract past its current expiration date. Simply, his results in the next five months will dictate whether that is attainable or a far-fetched dream. Answers will become apparent as soon as bikes hit the dirt in Anaheim's famed stadium.