Barcia bags 31st Bercy after final day thriller

For the third day in a row it was easier to try and find an empty seat in the Palais Omnisport de Bercy arena than judge who would leave the tight and fast course inside the Parisian stadium with the winner’s trophy. Another rammed-to-the-rafters attendance enjoyed the latest cut-and-thrust between American supercross stars Justin Barcia and Trey Canard. It was the turn of Canard to claim the third and final chequered flag but it was Barcia, who through finishing as runner-up after a hectic last Main Event, went 2 for 2 in terms of appearances and King of Bercy titles in the French capital.

The Bercy dirt was looking worn and becoming dusty by the last run of the programme – late Sunday afternoon – and the tension of the dispute between the Honda team-mates began to tell. Barcia had ‘owned’ Friday and Saturday but with Canard following in second place on both occasions ‘51’ could not afford too many mistakes. He slipped off the factory CRF450R in the Heat race and needed another tough pass on Andrew Short to rescue victory. Canard was again a smooth and efficient threat but when the former champion smashed into a fallen Barcia during the Elimination sprint and both riders were on the floor it meant a less than ideal gate position for the fifteen lap Main Event.

The last spectacle at the 2013 Bercy started in crazy fashion with Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Gautier Paulin snatching the lead and the Americans needing three laps to barrel their way back from mid-pack. Andrew Short meanwhile took over pace-setting duties and the Joker Lane entries had little bearing on the overall running order. When Canard hit the lead and Barcia tried to follow it looked like the race might enter the same controversial finale as Saturday night. Backmarkers played their part and Canard was immensely strong to carry the extra metres he needed through the whoops to hold Barcia at bay. The overall standings put Barcia on top with 1-1-2 compared to 2-2-1 posted by Canard. Short finished his seventh Bercy outing on the box with Paulin in fourth and Cooper Webb celebrated his eighteenth birthday with fifth place.

“Man, what a weekend,” Barcia offered up. “I didn’t want it to be that exciting! Trey and I were so close in speed and we were only tenths apart. Overall it was just very intense. We were going extremely fast and were on a bit of a different level compared to the other guys. It was awesome.”

“I’ve won it twice now so maybe next year I will come back and try and make it three. I love this place. I’m stoked to be King of Bercy again and it means a lot to have two of those trophies at home now. It is pretty special.”

The 125 SX Tour, a B-Final and some aerial treats from Freestylers Edgar Torronteras, Andre Vila, Taka Higashino, Tomas Pages among others also filled the event card for another premium and memorable supercross meeting.