BY KIT PALMER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BROWNDOG WILSON
J
ustin Barcia did it again! For the third year
in a row, Barcia started the Monster En-
ergy AMA Supercross Championship with
a victory. Not since Jeremy McGrath 25 years
ago has anyone won three consecutive Super-
cross races to start the championship. Unlike
McGrath, however, the 28-year-old Barcia has
been unable to parlay any of those wins into
championships, but can a one-year more ma-
ture and experienced, and seemingly happier,
Barcia change that this year? That's probably
the biggest question on everyone's mind com-
ing out of round one of the 2021 Monster Ener-
gy AMA Supercross Championship that played
out at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. Barcia
has proven he has the speed to win the cham-
pionship, but can he find the consistency and
durability later in the season to take advantage
of another good start to the championship?
Barcia, on his new factory-backed Red Bull/
TLD/GasGas MC 450F, endured relentless pres-
sure by Ken Roczen before taking the checkered
flag just 1.015 seconds ahead of the Honda HRC
Team rider. The two red bikes were never sepa-
rated by more than two seconds after Roczen
took control of the runner-up position approxi-
mately five minutes into the 20-minute-plus-one-
lap main event. Once that happened, everyone
else in the field was essentially racing for third.
VOLUME 58 ISSUE 3 JANUARY 19, 2021 P49
IT AGAIN!
HOLESHOTS THE SEASON FOR
THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR
