Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/422367
IN THE WIND P30 BARCIA RECOVERING AFTER GENOVA CRASH "N o concussion, nothing bro- ken," Justin Barcia tweets from hospital after an ugly wreck at the Genova Supercross, al- though the Toyota/JGR Yamaha rider did suffer a collapsed lung and remained in ICU overnight. Barcia was battling Christophe Pourcel for the lead at the Geno- va Supercross and crashed after running into Pourcel from behind. Pourcel managed to stay upright while Barcia went down hard. "Pourcel drifted from the inside to the outside of the section," Barica commented via Twitter. "[There was] nothing I could do." More damage came after that, however, as Eli Tomac landed on Barcia's head. The race was im- mediately red flagged and Barcia was carted off by medics. "My gear did the job. Two bruised lungs, sore neck and back and some air in my chest," Barica tweeted from the hospital on Saturday evening, adding that he would have to stay under in- tensive care for the night. The next morning (November 23), Barcia again tweeted: "Feel- ing better today just sore neck and back. Hopefully last night in the hospital, the pneumothorax [collapsed lung] is very small in my chest, should be ok." Jean Turner HUNDREDS BID FAREWELL TO "THE DART" H undreds of fans and friends of Kenny Zahrt turned out at Los Angeles County Raceway on Saturday, November 22, to share their best stories and fond mem- ories of the iconic motocross racer, who passed away unex- pectedly on November 15. Marty Tripes brought his bar- becue trailer to feed the huge crowd, some of whom traveled from as far as New Jersey to pay homage to Zahrt. The track was open for riding in the morning at the newly reopened facility, but from noon until dark, it was all about "The Dart." Greg Barbaco- vi emceed the event, passing the microphone among the guests, nearly all of whom had a story to tell. Donnie Hansen, Gary Chap- lin, Jim Holley, Bill Payne and others attended. Bryar Holcomb and Eddie Cole, two of Zahrt's best friends from his days of dominating Indian Dunes, organized the memorial. Holcomb told the story of Zahrt winning the jump contest at Evel Knievel's Snake River Motocross race, recounting in detail how Kenny showed up at the last min- ute, threw on a helmet and out- jumped everyone—wearing Hush- puppy shoes, Levis and a t-shirt! Cole spoke of Kenny's kindness and of what great times they had shared during their youth, while also regretting that he had not kept in touch as much as he would have liked to in recent years. At the end of the day, longtime Zahrt family friend and former rac- er, Rev. Mike Todd, eulogized our fallen hero as Kenny's sister Allain, along with brothers, Dave, John, Wayne and Mike held onto their brother's 402 number plate, which was attached to a huge cluster of black and silver balloons. As hun- dreds of friends and fans pressed in tightly, the balloons were re- leased into the windy desert sky and we all bid farewell to a dear friend and legend. Steve Bauer Justin Barcia is lucky to not be seriously injured in a scary crash at the Genova Supercross. FILE PHOTO BY KIT PALMER Balloons were set loose at the Kenny Zahrt memorial/ride day in Palmdale, California. PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT HEIDEBRINK