Honda Motorcycle Supercross Arlington Texas – Barcia Scores a Podium Finish in Texas

Nearly 54,500 fans filled AT&T Stadium—home of the Dallas Cowboys—Saturday night in Arlington, TX to watch not only the seventh round of the Supercross series, but also the opening round of the Eastern Regional 250SX class. It was an exciting night for Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Justin Barcia who landed on the podium with a solid third-place finish.

450 Class

Barcia had a strong showing all day, finishing fourth overall in timed qualifying practice and battling his way to a second-place finish in his heat race. In the main event, Barcia didn’t get the greatest jump off the line but was able to slip to the inside of the first turn and come out in the top five. By the conclusion of the opening lap, Barcia had moved into third. At one point in the 20-lap race he was briefly passed, but countered back to reclaim third position.

“It was a good night of racing. Obviously I always want to win but third is great for me, especially since I haven’t had the best results so far,” explained Barcia. “Mentally this season has been a challenge so it feels really awesome to be back up on the podium. I wish I rode in the main how I did in the heat race. I felt really solid and think I could have caught James [Stewart] if there were a few more laps, but in the main I got pretty tight towards the end and was just trying not to make any mistakes. I am really looking forward to next weekend. I love Atlanta. It’s kind of like a home race for me, so I have a lot of friends and family coming, which is exciting. Hopefully I can get on the podium again.”

Team Manager Dan Betley said, “Tonight was a good night for the team. Justin rode strong all day and was up front and competitive in the main event, which is where he belongs. I think this gives us a lot of momentum heading into next week, so hopefully we can build off it and get another podium.”

After hurting his hand two weeks ago in Anaheim, it was uncertain if Muscle Milk-backed GEICO Honda’s Wil Hahn would even be able to compete this weekend. The Texas native proved otherwise by putting in an impressive effort, duplicating his best finish of the season in Oakland with another eighth-place.

“It’s been two weeks off the bike for me, which is a long time in the middle of a season,” said Hahn. “I took last week off because my hand just wasn’t ready and I wasn’t even sure if I could ride tonight. Two weeks without riding a dirt bike and then come in here and have the same finish I had in Oakland was pretty good considering the cards I’ve been dealt.”

Teammate Eli Tomac missed transferring to the main event by one position in his heat race, forcing him to the semi-qualifying round. Following a fifth in the semi, he moved to the main event where he finished 11th.

250 Class

This weekend also showcased round one of the Eastern Regional 250 Supercross class with Muscle Milk sponsored-GEICO Honda’s Blake Wharton, Justin Bogle and Matt Bisceglia taking the stage.

It was a tough start to the night for Bogle, who was forced to transfer into the main event via the Last Chance Qualifier. In the main, he put together a noteworthy ride to finish fifth. “My heat race was horrible, probably one of the worst races I have ever had,” said Bogle.”I just rode so much better in the LCQ, got that win, and that lifted me up mentally. I ended up kind of having another bad start in the main, but I knew the lines I wanted to ride and I ended up in the top five, which was my goal at the start of the race.”

Wharton struggled in the main event, going down in the slippery first turn and again in a corner later in the race. He was able to remount his CRF250R and finish seventh. Bisceglia looked strong throughout practice but like his teammates, he too had some troubles during the evening. Despite going down in his heat race, Bisceglia was able to recover and still score a transfer spot into the main event. Unfortunately he lost his rear brake on the opening lap and had to ride the entire main event without it.

The Focus: Yoshimura RS-9 Exhaust System

As a sponsor and supplier of cutting-edge four-stroke exhaust systems to the Honda racing team, Yoshimura® spends countless hours each year developing race bike exhaust systems and building products for consumers. As the largest motorcycle-aftermarket exhaust manufacturer in the world, the company has been building four-stroke exhaust systems since 1954. Since moving to the dual-exhaust system on the 2013 CRF450R, Team Honda Muscle Milk has used the Yosh RS-9 and switches between the Carbon Muffler for Supercross and the Titanium Muffler for Motocross. The uniquely sculpted Carbon Fiber end-caps feature a Tunable Insert System to fine-tune power delivery to rider preferences.

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Source: 3D CarShows (Ferreira, 2/17)

How to park your bike securely

Because having your motorcycle nicked is about twice as likely as your car being half-inched – and such thefts often occur in temporary parking locations. Of course there’s no guarantee that your bike won’t be stolen – if a professional thief wants your bike he’ll probably get it. But combining as many security measures as reasonably and practically possible can prevent your bike being targeted.

What do I need?

An assortment of measures that collectively secure your bike effectively. It’s easy to recommend using 15 locks but its neither realistic nor going to guarantee security. But a disc lock, U-lock in situ at your regular parking place, a well-chosen parking spot, some security marking and some labels/stickers which make it obvious how your bike has been secured should do the trick.

What about alarms?

Some like ’em, some don’t but every little helps. We’ve not gone into them in depth here as there are so many different types and should be fitted by experts rather than DIY. If you’ve got one, use it and ensure that it’s obvious that an alarm is fitted – this may deter any opportunist thieves from having a go.

Anything else?


You’d be amazed how many bikers neglect to use the main security device – the steering lock – most bikes come with. Do it. Just make sure you don’t leave it in ‘park’ mode (activating the parking light) by accident and drain the battery.

1. U-lock carrier – Safety first! Whichever type of lock you go for make sure you carry them on your bike correctly and safely. Many modern machines have U-lock compartments under the seat. If not, special carriers can be fitted, sometimes behind the number plate, as above.

2. Disc lock bag – Ditto chains and disc locks. Don’t put them in a rucksack. They should either be packed carefully into a pannier (ensuring you balance the weight on the other side) or in special bags which attach to the pillion seat.

3. Motorcycle parking bay – Picking your parking spot is one of the biggest factors in whether your bike becomes another crime statistic. The best places are where it’s busy and with secure poles or railings to lock your bike to. Council bike parks can be located via local council websites. By varying your spot, you’ll prevent thieves ‘casing’ your bike.

4. Lock around a post – Lock your machine to something solid – like a lamp post – as tightly as possible to make it harder for a thief to insert a scaffold pole or similar to lever off the lock. If you regularly park in the same place, leave your lock attached to a post. But remember, parking on a pavement is likely to land you a parking fine.

5. Park it somewhere visible – Parking in winter or at night requires extra vigilance so make sure your machine is left in a well-lit area where it is busy and/or overlooked. If your bike is in constant view and visible it’s much more likely to be left alone. If it’s hidden in the dark it can be tampered with.

6. Disc lock snug to caliper – Fit the lock through the disc snug to the caliper (so that if you forget to remove it before trying to wheel the bike forward it won’t move). Other tips to avoid riding off with the disc lock in place include using a disc lock warning cable and putting a reminder sticker on your top yoke.

7. Chains, it’s preferable to use the lock to secure your machine to an immoveable object. In addition they should be used to make the bike immobile in its own right. Fitting snugly through the rear wheel and swingarm is ideal. Team it up with a disc lock at the front.
8. Brake lever lock – One type of lock often overlooked, but which is almost as portable as a disc lock and can be a good supplement to other security devices, is the brake lever lock, which clamps the front brake lever fully on. Just try riding off with that on...

9. Smartwater – A security marking system based on what they call a ‘forensic fingerprint’ – basically a solution containing minute particles marked with a unique code. The solution, while being virtually invisible to the naked eye, glows under UV light and is practically impossible to remove. A handy way to prove a bike is yours.

10. Ultraviolet pen – Another cheap and quick way of protecting your bike is to mark all the main body panels, commonly with the bike’s registration number or your postcode, with ink only visible under ultraviolet light – although this is only a deterrent if your bike is labelled as being security marked.

11. Datatag – The most commonly used and respected electronic security marking system. Involves both security etching components and inserting scannable microchips into your bike, whose details are then logged on to a central database. Reckon on around £60 for a kit.

12. Security stickers – It sounds obvious but the biggest deterrent is making it obvious to potential thieves that your bike is fitted with various security devices – stickers saying ‘Warning – alarmed’ are a good thing, even if an alarm or suchlike isn’t actually fitted.

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Source: Motorcycle News (11/30, AP)