Unable to strike a balance between Monster Energy Supercross and Pro Motocross Championship settings, Justin Barcia admitted that ‘we really got thrown a bit of a curveball’ at the opening playoff of the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX).

After qualifying 10th fastest in Charlotte, Barcia stormed to the early lead in moto one before being relegated as the race progressed, ultimately taking the checkered flag in P6.

In the final outing at ZMax Dragway, Barcia started sixth at went on to complete the moto in eighth, landing seventh overall for the event. While there were some mixed opinions about the opening ‘hybrid’ layout, Barcia is clear that he and the Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing team did struggle to find an ideal set-up on debut.

“We really got thrown a bit of a curveball,” he recalled. “Everyone has to deal with the same conditions on the track, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to find a happy medium between supercross and motocross with our settings, so we kind of fought it all day.

“We should have been near the podium, with how I felt body-wise, but I struggled with some arm-pump today. We’re going to go home, regroup, try some stuff out, and come out swinging next week in Chicago.”

While layout presented in Charlotte was a split of sorts between supercross and motocross elements, this week’s event in Chicagoland looks to be weighted more toward motocross, while the finals at the LA Coliseum appear to represent more of a supercross format.

Ahead of the two remaining post-season events, Barcia is eighth in the 450SMX standings and 23 points from red plate holder Chase Sexton (Team Honda HRC).