Slaw
Justin Barcia’s brief time with the Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing Team has come to an end.
This weekend’s SMX finale would have been his last race with the team, but an ankle injury suffered last weekend will keep him out of action.
“Sadly, have to say this, but last weekend at LA was my last race with the TLD Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing Team,” said Barcia in a team release. “I unfortunately twisted my ankle in the first moto and tried to ride this week but it’s not in the cards for me. Bummed to end it like this but overall, it’s been a hell of a journey. I want to say thank you to the whole team for being behind me through this year on this brand-new bike. Everyone worked hard this year and I think we did a pretty good job at the end of the day.”
Barcia is expected to sign with HEP Motorsports Twisted Tea Suzuki for 2027.
Barcia joined the team for its inaugural 2026 season. His tenure with the team hit a massive delay after he suffered significant injuries in a scary incident with Malcolm Stewart on the first lap of the opening round of Monster Energy Supercross in Anaheim, when Stewart accidentally landed on Barcia.
After months of recovery and preparation, Barcia returned to the starting gate for the final two rounds of Supercross and finished 10th in Pro Motocross, with his best overall finish a fifth at Spring Creek.
“Justin and his family brought so much energy to our team this year. They became a big part of the atmosphere around the truck, and that’s something we’ll genuinely miss,” said Josh Wisenor, Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing Team Manager. “Racing is obviously about results, but the people you share those weekends with are what make a team special. Justin was a big part of our first season, and we’re thankful for that. Pre-season, we had a really good testing program and felt like we were steadily moving in the right direction. We showed the world what we were capable of with Justin’s heat-race performance at A1. Unfortunately, after what happened at A1, Justin was playing catch-up with his body, while we were also trying to catch up with the bike. From there, it was an uphill battle for the rest of the season. Getting back up to race pace after 15 rounds, when the rest of the field had been competing all year, is always a tall order.”
