Justin Barcia skips High Point to recover from back injury
NXTbets Pro | Published On: June 18, 2026
Barcia skips High Point
Justin Barcia will miss Round 4 of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship at High Point Raceway because of a back injury, and Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing has already moved to protect its rider’s long-term health. The team announced the decision after Barcia continued to deal with back discomfort following the previous round at Thunder Valley. Barcia and the team chose to step back from High Point so he can recover, and the plan now calls for two weeks of rehabilitation under medical supervision. The move puts recovery ahead of a quick return, and it leaves Barcia out of a race he had been preparing to contest as he worked through the injury. Team manager Josh Wisenor said Barcia gave everything he had in the first moto at Thunder Valley, and he made clear that the team’s first priority is getting him healthy. That approach reflects how much the injury has lingered. Barcia is still feeling it, and the team is treating the situation as a reset point rather than a test of how much pain he can absorb on a race weekend.
Thunder Valley setback
The back injury got worse in qualifying at Thunder Valley when Barcia dabbed his leg in a corner and compressed his back. He still lined up for Moto 1 and raced through the pain, which showed the level of commitment he brought to the weekend. That effort came at a cost. His pain increased after the opening moto and kept him from starting Moto 2. Barcia elected not to race the second moto, and the team shut him down from there. The sequence turned a manageable problem into one that now requires time away from competition. High-level racing often demands that riders push through discomfort, but this case escalated quickly enough to force a change in direction. Barcia’s inability to make the second gate at Thunder Valley gave the team a clear sign that continuing immediately would serve no one. The decision to sit out High Point follows that logic. It gives him time to calm the injury down, rebuild around the issue and avoid turning a back problem into a longer absence. For a rider in the middle of the Pro Motocross season, that pause can matter as much as any result on the track.
Ferrandis steps in
Dylan Ferrandis will continue representing the team while Barcia is out, so Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing keeps a full-time rider in the program even as it works through the injury. Barcia enters the break ranked 15th in the 450 class standings after three rounds, a spot that leaves him in the middle of the pack but still close enough to move up once he returns. His best Pro Motocross finish this season is 10th at round two, which gives the team a baseline for what he can deliver when he is healthy. The current setback comes on top of a difficult stretch that began in Monster Energy Supercross, where Barcia missed most of the series after an opening-round crash before returning for the final three rounds. That background adds context to the decision to step away now rather than force another start while still hurting. Barcia is in his 18th Pro Motocross season, and the experience has shown him how to manage the long season ahead. The immediate focus stays on recovery, while Ferrandis handles the racing load until Barcia is ready to return.
