Late Outs for Fox Raceway II: Barcia, Musquin, and Sexton; Craig Returns

Three riders will miss the 11th race of the season as the concluding pair of motos for the 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship gets underway today.

Justin Barcia is out after a practice crash a few weeks ago. He had been rated as questionable earlier, but he will now miss his fourth consecutive race as the field took to the track for qualifying.

“Disappointed to be missing the race this weekend,” said the GasGas factory rider after the Washougal Nationals. “It’s been an awesome season of racing but stuff happens. Going to get 100 percent healthy and come back swinging soon. Thank you for everyone’s support. I appreciate it. Good luck to my entire Troy Lee Designs crew. I will miss you guys!”

According to KTM Motorsport Director Roger De Coster, Marvin Musquin missed last week’s Ironman National due to a positive COVID test. With two wins in the last two seasons, it was statistically his greatest track in recent years. With the CDC’s quarantining regulations, getting to Southern California was a tight call. The French rider hopes to make a comeback in Hangtown in the season finale.

Before the motos at Fox Raceway, Musquin and Barcia are sixth and seventh in the standings, respectively, while Chase Sexton, who is fourth in the standings, will miss Saturday’s races. He revealed on social media late Friday that he had an enlarged spleen.

Unfortunately I will not be lining up tomorrow for Round 11 of Pro Motocross,” Sexton shared on Instagram. “After tests and an ultrasound this week, I have found that I have an enlarged spleen and that it wouldn’t be safe to race with it. I’m gutted not to be able to race and see all you California fans. Further updates will be coming soon. Thank you for the support.”

The Pro Motocross season of 2021 has been one of survival and endurance. These three join a long list of competitors who have been ruled out, including Adam Cianciarulo, Aaron Plessinger, and last year’s champion Zach Osborne, who has a back injury.

Christian Craig, on the good side of the injury news, will compete at Fox on Saturday. He had a bad crash at Budds Creek and attempted the second moto, but sat out Ironman. He acknowledged it on social media earlier this week. Also, following a broken hand before Washougal, Frederik Norin will race at Fox.

When it comes to the 250 class, the list is just as long. Jeremy Martin rode with a fractured wrist for much of the season, but after a heavy collision at Ironman, his wrist is now entirely broken and he will miss the rest of the season. Colt Nichols has also been injured in a crash near Washougal. Seth Hammaker, Pierce Brown, and Cameron McAdoo are just a few of the 250 division’s injured.

The uniforms of MOTOCROSS racing drivers are currently available at the following websites for a reasonable price: