Once one of the more polarizing figures in the paddock, Justin Barcia has enjoyed a career that many could only dream of. With race wins and podiums strewn across both 250 and 450 classes throughout his career, his speed and race winning ability has never been questioned.

His iconic Bam Bam nickname was well earned through his earlier racing days, showing his williingness to win no matter the coast, though now in his early 30's and becoming a father for the first time, the moto world is seeing a rather different side of Justin, both on and off the race track.

One of the biggest stars of his generation, Justin Barcia has been a fantastic athlete for our sport and we hope to see him racing for a few more years still to come.

SuperMotocross riders live life on a ragged edge and Barcia has made a career out of tiptoeing a fine line. Known throughout his career for his aggressive riding style, Barcia began to hone that tendency.

“It’s very easy to go over that edge (of aggression) and I went over that edge a lot of times (during my career). It’s a very fine line in life. I think throughout my career I was always a little bit overly aggressive, but ... it’s my style. That’s what helps me be the racer I am. I had to find that level myself, not like the team telling me or the officials. I had to want to find that line. I wish it hadn’t taken me so long to find it, because I could have had maybe some beneficial results or not thrown away some races.”

Aggression may result in a position or two on the track, but a crash often costs much more ground - real estate that is hard to reclaim in today’s SuperMotocross World Championship - especially with the caliber of riders who are returning in 2025 along with new faces like Jett and Hunter Lawrence.

“I don’t know if you necessarily find consistency, you have to make it happen,” Barcia said. “And for me in Supercross the speed I was at, the comfort I was at, I was consistent (when I was) off the podium. And then once I found that comfort with the bike, I found consistency on the podium for weeks and got that win. Then the crash happened.”

“The sport is extremely healthy,” Barcia said. “Younger riders coming up, a lot of good veterans. I wouldn’t be racing if I didn’t feel like I could be competitive going to the podium and fighting for a race win. For me, my advantage would be just experience racing.

“I remember being a rookie and coming up, you can be really hot, but sometimes a little cold. You just have to use what I like to call the magic tricks I have. I can pull it out and use it to fight for more wins, right away in the season and the biggest thing, is consistency, and getting more podiums so you’re the champion.”

Barcia credits another year of maturity as part of his growth as a person and in the sport. Becoming a family man also had a huge impact.

“For me, finding that (line) - I had my son and my wife there,” Barcia said. “It was a combination of things that had to happen for me to find that line on the racetrack. All those little things helped, but at the end of the day, I mentally had to say I want to win championships."

Check out this cool gallery of the former Team USA ridder and veteran of the 2025 season.