News 4 Apr 2018

Hill named as Barcia replacement in shock return to racing

Former AMA Supercross main victor to pilot factory Monster Energy Yamaha YZ450F.

Source: Supplied.

Former Monster Energy AMA Supercross regular Josh Hill will return to racing this weekend at the 13th stop of the series in Seattle, where he’ll fill-in for the injured Justin Barcia on the Monster Energy Yamaha team.

Hill, who hasn’t raced an AMA event since the Atlanta 2 main in 2015, says it’s surreal to come out of retirement with the factory outfit, mentioning it will be an honour to ride for the squad this weekend.

“Getting a call from factory Yamaha to come race Seattle came as a total surprise to me,” Hill commented in a social media statement. “I was just on my way home from winning the AMA National Snowbike Championship and was planning on racing Seattle on my own bike out of my own truck. [I] got a call from Keith McCarty, asking me if I wanted to fill in for Justin Barcia and of course I was honoured and shocked that they would think of me.

“It’s pretty surreal to come up out of retirement and get a call from factory Yamaha to go racing. It’s even cooler that factory Yamaha is where I started my career out in 2006 when I was 16 and to be doing it now, 12 years later, coming back to my home race in Seattle, is pretty exciting.”

Barcia was initially enlisted as a fill-in rider for Davi Millsaps, however he was later offered a full-time ride with Monster Energy Yamaha off the back of Millsaps’ retirement before injuring his hand one week later.

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