A very scary start to the 450 main event saw Malcolm Stewart and Justin Barcia hit the deck hard on the opening lap, later forcing a red flag restart. The crash happened when Stewart rolled the triple while Barcia jumped and the two collided on the landing, sending Barcia headfirst into the ground. Both riders are relatively okay, Stewart with a separated shoulder and Barcia with a broken transverse process along with a concussion. All things considered, the injury list is much better than we initially expected.
Barcia took to social media to provide an update to fans. He says he’s sore but he was able to walk out of the hospital on his own and only broke “one of the wings” on his vertebrae [transverse process]. Barcia was wearing the new Tech Air MX airbag chest protector from Alpinestars and it clearly helped mitigate further injuries.
“First and foremost, sending prayers to the Barcia family,” Stewart said on Instagram. “I’m gutted by how this situation unfolded and truly hope he’s okay. I did sustain a shoulder injury and will update you all after further evaluation. I’m going to do everything I can to be back out there. Appreciate all the love and support.”
