Justin Barcia's title defence has gone perfectly to plan so far. Image: Simon Cudby.

GEICO Honda’s Justin Barcia pushed through the brutal conditions in Daytona and rose to the top of the Lites class once again.

The rain soaked track took a beating all day long, resulting in a shortened 12-lap main event, putting even more importance on getting a great start.

Barcia got that start and laid down consistent laps, taking a convincing win and extending his win streak to four in a row.

“That was the most demanding race of my career, it was so gnarly out there. I needed a good start and I got it and just powered through from there,” said Barcia.

“The biggest thanks to my trainer for pushing me to be in shape because it was just brutal conditions. Tonight was all about survival,

“This season has been mind-blowing. You would never expect a start like this, winning four in a row. This GEICO Honda team is unbelievable and my bike has been perfect all year,

“I needed it tonight because Baggett was on it. You could hear the crowd going nuts every time he got close. They’re so close to you on the front stretch and you hear the roar and it pushes you,

“This was, no doubt, the best race win of my career.”

Justin Barcia leads the championship by 24 points over Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Darryn Durham.