JUSTIN COOPER | GRIT-209 | 450SX

JUSTIN COOPER | GRIT-209 | SX 450

With a significant amount of competitors in the 450cc field healthy, Justin Cooper knew that the quest for a top-ten overall would be challenging while residing in Oakland. Though he'd never backed-down thus far in his racing career, and wouldn't do anything of that nature now; beginning with practice on Saturday. Riders were running near the 1:08 mark, for free practice; and would only get more comfortable as the afternoon went on. The circuit was longer than what we'd previously seen, especially in the West Coast rounds; making for a fan-favorite layout, as riders continued to amass laps prior to the night show beginning. All in all, there was ample room for deviation, which made for a true spectacle of battles to develop, beginning with the heat racing sequences. His comfort on the chassis was evident when he blitzed through the outside(s) of both whoop sections on the first and second lap, letting both wheels skip across the mounds with momentum while his frame stayed rather rigid. Only flexing under the harshest of impacts, his aggression when over jumping various singles (and small doubles) would put the Yamaha motorcycle beneath him to the test; though the chassis endured, even when under fire from Dean Wilson who would trail by only seconds. Carving his imprint of knobbie(s) into the soils of Oakland, he would square-up the corner before the finish line on multiple occasions in order to divert the aforementioned opponent from block-passing him. The race was coming down to the wire, with now less than a lap to go before the quarrel for sixth-place was remedied...and ultimately, he would leave the battle-ground victorious prior to departing for the main event. The finalé was a stage for the best in the world to rival one another, with Chase Sexton making his way to the front of the pack for an early lead. The racing surface was now decayed and beyond the point of deteriorated, with edges cut amongst lips and whoops alike. Beginning to hop through the moguls as necessary, there was a nearly identical flow being adopted by both he and Dean Wilson who was just near. Though the rivalry would be anything but friendly with both of the standout athletes vying for tenth-place as the race pushed past the twelve minute mark. Continuing to tap the rear-brake (in the air) after seat-hopping into the rhythm section of triples (the longest on the track), his ability to eliminate mistakes and persist forward with his rhythm would eventually be identified as the defining factor in his quest for tenth...residing here (behind Colt Nichols) as the round of Oakland was completed.

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