JUSTIN COOPER GRIT-222 250MX

JUSTIN COOPER | GRIT-222 | SX 250

The Yamaha rider would race at a phenomenal pace throughout the day at Hangtown MX, following an outstanding practice effort. The New York native strove to return to championship form, and was aspiring to do just that in the first moto, after funneling into a pace behind his rookie teammate Haiden Deegan. The number 238 would be exceptional during the opening segments, all the while Cooper remained methodical while extending his gap over Jett Reynolds. Hitting his marks with authority and confidence, it was easy to sense that Cooper had been here on countless occasions; almost as if he were awaiting a mistake from Deegan, as minutes continued to transpire. It was then Tom Vialle who had moved into third, while seeking to overtake Cooper; but the former MXON rider (who was apart of team USA) remained resilient while leaping amongst the roughest sections of terrain, while staying within a gap of only a few seconds of Deegan. Justin would read cues from his mechanic and remained updated as to where he stood within the moto (in regard to total time that was left to complete), making matters seem a bit more urgent as they crept below the twenty-five minute mark. Cooper believed that he could make a final charge on that of Deegan while still engaged in the second-place position, which was evident as he revved his Yamaha to the highest extent when flying down various hillsides on the Northern California course...but it was to no avail. The number 238 (of Deegan) would ride exceptionally well en route to victory, while Cooper would leap across the final double in second while looking ahead to the second moto. For moto number two, Cooper would dodge countless pile-ups in the first few corners to obtain a distinct lead when hitting the initial switchback/off-camber section...with championship rival Hunter Lawrence, just behind him. This is what the crowd had been waiting for, as they cheered to the highest extent as the Honda athlete would close in on the Star Racing Yamaha rider. And the changing of the lead would occur rather quickly, as roughly only eight minutes had transpired with the number ninety-six now moving into the top standing on the moto (and overall) leaderboard...where Australia's Lawrence would solidify his claim for the lead, prior to launching atop the plateau (just before the finish line) after arguably the largest step-up on the track. Cooper didn't seem to be rattled though, and tried to keep the bigger picture in mind in regard to the championship as laps continued to progress toward the checkered flag. Knowing that a significant sum of points would still be earned if he could hang onto the runner-up residency, the idea of retaining second for the concluding segments of the sixteen-lap contest was ultimately paramount - which led to Cooper gaining a second moto score for this race, and a runner-up overall with the series heading to round three.

More from GRIT