JUSTIN COOPER GRIT-228 250MX

JUSTIN COOPER | GRIT-228 | 250MX

Yamaha's Justin Cooper knew that the championship was still a realistic accolade to try and attain, therefore after qualifying in the pole-position designation for practice, his mindset was purely focused on attacking the first corner of moto number-one. The number thirty-two was exceptional with his reaction time, and battled for an early lead, just behind that of Haiden Deegan. Despite roost flying toward his front number-plate, Cooper's grit and aspirations of moving at a faster rate couldn't be denied, with countless top-tier riders just behind him. Justin was in a situation where his rookie teammate (i.e. Deegan) was only seconds in front of him, performing at a remarkably high level while Honda's Hunter Lawrence was steadily making passes to close-in upon him. Cooper wasn't bothered or rattled by any events that were going on behind him, remaining smooth and vigilant on approaching lines as he swept through the "S-curve" of the infield and jumps thereafter. The distance between he and Deegan wasn't too far, giving him a strong sense of pace as the tandem neared the halfway point; yet Cooper was mindful to not override the circuit, which could cause a subsequent mistake. However, the idea of riding at a solid but slightly comfortable pace was one that eventually played into the hand of Hunter Lawrence; as the steadiness of Cooper, allowed Hunter to gain substantial ground which preceded a pass (on behalf of the Honda rider) on the twelfth circuit of action! It was just after the tandem had entered into the heavily shaded area before the finish-line, where the initial left-handed bend (after the subtle step-down) was a platform of cornering that was full of ruts. Cooper's constant flow upon the outside of the raceway was quickly interrupted in a surprise attack of sorts - with Lawrence storming to the inside, seemingly out of nowhere! This would push Cooper to third, where he continued to aim (and attempt to work around) that of Hunter Lawrence, but the Honda rider would ultimately prevail; sending the Yamaha rider to third, as the checkered flag was thrown. He returned to the racetrack seeing redemption however, and would absolutely fly from the starting grate and through the first turn obtaining the hole-shot designation. There was little that could stand in his way, despite having a multitude of teammates and fellow competitors seeking to overtake him. Minutes would pass, and Cooper's solidification of the lead was greeted with applause on every facet of the raceway; where multiple seconds of margin were established between he and Haiden Deegan, while Hunter Lawrence would do everything possible to enter into the winning conversation as well. However, as the final five laps (or so) would arise, it was Deegan who emerged as the strongest threat to surpass Cooper...with Deegan running lap-times, that were unbelievably quick! This would lead to the thirteenth circuit, when Haiden's sense of force couldn't be denied - and he would scrub both, the infield triple and ant-hill thereafter, with momentum that was strong enough to leap past Justin Cooper on the right side! Cooper, at that point, could sense that the momentum had shifted in the rookies favor; and with fatigue now setting in, it was evident that Justin felt as if it were best to reside second until the checkered flag was thrown. Therefore as the sixteen-lap contest ceased, it was Cooper who resided runner-up; which granted him second overall on the final podium, as well.

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