JUSTIN COOPER GRIT-231 250MX

JUSTIN COOPER | GRIT-231 | 250MX

The quest for the 2023 250MX AMA Pro Motocross Championship, would be taken to the final round in the series...where the battle between Yamaha's Justin Cooper and Honda's Hunter Lawrence would remain intact as the green flag waved in Indiana. Though Cooper would, albeit slightly, get the better of Lawrence in practice (by two positions), the foreshadowing of the fight for the title that loomed ahead was certainly tangible and one of immense anticipation. The number thirty-two would receive the fourth-gate choice prior to pins unlatching at Ironman, where the gates crashed to the ground and Justin immediately translated his weight to the rear of the machine. Powering through the first corner, things began to get a bit chaotic immediately thereafter - as a pileup would ensue in the second turn, claiming Cooper and his Yamaha 250F! Now stuck amongst a multitude of riders, Cooper would complete the first lap in thirty-first prior to advancing into the second lap of action. It was a matter of pursuing the next rider ahead in a constant rotation of laps, as the number thirty-two was doing everything possible to shrink the gap between he and Hunter Lawrence. But there just wasn't enough time to nullify the margin that the Australian had created, and as all was finalized for the first race of the day, Cooper would be forced to relinquish the championship to Lawrence while claiming a thirteenth for the moto's end. Yet rather than be compelled by a feeling of discouragement, Cooper would seek redemption in the last moto of the outdoor series. He would begin the moto near a sixth-place residency, while quickly making moves, where he had passed Jalek Swoll and Julien Beaumer by lap four, to occupy fourth in the running order. At that point, it was a matter of dodging roost from his teammate Levi Kitchen, prior to them both overtaking Ryder DiFrancesco near the halfway point. It appeared as though Cooper was a competitor who was riding with a point to prove - displaying tireless effort while attacking every piece of the Ironman layout. With Levi crashing to the ground on the tenth circuit, it would leave the runner-up designation in the hands of Cooper; who was now trying to narrow the gap between he and Jo Shimoda (who led). The number thirty-two would flow through the rhythm section and rollers before the finish-line with fluidity, limiting his movement on the motorcycle and staying in synchronization with the chassis...but Shimoda's lead was too much for one to overcome. Therefore, with an assembly of moto-scores that were of thirteen and two, the runner-up in the series championship would claim a silver medal overall at the Ironman National, as well.

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