race recap
JUSTIN COOPER - GRIT 241 450SX
May 18, 2024
GRIT-241 | 450 SX
A veteran of the sport in many facets, Yamaha's Justin Cooper was the ultimate professional in multiple genre's of motorcycle racing...however there was nothing that could replace the experience of racing in the 450SX class in the Monster Energy Supercross Series. He was racing against opponents that were older, who possessed many more encounters with stages as bright as this...but Cooper wasn't going to wither. He excelled through practice on Saturday and continued that notion through the heat race as well, taking the green flag in seventh while residing just behind Dean Wilson. He and the Honda rider were fender to fender for the majority of the moto, scrubbing the subtle double before the "SX" triple with a commanding maneuver - which was indicative of the comfort he felt, when striving toward opponents who were ahead of him. Making the pass on the number fifteen by the sixth circuit, Cooper then sought to overtake Mitchell Oldenburg. The other, fellow veteran Honda rider in the top-five had as well, accumulated experience in the premier SX realm...but Cooper was sly enough to make the pass in the closing moments, and solidified the move on the Texas native with two circuits to go. Eventually categorized in fifth behind his teammate Cooper Webb as he exited the raceway, Justin knew that a top-ten could be in store amid the right circumstances, for the finalé. As he claimed twelfth to begin the main event, the chaos amongst the pack was something that was evident and effected riders throughout the division. Though he managed to weave and dodge amongst various crashes, including an incident that claimed Malcolm Stewart and Ken Roczen who were just ahead of him. Residing sixth by the time the third lap concluded, Cooper was riding incredibly well as he made the pass on Vince Friese and attempted to close in on the pathway(s) of former 250cc rival Hunter Lawerence. The gap was narrowing, but all the while, his teammate Eli Tomac approached him from out of nowhere! Trying his best to keep Tomac at bay, while also rebounding from being passed by Chase Sexton, Cooper's composure was crucial during this stage of the moto...but being a Des Nation's winner, along with claiming a former championship, the mindset of Justin at this level was of the elite. He did his best to mimic both, Sexton and Tomac who were now in front of him - excelling amongst the final stages when the track was hardly recognizable. And as the checkered flag waved, it was Cooper who resided in a commendable seventh-place standing amongst the greats in the sport.