Even though the Spring Creek National was only the second time Justin Cooper has landed on the overall podium this summer in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, it seems like he is a podium regular. This is because he has five moto podiums so far in seven Pro Motocross rounds, often getting a moto podium and coming up just short in the overall points to score a trophy. The 450 rookie is having a great season so far and now sits third overall in points.
It seems we are not the only ones who think of Cooper as a podium contender now as he said in the post-race press conference:
“Yeah, I think we've just been building slowly like the whole season, and I expect to be on the podium each weekend. That's kind of where my goal is. And I felt like I rode really good today. We definitely switched to the paddle tire and that helped with the start. I got yanked pretty bad in the first moto. So, I got away with it at RedBud, and I thought I could here, and it was just kind of night and day better on the whole track for me. I was able to get on the track with way more momentum and could pick up the speed way easier with the paddle. So, that was definitely a good change for me, and the team worked hard with me on suspension today and I felt really good moto two.”
Moto one at Spring Creek saw Cooper get a very uncharacteristic like bad start. They brought up his tire choice on the broadcast, but after the race he explained the situation.
“I just got a terrible start," he said, "Like, I was probably like 12th, and by the time I got to fifth I was so far behind those guys, and I really couldn't really make up the ground. So, it was kind of a lonely ride for me moto one and I knew I had to change something just to get off the gate better for moto two. So went to the paddle and that fixed that and just tried to put as many laps as I could down out front. I felt like once those guys got around me, I took a breather, got back into my flow and started making another charge up there. And I was almost on Hunter [Lawrence] and he made a mistake. Then I made a mistake. We both kind of went off the track and I was just trying to make that push to second but happy with third. With the lightning at the end and the rain it got a little bit sketchy.”
Testing at the races is never ideal and sometimes wrong choices are made. Justin also pointed out that being new to the 450, he would normally depend on his teammates to help with testing. Except both of his teammates, Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb are both out with thumb injuries.
“I think moving into these next races we're in a good spot," he said. "I feel like we've been making good momentum with the team. And everyone's kind of on the same page. So, it's kind of been tough being the only one out there on the Yamaha don't really have any of your teammates to rely on, to help me test and stuff like that. So, it's been a big learning curve for the team. And we're doing a good job with it.”
“It's a lot more power, bigger bike, more weight," he added. "So, it's harder to set up, I would say. And being the only guy on the team has definitely made that the biggest challenge. So, just being comfortable is important to me on this bike. And, you know, it can definitely get a little bit sketchy at times, but just learning what we can each time out.”
Making the jump from 250 to 450 has its challenges, those challenges are more apparent when the tracks are rough, and the weather is brutally hot like it was in Spring Creek. Our Tom Journet asked Justin after the race if this was the toughest race of the year for him so far.
“Weather wise, I think it was the hottest one, but Southwick yeah, you can't top that," Cooper said. "I think they got all that rain there at Southwick and it was so deep and demanding that way. I got way more tired of Southwick, that was definitely the most physically demanding one. Today was tough for sure. Track got rough and it was thick, it would grab you. The bike was hard to control. So, you gotta be on your toes the whole time, especially with those big sand rollers. They made them bigger than I've ever seen here. And I've been coming here for a long time now. So, yeah, I think all in all it wasn't the most physically demanding, but it definitely had its challenges.”
Battling the heat, treacherous tracks, and the best 450 riders in the world, Cooper expects to find himself on the podium for the rest of the series. Will he make it back on the box this weekend in Washougal, where has podiumed his last four times on a 250?
