Justin Cooper Gets Pins Out of Foot, Still Hopeful for Pro Motocross
Unfortunately, Justin Cooper was knocked out of the 2022 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship before it even began. The 2021 250SX West Region Champion was looking to be a championship favorite until he suffered a broken foot during the week leading into the Anaheim 1 Supecross. Not only would the injury ruin his chances at defending his title, but it would also keep him from fighting for the 250SX East Region title as the injury was expected to keep him sidelined for all of supercross. Cooper posted to Instagram that he had broken and dislocated four metatarsals and also had some fractures to the center of in his right foot. His final supercross season would be lost but he was hopeful to be ready for the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship come summer.
“Hey guys unfortunately i had a crash yesterday at the track. I got a little bit off line in a rhythm and didn’t get the lift for the next triple and cased it pretty hard which was fine. Almost had it saved and when i finally laid it down my foot got pinched under the footpeg. That being said it turns out i have broken and dislocated 4 metatarsals and have some fractures in the center of my foot as well. Will most likely get surgery early next week. Not the way i wanted to start the year off, everything has been going really good until this. This is called a Lisfranc injury and will probably put me off the bike for about 6 months. Tough pill to swallow but this is part of life and you have these obstacles. How you overcome these difficulties is what defines you. Ill keep you guys updated once i know more, it’s all very fresh so just giving a quick update on what i know so far. I will be missing all of SX, hopefully will be good to go for MX 🤞🏻”
Cooper knew he would be sidelined for a while. This was one week post-surgery. He spent a majority of his time out in a walking boot with a scooter to prop his leg up on.
On Tuesday, March 22nd, Cooper posted an update on Instagram, saying it had been 11 weeks since his crash and he had gotten the pins removed from his foot recently and the surgery wounds were healed enough for him to start swimming and riding a spin bike. He had been in the walking boot to protect his pins for so long he posted in the update, “Today was my first day able to walk in some actual shoes.” While it was a bummer to lose Cooper before supercross started, it appears he will still be able to make a run at the Pro Motocross title this summer. The first round Fox Raceway 1 National is set for May 28 in California. In the comments for this Instagram post, Cooper indicated he should be ready for the opener.
Again, due to the AMA Supercross rulebook, Cooper had this 2022 year to defend his title or fight for the title on the opposite coast but then the New York native will be forced to the premier class in supercross for 2023. The way most teams structure deals, Cooper would likely move to 450MX next year if he has to move to 450SX. If he wants to win that elusive 250 National Motocross Championship, 2022 could be his last chance.
Below is Cooper’s full post:
“UPDATE: So it’s been 11 weeks since my crash, I got all of the hardware removed 3 weeks ago and have been making steady progress since then! I had to let them pin sites close up which took a little over a week, but i have been in the pool and on the spin bike the last week. Today was my first day able to walk in some actual shoes. It’s been a long process but it’s getting better each day, won’t be long now. See you guys soon”
Main image by Mitch Kendra
