Only a few laps into the 450SX main event at the Houston Supercross, we were set for a great race. A four-way battle for the lead between Eli Tomac, Aaron Plessinger, Chase Sexton, and Jason Anderson was quickly brewing. Then only minutes in, the race was red flagged. Houston, we have a problem.
Dylan Ferrandis landed on the back half of Ken Roczen’s RM-Z450 in what appeared to be a racing incident. However, the French native hit the base dirt level in NGR Stadium headfirst and was momentarily unresponsive. The race was quickly red flagged as Alpinestars medical crew tended to the #14.
Ferrandis regained consciousness before he was eventually helped up to his feet while the medical crew stabilized his head via a neck brace. Towards the end of the night, the TV broadcast crew stated that Ferrandis was still in the Alpinestars medical crew rig getting checked out.
On Sunday, Ferrandis took to Instagram to explain he was knocked out during the crash but luckily escaped injury aside from a concussion. While head injuries are no joke, it initially appeared the injuries would be was worse so Ferrandis escaping without more damage is great news. The #14 will enter the series’ concussion protocol and his status for this weekend’s Tampa Supercross has yet to be determined.
Here's how Ferrandis’ Team Manager Jeremy Coker described the weekend, from Eli Tomac’s win to Ferrandis’ crash.
“It was an awesome ride [for Eli] and a good way to come back from last weekend,” stated Coker. “It was also the lowest of lows. Unfortunately, it’s part of the sport, but to see one of your guys crash the way Dylan did and to see him lying there was pretty tough. Fortunately, when I got to him, he was able to open his eyes and looked at me and said my name, and it was a huge relief to see him stand up and walk away.”
Several riders gave a shout-out to Ferrandis following the race, including his teammate and race winner Eli Tomac.
“The red flags are always a little bit wild there,” Tomac said in the post-race press conference. “And it was unfortunate for my teammate Dylan.”
The team confirmed Ferrandis’ concussion via Twitter early Monday morning.
Ferrandis suffered a concussion in his crash that drew the red flag during the 450 main event in Houston. He was evaluated on-site by the Alpinestars medical unit and will seek further evaluation this week as well as follow the protocols set in place prior to returning to racing. pic.twitter.com/C29gfyQYD9
— Star Racing Yamaha (@StarRacingYam) February 6, 2023
While it is a bummer for Ferrandis to go down hard, especially with so much injury news updates lately, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing has another 450SX rider read to go. Justin Cooper made his season—and 450cc professional—debut on his #32 YZ450F at the Houston Supercross. Cooper entered at the fourth event against the rest of the field that has been able to go through three full rounds already, which is not easy to get up to race pace so quickly. Still, Cooper pulled off a seventh in the first heat of the night before starting outside the top 13 in the main event, eventually claiming seventh after a last-lap pass on Roczen. It was an impressive ride, not only when you consider it as Cooper’s debut 450 race, but also his first supercross race at all since 2021. The 2021 250SX West Region champion missed all of supercross in 2022 due to a foot injury, so this was Cooper’s first AMA Supercross gate drop since May 1, 2021.
“Yeah, it was good,” Cooper said in a post-race quote from the team. “We got better and better throughout the day. There is a lot of learning going on right now, so it’s great to get the first one out of the way. The goal was to be around the top 10, and we achieved that. I finished seventh and even made a last-lap pass and felt good toward the end of the race. I just felt like I had a good flow and wasn't pushing over my head, but I wasn't riding too slow, either. Everything came a lot easier for me in the main event, even though the track so was messed up. For my first 450 race, I’m just glad to click my laps off like that and be that consistent, and work my way through the pack. I’m looking forward to Tampa next weekend.”
Jensen Hendler, team manager for the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 squad, was impressed with Cooper’s premier class debut.
“It was also great to see Justin (Cooper) have his first-ever race on a 450,” said Hendler. “He hasn’t raced supercross in well over a year. So, it was really good to get him out there and get his feet wet in the 450 class. There are so many things to learn in that 450 class and he’s still just a rookie, but he went into the main and just rode smart and kept picking dudes off. He was strong at the end and was catching people, and ended up seventh, which was amazing. We’ll continue to grow with Justin and keep fighting, and hopefully get him on the podium before we switch gears to the 250MX Championship.”
The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team ran a full-time three rider 450 team in the past (2021 with Ferrandis, Malcolm Stewart, and Aaron Plessinger) but we have heard a full-time trio this year would have been too much for the team to handle. Just for AMA Supercross, the Star team has nine total pro racers on the circuit. At the Houston Supercross, Cooper was pitted with the three 250SX riders because of a packed 450 truck with Tomac and Ferrandis.
The main goal for Cooper in 2023 is a run at 250 Class AMA Pro Motocross Championship title this summer but should Star need him to race more 450SX rounds than his originally expected (but undisclosed to the public) “select” rounds, the team would not need to look for a fill in rider for Ferrandis.
Cooper has been consistently a great starter throughout his pro career. While that does not gaurentee his starts in the premier class will be the same, it could be a helping factor as he enters his 450SX career. The #32 is currently set to race the upcoming Tampa Supercross on February 11 for his second race of the season, but anything past that at this moment is to be determined.