Justin Cooper Provides Update After High Point National Qualifying Crash
At the fourth round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship on Saturday, Justin Cooper had a hard crash in the second qualifying round. Going down the famous staircase rollers at High Point Raceway, Cooper got cross rutted sending a double down the difficult section and fell off to the right side of the bike, while still holding onto the handlebars. Upon the front wheel's impact, the right side of the handlebar slammed into Cooper, catching him in the chest and neck. He was down for a few moments hunched over but got to his knees when the Alpinestars medical crew arrived. They helped him off to the side of the track before he eventually got onto the back of his bike and rode off as his mechanic Daniel Castloo rode them back to the team pits.
![Justin Cooper is tended to by the Alpinestars medical crew.]()
Justin Cooper is tended to by the Alpinestars medical crew. Mitch Kendra ![Cooper rides off on the back of his bike with his mechanic Daniel Castloo.]()
Cooper rides off on the back of his bike with his mechanic Daniel Castloo. Mitch Kendra
Shortly after, Racer X learned Cooper was on a stretcher being loaded into an ambulance and taken to a local hospital, although there was not an official word on his injury. Cooper’s day was over and as the first 250 Class moto began, the team confirmed the #32 was out, although they were not able to provide more details at the time.
Watch the crash below at the beginning of the 250 Class Pro Motocross highlights video.
Cooper entered the day second in the points and was looking to carry momentum from his moto win in Colorado a week ago. He dropped to fifth in the standings by the end of the day. Sunday afternoon, Cooper posted the following on Instagram, providing some more details:
“The past 24 hours have been pretty scary. As most know, I crashed yesterday in the 2nd round of qualifying. My chest and neck got crushed by the handlebars. My throat started to close up in the Alpinestar medical unit and I was immediately transported to the nearest hospital. I spent the night there and am headed back home to Florida now to start my recovery. I really appreciate all of the messages and support. Also a special thank you to my in-laws for getting Jillian to me asap yesterday and for waiting around on me to get discharged so that we could fly home today❤️”
Scary situation for Cooper for sure, but it is great to see he is out of the hospital and recovering at home.
There is a weekend off before the RedBud National July 1, and the team stated in a post-race press release the #32 is aiming to race in Michigan. The release stated the following:
“Unfortunately, Cooper’s day ended early with a big crash in the second session of qualifying. The New Yorker was evaluated on-site by the Alpinestars Mobile Medical Unit and was transported to the hospital for further evaluation. He was released this morning and will head home to Florida to rest up and return to full fitness, and aims to be back for RedBud.”
Below are the 250 Class championship standings.
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hunter Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia  | 419 |
| 2 |  Justin Cooper | Cold Spring Harbor, NY  | 399 |
| 3 |  Jo Shimoda | Suzuka, Japan  | 393 |
| 4 |  Haiden Deegan | Temecula, CA | 371 |
| 5 |  Levi Kitchen | Washougal, WA | 322 |
