On Saturday night, January 6, 2024 at 2000 E Gene Autry Way in Anaheim, California, the starting gate will clank into the infield dirt of 45,517-seast Angel Stadium and catapult the 50th annual season of Monster Energy Supercross into the first turn of the New Year. In that fray will be 450cc classification rookie Justin Cooper of the powerful Monster Energy Sar Racing Yamaha organization. The 2021 AMA Pro Racing 250SX West champion, the New York native graduates to the premier 450SX division where he will be amongst the absolute best supercross racers in the world. Off an abbreviated 450cc supercross run in 2023 where he competed and placed in the top 10 in the Houston, Tampa, Oakland, Arlington and Daytona main events, Cooper heads into Angel Stadium quietly confident and ready to show race fans the world over he has everything it takes to run up front. A couple days shy of opening Christmas presents, over the weekend Cooper took a quick break from bashing out countless testing and training laps back in the Sunshine State to talk with Racer X.
Racer X: Justin, what’s happening? Where are you a few days before Christmas?
Justin Cooper: I’m just in Tallahassee. We moved here about two years ago and this is home base now. We moved from California and, yeah, we’re trying it over here now. It’s good. It seems like a culture shock. It’s the complete opposite of Southern California and it’s like taking a step back and it kind of gives you a different outlook on life, to be honest. Everything is just at a different pace over here. You have time to focus on things that you wouldn’t have to focus on there. Down here in Tallahassee, it’s pretty laid back. I enjoy it. I think it’s a good change of pace for now.
And you can totally concentrate on your profession, huh?
Yeah, pretty much. I mean that’s what I’ve got going on for the next few years, so I might as well make the most of it.
Heading into the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross season teamed with proven 450cc champions Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb as teammates puts you in a very powerful position as a class rookie.
Yeah, it’s pretty surreal, to be honest. Having those guys around is amazing. with how successful they are as 450 racers, it’s just good to have them around and I feel like kind of feed off their energy. It’s been good. I haven’t been able to train with Tomac that much, but me and Cooper have been able to push each other for a while now. We’ve had a few months of it, so it’s been good learning the bike and kind of relying on him and the team to see what changes and improvements we can make.
You and Cooper Webb remind me of one another. Do you guys do well together as 450 teammates?
Yeah, we know each other. My first year as a pro he was on Yamaha, so we got to know each other a little bit then. Now that we’re back on the same team, we’ve been able to catch up. Cooper is pretty quiet and serious and I kind of look up to him in that aspect. You know, maybe he's not the fastest guy all the time, but he's gonna fight. He’ll always be there at the end. So, it's definitely a good trait to have. And if you're not the fastest guy out there, you can at least try and work your butt off to the end. An yeah, I like to think of myself as a fighter When things aren’t going my way, I'm definitely going to try to just put in as much effort as I can and not give up until the end. I can at least try.
[Note: Our Jason Weigandt ran into Cooper during Angel Stadium Media Days two weeks ago and he says most of his bike setup is based on what Webb has learned through testing with the team. While Justin had his own setup when he hit select 450SX rounds in 2023, he felt the team has made a lot of progress since by working with Webb over the summer and through now. So he's using Webb's bike as his base.]
You lined up and competed in five supercross main events on 2023. You did very well and hit the top 10 in every one of them. A good experience?
It was a good stepping stone, you know? I didn't really want to commit to the whole series, but at the same time, I had ridden the 450 a little bit going into the season and I didn't want to just get into race shape and then not do anything. There were a good couple of races where I could kind of learn the class and learn the new competitors and just learn the bike and the track conditions. It was a good learning curve for me and I am going to lean back on that to help me in my first full year, for sure. Everyone's really mature in the class and everyone's super talented and super-fast, so the competitions a lot more stiff. But at the end of the day what really caught me off guard was the track conditions and the length of main event. The tracks were definitely beat up.
[Cooper also joked to us that once he saw injuries stack up in the 450 field over the final three races, he does somewhat wish he had kept racing. Podium bonuses certainly looked to be in reach. However, by then he was deep into 250MX prep.]
How about the bigger and more powerful 450cc motorcycle? Just how do you feel on it?
Yeah, it can definitely make you lazy. The bike makes everything a lot easier, like rhythm wise. It's a lot heavier, tough. It definitely takes more strength and you know when the track does get beat up, it definitely doesn't become any easier. I would say the bike is easier on a fresh track but once it gets chewed up and stuff, it definitely starts getting tougher and you have to be careful because it’s a lot of weight moving under you. When you get tired at the end of the main events, it’s real important to keep the focus and keep the bike as straight as you can
How has it been being in the 450cc team as a full-time member? How’s the reality of your new surroundings?
Everything has been going really well. I took a little bit of time off after the last three SMX races. I had the wedding and then I had the honeymoon, soi took all of October off. Then I got right into it at the beginning of November ad everything has been going really smooth. I've had a good off-season so far. It has been a good six weeks. Yeah, we still got a few more weeks to go. Everything is just fine tuning right now. We’ve been putting in lot a lot of laps. We have a long season ahead of us. I don’t want to come into 2024 too tired. I’m just trying to coast on in now. Everything is good and everything has been going smooth so far, thankfully. Take a little break for Christmas and then rejuvenate and head into A1.
Angel Stadium and Anaheim 1 and the launch of the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross Series. Talk about a stacked field going into this season.
Yeah, we're all good and we’re all talented. We’re all past champions. I'm looking forward to it. I won A1 before on the 250-side. I'm not looking to bring everything I have into A1. I'm looking to learn a lot and just want to get up front and be there, you know? I want to be in the fight. If I walk away with a top five, I'll be super happy with that. And I think it'll be a good start. That would set me off to a good start in the season. It’s seventeen rounds, so I’m looking to be there all season and to be battling up front with those guys and learning a lot.
What will be your goals? Can you win races?
I think my goal for this year, and a couple of people have asked me, is to hit the podium multiple times in each series. In supercross and motocross I would like to see the podium a few times, and if I get the chance at a win, I'm sure I'll be going for it. But yeah, I think a good place to start is definitely getting on the podium. I feel like it's a good place to start. Yamaha has been doing a lot of work. I've been with the same people for a while now and it just makes the transition a little bit easier. I'm looking forward to getting information from Cooper. Can use that extra help heading into the season. Yeah, like I said, it's been fun riding with Cooper and kind of pushing each other day-in and day-out. It's definitely been good to have someone like Cooper to ride with, for sure..
Not everybody makes it to the level you're at and to go into 2024 with all these world class guys and to be on his team has got to be something of a dream come true, huh?
For sure. I mean the 250 was one thing, but now I feel like I’m doing it all over again. I’m going to make the most of it. It’s exciting and a good opportunity under underneath me and just looking forward to it's a long it's a dang long season. So I’m really looking forward to getting out there and staying healthy. And just doing the best I can. I think I think my main focus is going to be on main event time when I know the track is going to be way different. I know it is going to be very important to be in your flow. It's kind of funny how it works. From first practice to the main event, you have got to be able to adapt all day. There is really no pressure on me. I’ve had quite a few years with pressure. I am not saying that it's not good to not have pressure, but I can kind of do my own thing and not really worry about any certain expectations. I’m excited to get the season underway. There is a lot of racing to do.
