The sixth round of AMA Pro Motocross at RedBud marked Justin Cooper’s second overall podium of the season so far (with four moto podiums). Justin has really come into his own this summer with setting the fastest qualifying at three of the rounds, Thunder Valley, High Point and Southwick. Justin has even found himself upfront during a few motos, including the second moto at RedBud.
After getting around Jorge Prado, Justin led before eventually getting passed by Jett Lawrence, who went down on the first lap. Chase Sexton also got around, though later went down and Justin was able to capitalize on his mistake and finish second. He spoke on battling Jorge and Jett in the post-race press:
“The way he’s [Jett] been riding, kinda expect him to get up to the lead there. I was battling with Jorge [Prado] and just really wanted to get to the front and start leading to try to get away while I could. I feel like once I got out to the lead I put in a few good laps and then my bike started making a big noise in the breaking bumps and I kind of slowed down because I didn’t really know what it was at first. And after a lap, it ended up being my front brake disc guard was loose and it eventually fell off, so eventually everything came back to normal but it was scary there for a second. The pace was hot for me to get up to the lead and then try to sprint away. Got a little bit tired there at the end and had to regroup. Overall, it was a good moto for me. Felt good on the bike all day, comfortable, which is important and goes a long way to keep making that progress.”
Cooper has been making progress and his points in SMX (combined supercross and motocross) is further proof of that. He currently sits second in SMX points behind his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing teammate, and the 2025 Monster Energy Supercross Champion, Cooper Webb. Only 14 points behind Webb, Cooper has a good chance of going into the SMX Playoffs with the lead. When asked if he is concerned with his standings he said:
“Not really, it's cool but at the same time, doing my job on the weekends is going to help that. So, taking it race by race and really just trying to be on the podium where I’m at today. Today was overall pretty hectic for the team all around. The team put in a lot of work today and that doesn’t go unnoticed. Big shoutout to them for going the extra mile to take care of us riders and get us back out there for moto two on good equipment.”
The hectic day Cooper is referring to was when his teammate, Eli Tomac, experienced a mechanical failure in the first moto. Without being able to diagnose it, the team decided to swap all three 450 motors (Tomac, Webb and Cooper’s) between motos, just barely getting Cooper's bike finished in time.
Being the third 450 rider at Star, alongside legends like Tomac and Webb, Cooper has exceeded many expectations. However, when someone suggested he is surpassing his teammates he remains humble, saying:
“I wouldn’t say I am surpassing them by any means, I feel like I am right there and doing my best. So, I don’t feel like surpassing is the right word, but definitely the team is giving us all the same effort. They want to see the best out of me, I want to see the best out of myself. We are trending in the right direction and definitely not going to give up. Going to keep fighting.”
Will Cooper continue to trend forward as the nationals go on? And will he go into SMX as the top seeded rider? If he can keep up the consistent results, 5-3-4-5-4-3, the answer will most likely be yes.
