Checking in with Ty Masterpool, Justin Cooper, and RJ Hampshire

What was the track like out there? That back section was so fast. Was it scary
[Laughs] It was pretty gnarly. It was hard to find places to pass in that first moto. Making good moves and passes felt good though. It got a little rutty, but to me, the gnarlier the better. I love the challenge.

Was it dark?
When the ruts were getting deep there were shadows and stuff, but that’s part of it I guess [laughs].

There are fast sections, rollers, rhythms, tight sections, and a lot of sand. Talk about the mix of stuff and what it’s like trying to get a good setup for all of it.
I feel bad for the poor suspension techs! It’s already heard enough to get dialed in for supercross, and then you need an outdoor setting too. You can set it up really good for one rhythm, then most likely it’s going to be bad in other spots. It’s definitely hard to find a happy medium. It’s about finding that comfort and making it work. It’s definitely hard to find a good setting, but these teams are really good at what they do and they make it work.

Justin Cooper

It looked like a rough night out there, in terms of trying to get through the pack. Is that a fair assessment?
We knew it was going to be pretty one-lined from the beginning, after riding the track yesterday. The supercross side was all insides, a lot of insides. Pretty much goat trails. That was unfortunate, but I don’t think it’s fair to say it was impossible to pass. When everyone is going the same speed it’s always hard to pass. There were multiple lines in the outdoor section. Overall, it wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible either.

What about that back section? How’d that develop deep into the second moto?
It’s fast, and we’re going through a chicane with rutted rollers. I think we saw a bunch of swaps today. I almost had a big crash in practice on one of my first fast laps, but luckily I got out of that one. Some other guys weren’t so lucky. I think it should have been slowed down a little back there, it was wide open, but that’s the nature of the beast sometimes. You don’t get to pick.

I think you were fastest in free practice yesterday. How did it change from yesterday versus today?
Loss of traction and grip, pretty much. The moisture gets sucked out. We were running the scoop tire, you had to because of the sand. The sand section was getting ridiculous. You wouldn’t think you’d be running a scoop in Vegas, but that’s what we were on. It’s becoming the new tire, it’s almost like you have to run it. But I felt really good, I felt comfortable. I think I would have been in the running for a podium if I hadn’t made that one big mistake. I could have at least fought those guys for a while.

There were four or five of you guys, you, Ken Roczen, RJ Hampshire, Chase Sexton, and Cooper Webb I think, and you were all separated by seven points and it was a $100,000 difference. I’m assuming you were aware of that going in.
Yeah, the goal was to get fourth. Fourth to eighth was like you said, $100,000 and it was close enough that whoever got the highest position was going to get it. I got fourth in the first moto and I really needed to execute the start in the second moto, but I had that crash on the second lap. Went from third to about tenth or twelfth. I really made it kind of impossible for myself. I banged myself up and I banged the bike up. That was unfortunate, but that’s how it goes sometimes. I put myself in a good spot to close out fourth on the championship, and maybe even a podium on the day, but it didn’t happen.

I don’t know what’s going to happen with Team USA after tonight, but if you get the call are you ready to go?
Yeah, they kinda said I’d be the alternate.

Oh my bad, I didn’t know that.
Yeah, it’s been up in the air. I didn’t plan on anyone getting hurt, and for two of them to go out at the last race, it’s unlucky and kind of rare. I heard Chase got up under his own power later, so that’s good. It’s really unfortunate, you don’t wish that on anyone. It’s definitely scary to see a rider of that caliber do that, and to be lying there for that long. You want to respect the situation and just roll through there. I don’t know. I feel that at some point it should have been red flagged. The guy was down for like six laps. That’s what it felt like to me, but I guess they had other plans. It was all right, and we’ll see what happens. Team USA is not looking good right now. Hopefully we can fill in for it.

RJ Hampshire

Pretty good night for you man. You guys were really going at it in that second moto! Heart rates up or what?!
Yeah, I didn’t want to ride like that again. Even in the first moto Kenny [Roczen] and I had a battle the whole time. The second moto I would try a line and Kenny would come underneath me, then Coop [Webb], I was kind of running into the back of him. Chase got me, then Kenny ended up getting me.

Didn’t you get Kenny early on before that?
I got him right away, then I was right on Coop. Chase passed me where he crashed, I didn’t feel going to the inside like he was. I was cruising around the outside like it was a Sunday cruise.

I didn’t even see Chase go down.
It was in the back.  It was so high speed, we were launching, there were ruts, and it was hard to see because of the light. I was not comfortable doing that, so I was going outside and cruising. That’s where Chase and Kenny passed me, but once I got around Coop I picked it back up and was battling with Kenny. You had to wait for a mistake. But overall I’m stoked on these last four months on the 450. I’m really excited and I feel like we’re not close to where I can be. With some time this off season, I’m excited for next year.

So you’re happy with the year on the 450. Excuse me, you rode the 250 in supercross, but your time on the 450 I mean.
Yeah, of course. If you add my 250 supercross points together with my 450 points, I think I would have been seeded fourth overall coming into here. With that I think I would have been fourth overall in the series. Instead I’m seventh because I didn’t race the 450 in supercross. You don’t think those few points will mean much coming in, I was seeded tenth, but it ended up making like a $75,000 difference. That’s from seventh to fourth.