Justin Cooper’s night at the Indianapolis Supercross was bittersweet.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider took the race win in the second Triple Crown race of the night, earning his first 450SX race win in his third full 450SX season. While he finished 5-1-5 in a solid night, he was edged out for third overall by his teammate Cooper Webb.
The two Yamaha teammates were battling for the final podium position in the third race and it was actually a battle for third overall, too! Webb finished 4-3-4 as he and Cooper tied with 11 total points in the Olympic scoring and Webb’s better result in the third race gave him the podium position over Cooper. The #32 barely missed out on earning his seventh career 450SX podium. Still, head held high for J-Coop!
Cooper’s two quotes in Yamaha’s post-race release read as follows:
“It was a really good day here in Indy. I felt really good as soon as I hit the track. I was really close to qualifying first, and we had some good races. The first one, I got fifth, and the second one, I got the win. We actually got out front right to begin with. Eli (Tomac) got around me, and I was able to pass him back, so that was a really cool way to win. So yeah, nothing but smiles after that one.”
“We didn’t finish it off the way we wanted to. We were alright after the second one and got the short end of the stick, finishing fourth but tied for third. Overall, it was an awesome day. I got my first win, and nothing but positive vibes from that. It was nice to kind of show what we’ve been working on this off-season. It’s taken a while, but we’re finding our groove, getting out front more, and that’s helping a lot.”
Rich Simmons, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 450 Team Manager, said the following:
“It was a good qualifying day for both guys. The first moto looked good off the start, and then both guys just kind of lost the pace early. It wasn’t the result we wanted in that first race, but it was a good rebound by both riders in the second one. Obviously, it was a great ride by Justin to get the win. They both put themselves in good positions for the final moto, but just didn’t get the start. The guys up front had a high pace, and by the time we got into third and fourth, they were too far gone. Overall, it was a good night, but we want to be on that top step.”
