Cooper Keeps Podium Streak Rolling at Southwick

11-07-2021

Cooper Keeps Podium Streak Rolling at Southwick

Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing’s Justin Cooper dug deep on a tough day and finished third overall at yesterday’s Southwick National to gain five points in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross 250MX Championship. Colt Nichols had a solid ride to finish fifth. Jeremy Martin bounced back from early crashes in both motos to end the day 13th. The team’s up-and-coming riders, Jarrett Frye and Nate Thrasher finished 15th and 16th, respectively.

Before the fifth round of the championship, rain soaked the sand at The Wick 338, creating some challenging conditions on race day. Cooper struggled in the second qualifying session and started from the fifth gate pick. He had a crash in the first moto and was 22nd after the first lap. The 2021 250SX West Champion put his head down and fought his way back to sixth to salvage some points. He got a much better start the second time around in third and battled up front. In the end, the New Yorker finished second to secure third overall and kept this season’s podium streak alive. Cooper trails the points leader by three points as the series approaches the halfway mark.

After a tough outing at the previous round at RedBud, Nichols bounced back on a tough track at ‘The Wick.” He got two solid starts and made his way from seventh to fourth in the first moto. In Moto 2, the Oklahoman put in a solid ride in fifth to end the day with a top-five finish overall. Martin had two great starts and was battling up front, but unfortunately had two costly tip-overs on the opening laps of both motos. Not willing to give up, he endured the roost and wove his way through from 30th to 11th in Moto 1 and 40th to 14th in Moto 2, ending the day 13th overall.

The young Jarrett Frye continues to make progress but unfortunately got caught up in a first-turn pileup in the first moto. The Maryland rider was 28th after the first lap and put in a good ride to finish 15th. He then backed that up with another 15th-place finish in Moto 2 to end the day 15th overall. His teammate Thrasher also had a tough day. The 18-year-old was battling inside the top 10 in sixth but had to retire early with a technical issue. Credited with 38th in the first moto, he had a less than ideal gate pick but got a great start in the top 10. Unfortunately, he had a tip-over early in the race and rejoined in 19th. The Tennessee rider kept pushing and worked his way back to 11th to finish 16th overall.

Next weekend the Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team heads to Millville, Minnesota, for the Spring Creek National on July 17, Round 6 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at the Spring Creek MX Park.

Seth Rarick

Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 250 Team Manager

“Today was a good day points-wise for us. Justin salvaged what could’ve been a terrible first moto and made the most of it. It was great to see Colt up front in both motos, and he looks to build on this momentum. Nate had a technical issue while running up front Moto 1 and then an untimely crash in Moto 2 while battling towards the front. I’m proud of his heart and determination to still charge forward after the cards he was dealt. I’m bummed that Jeremy had a rough day, but he’s a two-time champion for a reason and will bounce back. We also have some solutions on our end to help him. Jarrett rode better today, and there’s a lot of positives that he can take away from it and build on. I’m proud of our team. We’re going to keep working and come back fighting next weekend at Spring Creek.”

Justin Cooper

Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing

“Southwick was an up and down day for me. I found myself on the ground on the first lap of Moto 1 and then had to fight my way through the pack from last to salvage some points with sixth. In the second moto, I just didn’t have the energy to hold Hunter (Lawrence) back. I gave it all I had today and gained some points in the process. The bike was working well all day on a really rough track. I’m looking forward to going racing again next weekend!”

Colt Nichols

Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing

“Southwick was a step in the right direction for me. The bike is feeling better, and the team has been working hard to get me comfortable, and we are getting there. This track is tough as usual, but I always enjoy racing ‘The Wick,’ and I’m happy to have two solid motos in the right direction.”

Jeremy Martin

Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing

“I got good starts in both motos but unfortunately went down on the first lap in both of them. I had to work really hard to get those 11-16 moto scores. It was a tough day, but we have some things to take away from it. I’m looking forward to my home race next Saturday.”

Jarrett Frye

Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing

“We had some bad luck in the first moto getting caught up in that pileup at the start, but we made a lot of progress, and I had a good ride to 15th and ended up 15th overall. It’s still not the results I’m looking for, but we are making progress. We’re going to keep working and try for better at the next one.”

Nate Thrasher

Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing

“It was another tough go at it this weekend with some problems in the first moto. I had a good start and was running sixth but had to pull in. It’s unfortunate, but it happens. In the second moto, I came from the far outside and managed a top-10 start, but a tip-over early in the race cost me. I’m taking the positives from today and am just going to keep doing the work.”

2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship 250 Class Southwick Results

2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship 250 Class Standings