After topping qualifying for an impressive ninth time out of 12 rounds this season, Cooper did what he does best and grabbed the holeshot in Moto 1. He pulled a gap and maintained a good pace throughout the moto. While the riders behind tried to catch him, the New Yorker ultimately finished the moto with a 3.5-second lead. When the Moto 2 gate dropped, it was a near miss for another holeshot, but Cooper was right there and able to move his Yamaha YZ250F into the lead by the second lap. He maintained the front spot for the remainder of the race and collected the first perfect 1-1 overall of his career.
Kitchen was able to prove how much he had learned during his rookie season at the season finale. In the opening moto, the 2021 Nicky Hayden AMA Motocross Horizon Award winner powered his Yamaha to ninth-place on the opening lap and continued to take advantage of the attrition at the front of the pack, crossing the line in sixth. He matched his first moto start but had a tip over on the third lap that pushed him back to 14th. Kitchen kept pushing on the extremely tough track, making his way up to 12th for ninth overall.
Frye has found his speed in the second half of the season and was able to put in two solid motos at Hangtown. He got a start outside of the top 10 in the first moto and crossed the line in ninth. In Moto 2, the Maryland rider came back from 12th to finish 10th, giving him 11th on the day.
