Martin had a great start to the day, qualifying second and was fifth after Lap 1 of the first moto. He worked his way forward into striking distance of the final podium spot just before the halfway mark, and then made the pass for third where he ultimately finished. In the second moto, he got a better start and quickly grabbed second behind his teammate. The Minnesotan tried to take the lead, but Cooper held him off. Another challenger closed the gap, so Martin made his move before the sixth lap with an inside pass before the whoops. He then put his head down and built a gap up front to secure his fifth moto win of the season and his second-straight overall victory.
Cooper showed strength straight away, securing his fifth-fastest qualifier honors of the season. He got a good start in the first moto and took the lead from the runner-up spot on Lap 3. The red-plate holder kept cool under pressure and then dropped the hammer in the final laps with the fastest lap of the race on the penultimate lap to secure his fourth moto win of the season. The New Yorker backed that up with his sixth holeshot of the year in Moto 2. After Martin passed him on Lap 5, he was under attack from the competition but held off their advances and was able to build a comfortable gap. Once again, he picked up the pace in the final laps and closed the gap on his teammate, but had a get-off going up Horsepower Hill with two laps to go. Cooper rejoined the race and soldiered on to finish eighth, salvaging points for third overall and expanding his lead in the championship to eight points.
Nichols had a solid first moto, finishing eighth in the challenging conditions. In the second moto, he tried to make his way through the pack after starting the race in 15th but had a couple of crashes, the second one coming in the final laps of the race. The Oklahoman injured his shoulder and was unable to rejoin the race, ending the day 15th overall. Nichols will seek evaluation after the weekend and an update will follow.
Frye got a good start in the top 10 in Moto 1, but then also got caught out in the unforgiving conditions and crashed on the opening lap. The 20-year-old rejoined the race and fought his way back from 28th to 18th. In the second moto, he was behind his teammate in 16th after the start and battled to improve to 13th for 16th overall.
The Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team gets a couple of weekends off before the Unadilla National on August 14, Round 8 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship in New Berlin, New York.
