The entire team got a great start off of the gate in the first moto with all five riders in the top 10, but it was Cooper, the fastest 250 qualifier, who grabbed his fifth holeshot of the season. The New Yorker checked out and built a solid gap on the competition, but as the moto wore on he started riding tight and Martin closed in on him. Still not feeling 100%, the Minnesotan dug deep for that late moto charge and passed his teammate downhill. From there, Cooper ran his own race to secure the runner-up spot and give the team a stellar 1-2 finish.
Martin built on that first moto with a masterclass performance in Moto 2. He grabbed the holeshot and led start-to-finish to score a dominant victory with an over nine-second margin. His 37th career win in the class propelled him back inside the top five in the standings.
Cooper slotted right behind his teammate after the start, but he struggled to find his flow on a challenging track and was shuffled back to third just before the halfway mark. The third-place finish secured third overall, keeping his podium streak intact and giving him a six-point advantage in the title fight.
Nichols had a solid day inside the top 10. He steadily worked his way from eighth to sixth by Lap 4, but ultimately finished seventh. Starting eighth again in Moto 2, he quickly advanced to fifth but was shuffled back to seventh with three laps to go, ending the day sixth overall.
Frye continued to make progress, getting a great start in the first moto behind his teammates in fourth. He got shuffled back through the roster but hung on to 10th, notching his best moto result of the season. He found himself 13th after the start of Moto 2 and then, unfortunately, got caught up in a multi-rider pileup on Lap 2. The Maryland rider had to pull into the mechanics’ area before rejoining the race a lap down, finishing 29th.
Unfortunately, it was more bad luck for Thrasher. The 18-year-old had had a great start in Moto 1 and was riding in second before being collected by another rider on that opening lap. He sat out the rest of the day with an injured shoulder and will be evaluated further after the weekend.
The Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team heads west to Washington State for the Washougal National on July 24, Round 7 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at the Washougal MX Park.