Cooper qualified second overall earlier in the day and finished third in heat race 1, but got off to a tough start in Saturday night’s 250SX East main event. The 21-year-old kept his composure throughout the 20-lap event, and it paid off. A couple of riders went down, and Cooper was able to make some well-timed passes, which put the New Yorker in third at the finish for the first podium result of his young career.
His teammate Oldenburg qualified fifth and was the runner-up in heat race 2, but also got pinched off at the start of the Main. The Texan found himself shuffled all the way back to 13th position. Undaunted, Oldenburg used his racecraft along with some fortuitous rider attrition to work himself all the way up to sixth place at the checkers.
The Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team’s 250SX East riders will be back in action next weekend for round two, which will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday, February 16.
