Straight out of the gate, the Yamaha YZ250F riders looked to be the front runners on the technical track. Ferrandis was the fastest qualifier and Cooper right behind him. They went on to take a win in their respective Heat races, with the Frenchman once again leading the way with pole position.
When the gate dropped for the Main Event it was the New Yorker that had the advantage. He got off to a good start and battled for the lead in second, while the defending champ had to recover from a bad start in seventh. Cooper was patient and rode a smart race. After the race leader made an error, he moved to the front and held onto it to score his first career win in the class.
Further back, Ferrandis had to work his way through traffic. By the halfway mark, the tenacious Frenchman was up into third and chasing down the leaders. He also was able to capitalize on the competition’s error to move into second, but there wasn’t enough time left to close the gap on his teammate and challenge for the win. Although he was hoping for better, the second-place finish was a good start to his title defense.
The Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team heads east to St.Louis, Missouri, next Saturday, January 11, for Round 2 at the Dome at America’s Center.
