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JUSTIN COOPER
250 MX / 9TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> I don’t think anyone was excited for Unadilla as the hometown boy, Justin Cooper. Unadilla is not only in his home state, but it is where he debuted as a professional last sum- mer. In his second ever career moto at that race, he nished second place. With nearly a full season under his belt, Cooper was eager to come back and nish what he started last year. Cooper has been one of the most breathtaking rookies this season with his breakneck speed. He has thrown down the fastest qualifying time at nearly all of the races. He has a moto win under his belt, but his rst overall victory still eludes him. There is no better place to do so than at your home race. (Just ask Shane McElrath.) Justin Cooper started his day showing blazing speed like he always does. In the morning qualifying practice sessions, he managed to put down the third fastest lap time of the class. And then when the rain hit in sessions number two, he was still able to put down some fast times and notched the fourth fastest time in that one. His speed was clearly there and all he had to do was put it together in the motos. Cooper got out to a great start in moto number one. The New Yorker rounded lap one in fourth position. Things looked like they would go good for Cooper, but disaster struck on lap two. He would go down and fall all the way back to twentieth. He was left with the task of charging through the eld in the rain and mud with very low visibility. He would manage to use the remainder of the moto to grind and grit his way forward. With the track conditions, the riders were vastly spread out, so Cooper was only able to get up to nish
in twelfth. A great come from behind performance in the elements but he was hoping for a much easier second moto. Cooper didn’t get the start he wanted in moto two, but it wasn’t awful. He rounded lap one in tenth position. He slid into ninth on lap two but two laps later, Alex Martin would send him back to tenth. He would nearly immediately claim ninth back thanks to a Chase Sexton crash the following lap. He locked in there and did not let Martin go. He followed him forward and passed him back on lap eight to take over the eighth spot. Cooper wasn’t done yet. He would get around Jordon Smith a few laps later and then with two laps to go, he’d pass Austin Forkner. Those passes in the last few laps earned him sixth place for the moto. Overall on the day, he would go 12-6 for ninth. A disappointing result after how he performed last year and it being his home race, but this will re him up for the remaining two rounds.
30 GRITMOTO • AUGUST 12, 2018