Justin Cooper’s stadium trajectory was set after winning the 2021 250 Supercross West championship. He had one season to defend his title and then would be forced to advance to the 450 division by 2023. A foot injury kept him from competing indoors in 2022, but he regained his form in the Pro Motocross series and despite failing to win, he stood on the podium five times and scored top-10s in all but one race.
The problem was Cooper did not have a full-time 450 ride arranged for 2023. A handful of starts on the bigger bike produced another sweep of the top 10, but he failed to crack the top five with a best of sixth on the hybrid track at Daytona International Speedway. Cooper closed out that season on a 250 in Motocross since that series does not have the same rule that kept him from riding the smaller bike.
Cooper finally had the opportunity to race in the 450 division in Supercross in 2024. He did not immediately jump to the top of the charts, but he provided a glimpse of what his season would look like with an eighth in the Supercross season opener at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. That would be his best finish for the first half of the season. He finished seventh in Arlington, Texas, in late February, followed by a sixth in Daytona and a fifth in the inaugural race in Birmingham, Alabama.
It took eight rounds before Cooper found the top five again, but he made it count with a season-best result of second in the Supercross finale in Salt Lake City.
The key to Cooper’s success in 2024 was consistency. He finished in the top 10 in all but two rounds in the stadium series and swept the top 10 in Pro Motocross. In the outdoor series, he added another pair of podiums to his record at Thunder Valley in Lakewood, Colorado, and Spring Creek in Millville, Minnesota. By the time the season was over, he produced a top-10 ratio of 90 percent, which was successful by any measure.
Seeded fifth in SuperMotocross points last year, a crash at Texas Motor Speedway in Round 2 of the playoffs dropped him to eighth in the final rundown, but sixth-place results in the other two races netted a six-figure bonus. Most remarkably, Cooper raced the finale with a broken collarbone.
Along with his consistency, Cooper showed resiliency during a season when only four riders qualified for all 31 Feature Events. Cooper was not one of them, but he came close — missing only Round 2 of the Supercross championship in San Francisco.
In mid-September, Cooper re-signed with Star Yamaha for a one-year deal in 2025.
With a full rookie season onboard a 450 in 2024, Cooper has the experience needed to climb further in the points and challenge for a top-five in the standings. Whether he accomplishes that feat will largely be determined by the health of some other riders like Cooper Webb and Eli Tomac, but J-Coop deserves a lot of attention.
2024 Statistics
Feature starts: 30
Average feature finish: 7.27
Podiums: 3
Top-fives: 10
Top-10s: 27
Best finish: Second (Salt Lake City SX)
SMX Standings/payout: Eighth/$100,000
2024 News
Justin Cooper re-signs with Star Yamaha for one year in 2025
Chase Sexton, Cooper save best for last
450 Countdown
10. Justin Barcia
11. Malcolm Stewart
12. Dylan Ferrandis
13. Christian Craig
14. Shane McElrath
15. Dean Wilson
250 Countdown
10. Chance Hymas
11. Garrett Marchbanks
12. Max Anstie
13. Julien Beaumer
14. Coty Schock
15. Ryder DiFrancesco
More SuperMotocross News
2025 SX schedule | MX schedule | MXGP Schedule
2025 Supercross tickets on sale | Pro Motocross tickets
2025 TV Schedule | Track Maps
Jeremy Coker moves to Factory Triumph from Yamaha Star Racing
Chance Hymas has breakout in 2024 with MX win
Jorge Prado crashes, misses SX Media Sessions
French language broadcast added to 2025 SMX Video Pass
Devin Simonson joins ClubMX for 2025 SX
It’s only a matter of time for Jalek Swoll
Mark Fineis renews with ClubMX
Dirt bike racing mourns “Motorcycle Mary” McGee
Hunter Lawrence wins AUSSX finale in Melbourne
Justin Barcia and the journey to find balance
