Image: Octopi Media.

With just 10 points between them after the opening two rounds of the 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross season, 250 class front runners Jett Lawrence and Justin Cooper downplayed aggressive passes made between the two at Thunder Valley.

With history already between the two following comments made at the tail end of last season, a second moto scrap in Colorado could have been grounds to spark in their rivalry.

However, the duo seemed excited about the battle that ensued, downplaying animosity following the race, Cooper stating having no issue with the aggressive move Lawrence used to take the lead and eventual win.

“Yeah, to be honest, I forgot all about the ones early in the moto, but you know it’s fun,” Cooper explained. “I wanted to make it interesting, you know, no one wants a boring race.

“I definitely didn’t want to give up the lead on lap one, I don’t like doing that, so I made it hard for him. I felt him get close a couple of times there in that turn, and I really felt like I was taking the right line there.

“I was kind of missing the big breaking bumps and the big holes. So I didn’t think he’d be able to get that close, so I’ve gotta watch it back and see how he did it.

“But I heard him get on it early and I knew he was going to come to the outside to try and block me and it took pretty much everything I had to keep the bike up.

“He came across pretty hot and it’s all good, it’s racing and I would do the same thing. All and all, it was a fun battle and I just wish I could have put a bit more of a fight up at the end, but I was pretty drained from both motos.

Lawrence shared similar views, admitting he was excited for a battle when things got going in the final moto.

“I had fun in that one, it was good,” Lawrence explained. “Those first few passes it was like ‘sweet, we’re gonna get it on, should be a fun race,’ and dude I had a blast in that one.

“It wasn’t like I just passed him and I’m good to go, he just kept knocking back on the door like ‘hey, I’m still here, I’m gonna get you back.’

“So it was good, I had a lot of fun in that second moto and Justin rode really well in that last one, congrats to him, I had heaps of fun.”

The two are set for another battle this weekend with Cooper just 10 points back from Lawrence in the standings, as the series picks back up on Saturday at High Point for round three.