Image: Octopi Media.

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper will race-on in 450SX at Oakland, marking his third appearance in the premier-class of Supercross this Saturday.

No longer eligible to compete in the 250SX ranks, Cooper was provided with the opportunity to step up to a YZ450F this season for ‘select’ Monster Energy Supercross races.

An impressive 450SX debut saw him cross the line seventh in Houston’s main event, and the number 32 backed that up with another P7 finish inside Raymond James Stadium seven days later.

“It was another solid day,” Cooper recalled. “I think for my first two races to be inside the top 10 – seventh in both main events – I can’t ask for much more than this. It’s a really good start. These guys are really fast, and I’m just happy to be where I’m at in my first couple of races. It’s definitely something to learn from and build on for the future.

“The conditions were definitely tough. In the heat race, it was raining, and then all the way up to the main, it was sprinkling. Luckily, it stopped for the main, and the track kind of got better as it went on, and there was a little bit more traction, but the heat was a little bit scary. It was really slippery. I was riding pretty timid out there, and I was just thankful to get through that one clean. I was able to ride like myself in the main, though, and finished seventh.”

With the previous Houston and Tampa rounds planned and on the cards for Cooper, his competitive appearance set for this Saturday at RingCentral Colisuem will be his first in the premier class at a West coast venue. He will partner Eli Tomac once more in the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing camp, with a return date for Dylan Ferrandis after the Frenchman brought out the red-flags in Houston and sustained a concussion.