Image: Supplied.

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper concluded his debut AMA Supercross Championship stint in the premier class with a season-best result of P6 at Daytona, now turning his attention to the pursuit of a 250MX title later this year in Pro Motocross.

Cooper isn’t eligible to compete in the 250SX ranks after winning the 2021 western regional title and was provided with the opportunity to debut in select premier class Supercross races this season onboard the all-new 2023 YZ450F.

The number 32 made appearances at Houston, Arlington, Tampa, Oakland – on the west coast – and Daytona, finishing inside the top 10 on each occasion with sixth place on Saturday capping off what was a solid string of results in his first 450SX races.

“It was tough like I expected,” Cooper stated. “We even got a little bit of rain for the main event. The track definitely deteriorated, but they fixed some parts of the track that would have been really bad if they didn’t touch them after the 250 main.

“We just ticked off the laps. I had a really good pace going in the beginning and made a bunch of passes. Then I settled in behind Jason [Anderson], and I started running his pace. From there on, I had a couple of close calls with him, and I got alongside him a couple of times, but he was able to hold me back there. I was definitely pushing for that fifth spot but came up a little bit short and got sixth. It’s a career-best for me, so all in all, it was a great night.

“Now we get ready for the outdoors. I think we did exactly what we wanted to do with these 450 races this season. We got experience, and we learned a lot. The track’s way different in the main than it is in practice. That’s something I could have guessed, but it’s just good to see it here in person and to see how it works. Now we know what to expect coming into next year.”

With his Supercross races now complete for 2023, Cooper will switch across to the YZ250F ahead of the Pro Motocross Championship commencing on 27 May at Fox Raceway.