2017 Mammoth Mountain MX ChampionshipJun 24, 2017 by Race Chapman
Justin Cooper Sets The Mark Friday At Mammoth Mountain
Justin Cooper Sets The Mark Friday At Mammoth Mountain
If Justin Cooper's results in his Friday motos is any indication, his competition had better pull out all the stops in the upcoming 250 and 450 Pro classes Saturday and Sunday.
By Race Chapman
The Friday sun gets low over Mammoth Mountain, and the white bark pines cast long shadows on the battered racetrack. Fans and racers have now had their first taste of this year's Pro motos and their last chance to watch the masterful young Superminis.
Much like the first half of the week, racers proved that the cream has a tendency to rise to the top. Recognizable names such as Justin Cooper, Garrett Marchbanks, Brock Papi, and Dilan Schwartz all had found their way to the front of their classes when the checkered flag waved.
In the Open Pro Finals, Cooper made his day's work easier by grabbing the holeshot. He would go on to stretch out more than 10 seconds over Enzo Lopes in second place by the end of the 10-lap final. Cooper appeared to win with ease.
Joey Crown got an abysmal start in the final and found himself buried as far back as 14th on the first lap. Not to be discouraged, he put his head down and shredded the course, making pass after pass and taking the rocky, brutal roost in stride. Darryn Durham, one of the favorites going into the race, had an issue on the third lap and retired from the race.
With only a few laps left, Crown caught fourth-place rider Nick Schmidt, whose resume is about as impressive as they come. Schmidt has raced at the highest levels of the sport, qualifying for countless Supercross and Pro Motocross races. But he had nothing for Crown, who made a quick pass and quickly gapped Schmidt, who then fell off the pace. Crown would go on to catch third-place rider Justin Hoeft but ran out of laps before he could make a pass attempt. Schmidt would hold on to fifth, while Crown finished fourth. Hoeft crossed in third place behind Lopes in second, and Cooper, of course, in first.
While Crown certainly had the most thrilling race, Cooper's performance must not be understated. Cooper was clearly the fastest rider on the track, easily navigating the mountainside and never looking like he was out of control or pushing his limits.
Schwartz put in two dominating motos in the Supermini All-Stars race, once again getting excellent starts and then just using raw speed to run from the competition. Josh Varize gave his best in the first moto to finish second, and Jeremy Ryan was the runner-up in the second moto.
Papi won both the Open B qualifier and the final with ease. Marchbanks had less success in his qualifier, finishing only fifth, but put on his "A" game when it counted and led the Schoolboy 2 class to the finish line. After the race, Marchbanks explained his troubles from the qualifier, saying he "had run out of breath" due to the altitude.
(Garrett Marchbanks kept his eyes on the prize after a disappointing first moto; Photo: Garrett Marchbanks Facebook.)
Racers came out of the woodwork for the Open Pro class on Friday, with names such as RJ Wageman, Darryn Durham, and Kevin Rookstool floating about the results list alongside Cooper, Crown, and Schmidt.
The first two Pro Qualifiers were won by Max Markolf and Cooper. In Division 1, Schmidt followed Markolf closely to the line in second, with Justin Hoeft, Wageman, and Kai Mukai filling out the top five.
Division 2's qualifier was a foreshadowing of the Open Pro Final. Darryn Durham took the holeshot but didn't have the speed to compete with Cooper, who quickly passed him and led the rest of the race, putting in the fastest lap of the week during the five-lap sprint.
Crown had a mediocre start and proved to the crowd that passing is possible on the tight and winding mountain course, though not easy. Crown had worked all the way up to third -- an impressive feat in a five-lap race in a stacked qualifier. He ended up finishing a mere 0.06 seconds behind Durham, with Lopes in fourth and Arik Swan in fifth.
Saturday's races will include the 250 Pro motos, the College Boy and 125cc classes, and the fan-favorite FMF 2 Stroke Challenge. Sunday will include the 450 Pros, 250 B/C, and women's classes. Most of the Pros from Friday's race will rematch Saturday on 250s and Sunday on 450s, plus a few other notables such as Zach Bell and Sean Collier will swell the ranks.
If Cooper's results in his motos is any indication, the competition had better pull out all the stops in the upcoming 250 and 450 Pro classes Saturday and Sunday. One thing for racers to keep in mind this weekend: Mammoth Mountain is not a forgiving track to those who don't start well. The track is narrow and treacherous, and the roost is rocky and painful -- making just one pass can take multiple laps.
Hopefully, Crown and the other competitors will have starts figured out for the next Pro motos, so we can see someone in a true head-to-head battle with Cooper.
Mammoth Mountain MX Coverage
Mammoth Mountain MotoX Live Updates, Day 3
The Mammoth MX Is Just Getting Started With The Minis Warming Up The Track
Mammoth Mountain MotoX Live Updates, Day 2
Mammoth Mountain MotoX Live Updates, Day 1
Kobusch Shreds The Competition With Style
Ride Hard, Play Hard At Mammoth Mountain
Seven Years' Experience In A 10-Year-Old Body
Exclusive One-On-One With Joey Crown Before The Mammoth Mountain MX
Joey Crown Highlights An Early List Of Mammoth Mountain MX Contenders
Mammoth Lake, CA, 93546
STREAMING: Available only on FloRacing. A yearly FloPRO subscription provides access to ALL FloSports sites.
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The Friday sun gets low over Mammoth Mountain, and the white bark pines cast long shadows on the battered racetrack. Fans and racers have now had their first taste of this year's Pro motos and their last chance to watch the masterful young Superminis.
Much like the first half of the week, racers proved that the cream has a tendency to rise to the top. Recognizable names such as Justin Cooper, Garrett Marchbanks, Brock Papi, and Dilan Schwartz all had found their way to the front of their classes when the checkered flag waved.
In the Open Pro Finals, Cooper made his day's work easier by grabbing the holeshot. He would go on to stretch out more than 10 seconds over Enzo Lopes in second place by the end of the 10-lap final. Cooper appeared to win with ease.
Joey Crown got an abysmal start in the final and found himself buried as far back as 14th on the first lap. Not to be discouraged, he put his head down and shredded the course, making pass after pass and taking the rocky, brutal roost in stride. Darryn Durham, one of the favorites going into the race, had an issue on the third lap and retired from the race.
With only a few laps left, Crown caught fourth-place rider Nick Schmidt, whose resume is about as impressive as they come. Schmidt has raced at the highest levels of the sport, qualifying for countless Supercross and Pro Motocross races. But he had nothing for Crown, who made a quick pass and quickly gapped Schmidt, who then fell off the pace. Crown would go on to catch third-place rider Justin Hoeft but ran out of laps before he could make a pass attempt. Schmidt would hold on to fifth, while Crown finished fourth. Hoeft crossed in third place behind Lopes in second, and Cooper, of course, in first.
While Crown certainly had the most thrilling race, Cooper's performance must not be understated. Cooper was clearly the fastest rider on the track, easily navigating the mountainside and never looking like he was out of control or pushing his limits.
Schwartz put in two dominating motos in the Supermini All-Stars race, once again getting excellent starts and then just using raw speed to run from the competition. Josh Varize gave his best in the first moto to finish second, and Jeremy Ryan was the runner-up in the second moto.
Papi won both the Open B qualifier and the final with ease. Marchbanks had less success in his qualifier, finishing only fifth, but put on his "A" game when it counted and led the Schoolboy 2 class to the finish line. After the race, Marchbanks explained his troubles from the qualifier, saying he "had run out of breath" due to the altitude.
(Garrett Marchbanks kept his eyes on the prize after a disappointing first moto; Photo: Garrett Marchbanks Facebook.)
Racers came out of the woodwork for the Open Pro class on Friday, with names such as RJ Wageman, Darryn Durham, and Kevin Rookstool floating about the results list alongside Cooper, Crown, and Schmidt.
The first two Pro Qualifiers were won by Max Markolf and Cooper. In Division 1, Schmidt followed Markolf closely to the line in second, with Justin Hoeft, Wageman, and Kai Mukai filling out the top five.
Division 2's qualifier was a foreshadowing of the Open Pro Final. Darryn Durham took the holeshot but didn't have the speed to compete with Cooper, who quickly passed him and led the rest of the race, putting in the fastest lap of the week during the five-lap sprint.
Crown had a mediocre start and proved to the crowd that passing is possible on the tight and winding mountain course, though not easy. Crown had worked all the way up to third -- an impressive feat in a five-lap race in a stacked qualifier. He ended up finishing a mere 0.06 seconds behind Durham, with Lopes in fourth and Arik Swan in fifth.
Saturday's races will include the 250 Pro motos, the College Boy and 125cc classes, and the fan-favorite FMF 2 Stroke Challenge. Sunday will include the 450 Pros, 250 B/C, and women's classes. Most of the Pros from Friday's race will rematch Saturday on 250s and Sunday on 450s, plus a few other notables such as Zach Bell and Sean Collier will swell the ranks.
If Cooper's results in his motos is any indication, the competition had better pull out all the stops in the upcoming 250 and 450 Pro classes Saturday and Sunday. One thing for racers to keep in mind this weekend: Mammoth Mountain is not a forgiving track to those who don't start well. The track is narrow and treacherous, and the roost is rocky and painful -- making just one pass can take multiple laps.
Hopefully, Crown and the other competitors will have starts figured out for the next Pro motos, so we can see someone in a true head-to-head battle with Cooper.
Mammoth Mountain MX Coverage
Mammoth Mountain MotoX Live Updates, Day 3
The Mammoth MX Is Just Getting Started With The Minis Warming Up The Track
Mammoth Mountain MotoX Live Updates, Day 2
Mammoth Mountain MotoX Live Updates, Day 1
Kobusch Shreds The Competition With Style
Ride Hard, Play Hard At Mammoth Mountain
Seven Years' Experience In A 10-Year-Old Body
Exclusive One-On-One With Joey Crown Before The Mammoth Mountain MX
Joey Crown Highlights An Early List Of Mammoth Mountain MX Contenders
Where To Watch
Mammoth MotorcrossMammoth Lake, CA, 93546
How To Watch
ON TV: Now available on Roku and Apple TV 4 -- download the FloSports app today!STREAMING: Available only on FloRacing. A yearly FloPRO subscription provides access to ALL FloSports sites.
SIGN UP HERE