By Race Chapman

When we last spoke with Justin Cooper, it was after his impressive sweep of the Pro classes at Mammoth Motocross. He told us then that he would be heading to Lucas Oil Pro Motocross shortly after the Loretta Lynn Amateur Nationals. But nobody predicted just how much of a splash he would actually make.

Over the weekend, Cooper debuted against some of the best motocross talent in the world at the infamous Unadilla in New Berlin, New York. He wouldn't have known it at the time, but he happened to enter the series during the most bizarre and unpredictable race of the season.

On Saturday, the first moto of the day started off fairly routine, with a pleasant bit of welcome rain showering the 250 racers towards the end. But as the 450 class powered on through its first moto, the skies darkened and released a deluge.

In a very unusual turn of events, the 450 moto was red-flagged with a few laps to go and cut short due to lightning. Afterwards, everyone sat huddled under their tents and umbrellas during the long rain delay, watching water puddle up between braking bumps and jump transitions. Parts of the track appeared as if there were creek crossings in the middle of rutted corners and various obstacles. It was unknown whether they would even be capable of finishing the race day.

But this is motocross. And a little apocalyptic weather never stopped a motocrosser.

When the lightning disappeared, the 250s lined up on the sloppy starting line. Jeremy Martin took the holeshot and following right behind him: Justin Cooper.

Cooper would hold second easily for the remainder of the moto, looking less like a rookie in his first pro race and more like a confident veteran with mud expertise. His smooth style suited him well to the slippery conditions, and combined with his 12th-place finish in first moto, he ended up fifth overall.

FloRacing: First off, great job! We were rooting for you, and we're so stoked to see you doing so well!

Cooper: Yeah, that was awesome! I mean, I didn't really expect to do that, so yeah, it was a surprise to me.

Before the race, what were your expectations and goals for the event? Somewhere in the top 10?

Yeah, I mean, that's where -- I've been riding with these guys long enough that I can kind of see where I'm at. And I was hoping for top 10, like somewhere between fifth and 10th. But yeah, I got second in the second moto, it was a little bit of a surprise. But the first moto didn't go too good. I didn't get that good of a start. So I just kinda rode around and tried to figure out the whole pro thing there, racing. But second moto I got a great start and was able to run the pace so it was good! Finished up second.

So what was going through your head while running second in that moto?

Well, once I got to second behind Jeremy [Martin] I was kind of pacing off him, and then I was really just thinking like -- I was just trying not to throw it away. I felt like I could make some runs at Jeremy at some points, there (were) some jumps I was doing that no one else was hitting, so I was making a lot of time there. But I was just trying to be smart and not throw it away, because I was in a really good position. And I mean yeah, it was awesome to stand on the podium for my debut in the second moto.

Was there anything about your first pro race that you didn't necessarily expect or that surprised you?

I mean, just little things that I didn't really expect. Just the whole pro thing, everyone is pretty much the same speed and where you're at. So it's really hard to pass, and you have to be going a lot faster than that person to get around them. So it definitely makes it hard to pass and move through the pack. But I mean... these are the best riders in the world, so it shouldn't come as a surprise, I guess.



What were your emotions like on the starting line?

It's been so long, it's been I guess 15 years since I started racing so it's just -- it's hard for it to sink in. You don't really get what's going on in the moment, that this is actually your first pro race and all that. It doesn't really set in I guess until... I mean it still hasn't really set in. But just making the transition to the pro ranks is a little weird. Coming in you're really used to the amateur stuff, and once you go to the pro stuff it's just another level of racing. It's not even really comparable.

Huh, that's really interesting. What would you say the major differences are?

I could say just the atmosphere of it. It's just a lot different. The crowd -- like during the motos, the crowd and all that is just a lot to get used to. And it's not really something amateurs are used to at their point in racing. So yeah, I mean just the crowd in general, the atmosphere, the pressure, all of it just comes together into one thing. You kind of just have to focus on racing like you were still in amateurs and just doing your best.

So I'd imagine it would be a pretty intense feeling knowing that everyone is there to watch you race...

Yeah, for sure. The home crowd -- I'm from New York so Unadilla was my hometown race, I guess, and it happened to be my debut also. So when I got out front in that second moto, it was kind of hectic. I mean every turn I was trying to focus because of all the air horns and all that. [laughs] Just a lot of stuff that can break your focus I guess.

What are your plans and goals for the last few races of the year?

I'm focusing more on consistency. That was an awesome way to start it out, and I'm not going to try and really get too ahead of myself. I want to still stay in the top 10 and focus on being consistent right now and just learn everything I can from these next three rounds.

Weekly Articles from Race Chapman

Tomac Will Earn Title, But Not Ambassadorship 
Keep The Loretta's Competitive 
Eli Tomac Extends Lead In Spite Of Challenges 
Motocross Is A War Of Attrition 
The Beginning of a Beautiful Rivalry 
Justin Cooper's Successful Amateur Swan Song