Cooper Finishes Strong with Podium at Pro Motocross Finale
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper concludes the outdoor season with third-place overall at the Budds Creek National / Aug 25, 2025 /
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper returned to the podium with a third overall finish (2-4) at the final round of the Pro Motocross 450MX Championship and Round 28 of the SuperMotocross World Championship, held at the Budds Creek Motocross Park in Mechanicsville, Maryland. Teammate Eli Tomac salvaged valuable points with a 5-8 moto score, ending the day eighth overall.
Cooper showed speed from the start, qualifying in the runner-up spot. He grabbed a great start in Moto 1, quickly slotting into second and battling for the lead early. The New Yorker maintained a strong pace throughout the moto to earn his fourth runner-up finish of the season. In Moto 2, Cooper started fourth and moved into third on the opening lap. After a mistake in the latter half of the moto, he was passed with around five laps to go, but rode on to secure fourth for third overall. Cooper wrapped up the season with three overall podiums, five moto podiums, and fourth in the 450MX standings. His strong results in both supercross and motocross earned the top seed in the 450SMX combined points, putting him in a great position heading into the SMX Playoffs.
Tomac also had a strong start to the day at Budds Creek Motocross Park, qualifying fourth. In Moto 1, he was inside the top 10 after the start and was locked in a multi-rider battle. The Colorado rider made his way to fourth in the opening laps and continued to fight, but ultimately lost some ground as the race wore on and finished fifth. In Moto 2, Tomac did not get off the gate as he had hoped and found himself towards the back of the field. He quickly went to work and made an impressive charge back from 31st to eighth, ending the day eighth overall. Tomac finished third in the 450MX Championship, earning two moto wins and 12 moto podiums. Despite missing most of the Supercross season, he heads into the SMX Playoffs with the seventh seed.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team now sets its sights on the SuperMotocross World Championship Playoffs, which kick off with the first round on September 6 at zMax Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
Rich Simmons – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 450 Team Manager
“It was a bit of a bittersweet day for us at Budds Creek, with a tough day for Eli but a podium for Justin. After qualifying, we felt like Eli was in a good spot. In the first moto, he just never got into a great flow, but still came away with a fifth. Then the second moto, he got off balance out of the gate and was around 30th on Lap 1 and finished eighth. So it was just a tough day for Eli, but we will switch our focus to SMX and come back stronger.
“Justin was a bit off in Q1 but put in a good qualifying effort in Q2 and kept that momentum going all day. He had two good starts, which helps on this track, and put in some really good laps in both motos to get on the overall podium. Justin’s put himself in a great position heading into SMX with the overall points lead, so I’m happy for him and proud of the effort he’s put in all year.”
Justin Cooper – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #32
“I honestly felt great all day. Qualifying went really well, and I was second. It was a battle all day out there – everyone was riding really well. I was second in the first moto, and I got another good start in Moto 2 around third. I felt unreal behind those guys for about 15 minutes, but then I made a big mistake, tucked the front, and basically came to a stop. I lost my flow, hit lappers, and RJ (Hampshire) was all over me – it kind of hit all at the same time. So I got a little flustered, and RJ got around me and some lappers. I closed back on him and followed him around, and from there, it was to get to the finish. I wish that I hadn’t made that mistake and tried to battle with those guys at the front, but I did my best, and that’s what matters.”
Eli Tomac – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #3
“It was a tough day at Budds. We’ll regroup, get back to work, and look forward to SMX.”
2025 Pro Motocross Budds Creek National 450MX Results
2025 Pro Motocross 450MX Championship Standings
2025 SuperMotocross World Championship 450SMX Combined Points Standings
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