The GHOST – A1 Supercross

So starting off the year I was thinking of getting a new weekly column started for Supercross, AMA Motocross and MXGP. After careful consideration, I narrowed it down to this, The GHOST. This is going to be about a rider that had one heck of a ride on the weekend, but most people will never even notice. The first GHOST of 2024, well technically ever, goes out to…Justin Cooper. JCoop’s results aren’t over the top, but that’s not what it is about. Cooper finished 8th on the night in an overly stacked field. Sure, he got a little lucky with Ken Roczen and Malcolm Stewart going down right off the start, but how lucky did he get? If you re-watch the start, you will notice that there is a number 32 that actually gets knocked off the track and is about as far back as Mookie leaving the first rhythm section. Cooper crosses the finish line on lap one in 20th position. Slicing and dicing his way through the pack, the Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha rider just picked apart rider after rider ultimately landing just in front of his own teammate, 2 time Supercross champion, Eli Tomac. Cooper passed Justin Hill, Adam Cianciarulo and Eli Tomac, all of these riders were standing on the podium last year at some point in the season, with Eli getting multiple wins. Yes, Tomac was in his first ride back after injury, but that is still quite impressive to be able to say you chased him down and passed him. The craziest part about this ride? Well, it’s the fact that listening to all the podcasts and insiders, you barely even hear a mention about JCoops ride. When you do hear about it, they usually just mention he got 8th and it’s “on to the next”. I personally don’t think many people even noticed that Cooper was that far back off the start. This is why Justin Cooper ended up being the first ever GHOST! While Justin has a few 450 races under his belt from last year, this is his first full season, and I personally think his rides last year were underrated. Do not be surprised to see the 32 up front more often and even standing on the box soon!