Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing’s Jeremy Martin dominated the second moto at yesterday’s Budds Creek National to secure his third Lucas Oil Pro Motocross 250MX overall victory of the season. Justin Cooper dominated the first moto and finished fourth in Moto 2 to keep his podium streak rolling with third overall. The team’s young guns continued to make progress in the challenging conditions, with Jarrett Frye ending the day 12th overall and rookie Levi Kitchen in 16th.
Despite not feeling 100%, Cooper was true to form, topping qualifying for the seventh time this season. He then grabbed his eighth holeshot of the year from the number-one gate pick and rode away from the rest of the field, amassing nearly a 10-second lead by Lap 4. He went down on the following lap but rejoined and regrouped to build another healthy gap up front en route to his fifth moto win of the season.
Meanwhile, his teammate Martin was pushed wide at the start and found himself sixth, but he kept pushing and worked his way back into the top five before the halfway mark. A lap later, he made the pass for fourth and then set his sights on closing the gap to the final podium spot. With just under two minutes to go, the competition made an error, and the veteran took advantage to move into third for his 10th moto podium of the season.
In Moto 2, it was Martin who grabbed the holeshot while Cooper was back in seventh. The Minnesotan put his head down and pulled off a disappearing act of his own, building a big gap to lead from start to finish for his fifth moto win and third overall of the season. The result also marked an impressive 20th-career overall victory in the class and moved him to third in the points standings.
After not getting the start he was hoping for, Cooper put his head down and pushed as hard as he could in the punishing heat and humidity. He passed his teammate Frye for sixth and gained another spot on Lap 2. The battle for the third started to heat up, and three laps later, a rider went down, allowing Cooper to advance to fourth, where he ultimately finished. The New Yorker’s podium streak continued with third overall, and he kept the red plate with a three-point advantage in the title chase.
Frye rebounded from a first-lap crash in Moto 1 and quickly made his way to 19th by the first lap, ultimately making his way to 14th by the end of the moto. In Moto 2, the 20-year-old found some redemption at his hometown track in Mechanicsville, Maryland, getting off to a good start in sixth. He was running a good pace and ultimately finished 10th for 12th overall.
Kitchen also had a tough first moto coming back from three crashes to finish 16th. He got a much better start in the second moto but was caught up in a crash on the opening lap that put him at the back of the field. The Washington State rider put his head down and worked his way through the pack to equal his first moto result for 16th overall.
The Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team heads to Crawfordsville, Indiana, on August 28 for Round 10 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at the Ironman National.
Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing 250 Team Manager
“It was an awesome day today! Justin’s ride in Moto 1 and Jeremy’s ride in Moto 2 were both pretty dominant. They got the holeshot and led every lap for the win, which is very rare in this competitive class. Jarrett’s speed was good all day. He had a crash on Lap 1 that set him back in the first moto, but the lap times were much better all day. Levi had three crashes in Moto 1 and a crash on the first lap of Moto 2, but his riding was still very good all day. I’m so proud of our guys and really excited for next weekend. The championship is coming down to the wire, and it should be exciting!”
Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing
“Man, what a day! In the first moto, I kind of got pushed wide at the start, and then I was trying to ride hard but wasn’t going anywhere. Finally, I kind of found a groove there and started making some passes. We made some changes to the bike in the second moto, and I got the holeshot and was just riding on rails. I haven’t been that comfortable since Washougal. It just feels really good to be able to push the limit out there. I know we’re trying to beat these guys, but when you’re giving it your all, and you feel like that, those are the good days.”
Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing
“It was a hot one today, which made for a tough day being sick coming into this one, but we did what we needed to do and salvaged some points. It was great to get that win in the first moto. I had a pretty good lead going, and then right at the top of the hill, I came into the rut, and it kind of gave away, and I ended up going down. It was hard to regroup, but I put it behind me and kept riding forward to get the win. In the second moto, I just didn’t have the fight for those guys. It’s time to buckle down for these last three and make them count. Thanks to the team, they were awesome all day.”
Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing
“I didn’t have the day I was looking for but had a lot of fun racing at my home track. It started out pretty good qualifying seventh, but then I had a crash on the first lap of Moto 1, which set me back, but I managed to finish 14th. I had a much better second moto and got a better start, and I finished 10th for 12th overall. We’re going to get back to work and hopefully have a better result next weekend.”
Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing
“It was a decent weekend for me at Budds Creek. I’m taking the positives from today and leaving the rest behind. We’re going to work on some things this week and try to be better at Ironman.”
