Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing Team finish 1-2 at the Florida National at the WW Ranch Motocross Park in Jacksonville, Florida with Justin Cooper taking his first overall victory.
His teammate Dylan Ferrandis joining him on the podium after scoring the win in the second moto.
The first 250 Class moto of the afternoon got underway with Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM rookie Derek Drake capturing the first MotoSport.com Holeshot of his career over the Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing duo of Cooper and Ty Masterpool. Championship leader, Adam Cianciarulo, found himself buried deep in the top 10 aboard his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki. Out front, Drake took full advantage of his first opportunity to lead a professional race and he established a multi-second lead over the field. Cooper and Masterpool settled into second and third, while Cianciarulo went to work from an eighth-place start.
With the lead well in hand through the first five minutes of the moto, Drake gave it away when he crashed hard through one of the track’s section of rollers. That allowed Cooper to inherit the lead, while GEICO Honda’s Chase Sexton charged his way up to second and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Michael Mosiman into third. A patient Cianciarulo rode just outside the top five for several laps behind Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Mitchell Oldenburg, but he eventually found his way around to move into the top five.
A determined Sexton was able to close to within a second of Cooper and began searching for different lines in an effort to mount a challenge on the top spot. Cooper did well to keep Sexton at bay, and the lead hovered around a second throughout the middle portion of the race. Sexton’s patience eventually paid off and with just under 10 minutes left in the moto, when he made the pass on Cooper and quickly put some distance between them. It wasn’t long before Sexton enjoyed a multi-second advantage on the field.
Sexton rode strong through the remainder of the moto and prevailed with his first career moto win. Cooper followed in the runner-up spot, 8.2 seconds back, with Mosiman rounding out the top three. Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis put in a strong come-from-behind effort to pass Cianciarulo late for fourth, while the winner of the first four rounds of the season settled for fifth.
The start of the second 250 Class moto saw a slew of Monster Energy/Star/Yamahas storm to the front, with Oldenburg emerging with the MotoSport.com Holeshot. However, his time in the lead was short lived as both Cooper and Ferrandis charged into the top two spots. Mosiman soon slotted into third, with Cianciarulo in fourth. In the early stages of the moto Sexton pulled off into the mechanics area and eventually retired from the race, ending his hopes of a first career win.
Cooper and Ferrandis ran a stellar pace out front, which allowed them to pull away from Cianciarulo, who made the pass on Mosiman to take over third. Ferrandis kept his teammate honest and stayed close, but Cooper maintained his hold on the top spot and started to inch away as the moto wore on. Together, they opened up a double-digit advantage over Cianciarulo.
Cooper appeared to have the moto win in hand, but Ferrandis stored his energy for a late push and with less than 10 minutes left in the moto the Frenchman pulled the trigger. He closed in on Cooper and made the pass with ease with just over seven minutes to go. From there, Ferrandis carried on to his first moto win of the season, crossing the line 9.3 seconds ahead of his teammate, while Cianciarulo finished in a distant third.
Cooper’s consistent 2-2 results were enough to give him the first professional win of his career, edging out Ferrandis (4-1) by a single point. Cianciarulo saw his four-race win streak come to an end in third (5-3).
“[I won] because I got out front, and that felt good. That [Moto 2] was the longest moto of my life. I’m just so spent right now,” said Cooper. “To [win] in this heat really says something, and it feels great to finally get this [the win] off my back.”
Despite seeing his win streak come to an end, Cianciarulo still has a firm hold on the championship point lead, where he sits 18 points ahead of Cooper. Ferrandis is third, 35 points out of the lead.
“I don’t want to take anything away from these guys. They were ripping all day and were just better than me,” explained Cianciarulo. “I just didn’t feel great today. I didn’t really gel with the track, and my body didn’t really feel great. I’m fortunate to have the start like I had with all those wins, and I’m happy to leave here with a podium when I wasn’t at my best.”
2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship 250 WW Ranch Motocross Park Results
1. Justin Cooper (2-2)
2. Dylan Ferrandis (4-1)
3. Adam Cianciarulo (5-3)
4. Michael Mosiman (3-5)
5. Hunter Lawrence (8-4)
6. Alex Martin (7-6)
7. Colt Nichols (9-7)
8. RJ Hampshire (6-11)
9. Chase Sexton (1-39)
10. Jacob Hayes (13-8)
2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship 250 Class Standings
1. Adam Cianciarulo 222
2. Justin Cooper 204
3. Dylan Ferrandis 187
4. Chase Sexton 159
5. Colt Nichols 152
6. Michael Mosiman 148
7. Hunter Lawrence 142
8. RJ Hampshire 129
9. Alex Martin 116
10. Shane McElrath 79