Our old mate in USA, Eric Johnson has a major position in the sport, not only as one of the all-time great writers, but also somebody who has access to the leading SMX riders. He caught up with Justin Cooper here below and as always a great read.

The 2025 Monster Energy SuperMotocross World Championship Playoffs will spool up and launch this weekend at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, North Carolina and Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha Justin Cooper enters the fray of the world’s best riders as the number one seed. Strong and consistent in both the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and AMA Pro Motocross Championship in 2025, Cooper, in his second year as a premier class rider, will begin the three Playoff rounds set for zMAX Dragway, The Dome at America’s center and The Strip at The Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the red number plate and the 450SMX points lead.

“Obviously it is a big goal of mine to achieve the red plate in this class,” said Cooper, the lone 450cc competitor to compete in every race throughout the 2025 American racing season. “Especially with how stacked it has been. Three more rounds left in the year and they’re Playoff rounds. A little bit of a hybrid. I ended the supercross season in a really good way. I feel like it is anyone’s game right now. I’m just going to bring my best into it and see how it goes.”

Having earned the top seed of the Monster Energy SuperMotocross World Championship through consistency and points accrued in the 2025 Monster Energy Supercross and AMA Pro Motocross seasons, Cooper is pleased with reality of his surroundings heading into Charlotte.

“That has always been one of my goals,” said Cooper. “The goal is to stay healthy and make it through all the rounds. That’s no easy task in this sport. It’s a pretty dangerous sport, but yeah, it has gone really well. I have no complaints. It has been a really consistent season. I’ve gotten a lot of podiums. I’m still looking for that win and maybe that will come now.”

Having nailed down three third place finishes in the 2025 Monster Energy Supercross Championship as well as three top three scores in AMA Pro Motocross, it’s that 450 classification overall win that the New Yorker yearns for.

“It’s tough. It’s a really, really deep class with a lot of talent,” he said. “Even the podium finishes, they don’t ever come easy. I think being on the podium is good for me right now in my second year in the class. I’m just really looking to put everything I’ve got into that win. I think we’re close. No better place to do it right here and right now in the Playoffs.

“I’m just super-excited to run the red plate. I haven’t ridden with it in a couple years, since the 250. I’m definitely really excited to run that. And I think everyone is excited to switch it all up after the outdoors. It was a long and hot summer, so it all comes down to now and the Playoffs. Three more rounds and then we’ve got some time off. I made sure to bring everything into this.

“It’s really hard to get ahead of yourself in this series. We have 31 races, so you can’t get too far ahead of yourself. If you start looking too far ahead of yourself, you almost lose some motivation because of how long it all is and how grueling it is. I just show up for each race and focus on the week ahead and when that is done, shift the sights to the very next weekend and that’s been working good for me. Sometimes that’s what you need to do for these long seasons.”

Eighth overall in the 2024 SuperMotocross 450SMX point standings, does Cooper believe he can be better in the 2025 iteration of the hybrid championship?

“Yeah, actually last year turned out to be really good with eight overall,” he says. “At the first round I did pretty good. At the second round I had a crash at the end of the first moto, so I DNFd. I didn’t start the second moto. I then rode the Vegas round with a slightly broken collarbone. All in all it wasn’t the greatest showing, but eighth was pretty good after not racing the second round.”

Combining the precision and timing of supercross with the high speed brutality of outdoor motocross, the SMX race circuits are a challenge for the world’s best supercross and motocross pilots.

“They’re definitely different and that’s what is so exciting about it,” enthused Cooper. “They’re a hybrid and we are able to kind of get a fresh start. Between all of us racing, there is not much experience when it comes to these races. It’s a lot of people searching for what works for them, and that’s what kind of makes it exciting and different. It’s almost the unknown. Every year we are kind of faced with new challenges and I think that’s what is so exciting about it. I think this style of track suits me because it doesn’t get too rough like the outdoors does and then they can also be kind of supercross-like. All in all, I think it’s a good style of track for me. I’m just looking forward to it. It is definitely no easy task. And the separation at these races isn’t too much, so a good start is definitely crucial.”

Cooper, speaking from zMAX Dragway race paddock on Friday afternoon, contemplated his goals for this Saturday night when the starting gate clanks into Carolina dirt.

"I think goals for me are to take it just one race at a time at first,” he said. “We also have the points lead going into this, so that gives me that extra motivation to go for it. I don’t want to se the goal too high. I definitely want to be a podium guy in these three races and put myself in the position to be going for the championship at the final round in Las Vegas. But yeah, a lot of work needs to be done to get that, and these guys are definitely no joke. I’m just going to execute what I can, and just take it one race at a time.

"I’ve got my teammates Eli [Tomac] and Cooper [Webb] to go race against and they’ll be right there. You’ve got the Lawrences. You’ve got Kenny [Roczen]. You’ve got Chase [Sexton]. Yeah, there are a lot of guys. I’ve been battling them all summer long, so it’s just a different style track now. So we’re going to put our best foot forward and just attack everything. We’ll attack every practice and every race and see where we end up. That’s the exciting part. I feel like our relationship with Yamaha is just getting better. I made the move up last year and I’m getting more used to the 450 and form here we’re just going to keep going. I’m back on the team next year and it’s just building that relationship. The bike has been unreal and the team has been unreal. I can leave it to them for things that need help with, and that’s special.”