Justin Cooper Interview: San Diego Press Day
January 20, 2024
Andrea caught up with Justin Cooper at press day yesterday in San Diego before the riders hit the track. Here's what he had to say:
I'm actually from Syosset, NY and I saw that you're from Cold Spring Harbor! I don't know anyone on Long Island that really knows about Motocross, so I was just curious how you came upon it and became interested in it?
Nice, Syosset is like 15 minutes from me! So my dad was actually a local pro, so he got me into it at a young age, around four years old. It was pretty weird that he got into the sport since it wasn't big around there. Everything kinda took off from there - he took me to local races, then we started racing nationally, and now we're pro, so here we are!Nice! Is there a local track near Cold Spring Harbor?
There were one or two tracks on the island when I was growing up, but slowly they've been going and coming back - I think there's only one on the island now. The last one did close down but they found a place to reopen it. It's definitely getting harder to find public tracks, that are legal at least. It was definitely a struggle riding on the island, especially in the winter, so we had to travel and do our racing elsewhere.That makes sense. So you don't live on the island anymore?
No, I moved out when I turned pro at 17. I go back for a couple trips to see the family, but that's about it.How are you feeling coming into this weekend after last weekend?
I feel like I need some redemption! We had a rough rain race last week, and I was on the ground a lot more than I like to be, so that didn't help. Hopefully we can stay dry this weekend and have another good showing.Are you worried about the potential rain in the forecast tomorrow?
A little bit, because if it gets really hardpacked it'll get very slippery, so hopefully it does hold out. If it does rain, we're gonna have to be ready for it.How are you feeling about the rest of your season? What are your hopes for the season as a whole - has it changed since the first race?
It was good to see kinda where I stacked up in the first race, and we have a long series. I'd like to hit the podium a couple times this year, so that's the main goal. It's a long season, so we have to ease into it. A lot of racing, a lot of learning to do. I'm still getting used to this class, so we'll take it slow and see where that brings us.I'm pretty new to the sport, and something I find interesting is managing the nerves and anxiety that riders may have when they're on the start line. Is that something you face when you're at the gate, ready to go? And how do you manage that?
It's definitely one of the more critical things - trying to control your emotions on the line. There's a lot going through your head - you've got the butterflies, the nervousness. But it all goes away when the gate drops - it's kinda weird. We all know what to expect with the nerves, but they keep coming back.Every single race?
Yeah! It's mostly the unknown that brings the nerves. It's important to deal with it the right way, prepare for each race the same, and try to get off the gate as best you can.
