Most Impressive: Denver
May 07, 2025
Image from Feld Motor Sports, Inc.
Back west... who were the Most Impressive?
450 Class: Justin Cooper
Cooper has made noticeable improvements as of late: his corner speed is incredible, his ability to pass has gotten a lot better, and somehow he has managed to improve his speed through the whoops (yes, he's still jumping, but he's jumping through them super quickly and not losing as much time as he used to). The result? Two back-to-back podiums for him, and he probably could have gotten a 2nd in Denver if he was willing to pass his teammate Webb (which he said in the post-race press conference that he wouldn't do). Overall though, he has been super impressive as of late. Don't be surprised if he gets a sneaky win in SLC to end the series.
Here is what he had to say about the night:
"It was tough because it was a disappointing start for me. I actually put it in second gear on the gate when the board went sideways. And we’re starting in first gear all day, so it was just a habit [to click up to second]. [I] panicked, shifted down to first and I think it upset my start a little bit so I was buried. It was a really tough race. At altitude it’s a little bit tougher fitness-wise, so I feel like I came from outside the top ten, I was pretty far back there. And this track’s really tough to pass on, so I just put my head down, was clicking off consistent laps, didn’t make too many mistakes, and had a good flow. Yeah, I [could see] the podium pretty much the whole race. That’s kinda where my eyes were at and just kept focusing on that. [I] was able to get the pass around the outside with Malcolm around one minute to go. In the process we were sneaking up on Coop, and it turned into a three-way battle there. With all the lappers, my heartrate was really high already, so with all that going on it just escalated it that much more. So, I’m really proud of myself for getting this done."
250 Class: Haiden Deegan
Deegan will get it in done in a Deegan way: an aggressive pass which resulted in his teammate Davies going off track and getting stuck, followed up by telling his haters to suck it! Nonetheless, the ride was the Most Impressive out of the 250 guys in Denver. He stayed calm and collected to start the race before picking up the pace and reeling in Davies for the lead. At the end of the day, he clinched the title and is your 2025 250E champion! Congrats to him, his family, and the Star Racing Yamaha team.
He was rightfully pumped on winning the title:
"First of all I want to congratulate Cole, he’s been riding really good. Two laps to go, I wanted that win, baby. I was going to do anything for it. This [Championship] means a lot to me because people doubted me all the way. They [were] telling me I was all hype coming into Supercross and motocross. They’re just mad that I’m him and they’ve got to deal with it… We the champ now, and let’s go, baby!... [When asked specifically about the pass] Yeah, 100%, Cole was riding great, and I was just digging towards the end. At elevation, you get a little out of breath, so was just digging, and I was like, two laps to go, I [saw] Cole slide out, found an opening, and took the chance. Good job to Cole and a good race."
