By Race Chapman

Saturday's racing started up with one big question looming over the steep hills on the side of Mammoth Mountain: Can Justin Cooper be stopped?

As Mammoth Mountain MX heads into its fifth and final day of racing, the answer appears to be "no."



On Friday, Brazilian Enzo Lopes showed he had speed capable of hanging with Cooper from behind but couldn't get ahead of him before the first turn. Joey Crown had a similar problem, burying himself in the pack off the concrete starting pad. Darryn Durham seemed to have the starts and potentially the speed but had a crash that left him retired from the event with bruised ribs.

Saturday's first 250 Pro moto was not a good sign for any riders who didn't have the name "Cooper" ironed onto the back of their jerseys. Cooper once again got off to an excellent start and cruised on to a comfortable victory over the rest of the field.

Lopes settled again for a solid second-place finish, with Justin Hoeft behind him in third. Durham overcame the injury to his ribs suffered in his crash on Friday to put on an impressive fourth-place result. Crown struggled yet again with his starts but managed to secure the fifth position by the time the checkered flag waved.

By the second moto of the 250 Pro class, it was beginning to look a little bleak for the rest of the class. Nobody had been able to beat Cooper off the line, and nobody had the speed to catch him from behind. Finally, that would change.

Lopes rocketed off the gate and took a much-needed holeshot. Cooper was about fourth in the first corner and made some quick passes on riders Max Markolf and Austin Walton to file in a few seconds behind Lopes.



On the third lap, RJ Wageman had a crash that would retire him from the race, and on the very next lap, Markolf had a severe get-off coming through one of the steep mountain downhills. Fortunately, he was able to get up under his own power, but it was a disappointing end to a moto that had started so well.



Crown finally got off to a decent start in the top five, but on the first lap he tipped over while rounding a tight corner and was passed by multiple racers. He was able to remount quickly, but he had already lost touch with the leaders and would have to claw his way up through the pack yet again.

Back at the front, Lopes was having the best race of his week. He had a decent gap on second and looked able to maintain it, as Cooper couldn't put himself into a striking position. He led comfortably for seven of 10 laps, and then an unexpected, unforced error caused him to fall over in the back section of the course. Cooper easily rode by the frustrated Lopes and secured first place for himself.

Justin Hoeft had been riding a solid race in fourth but had a fall of his own that allowed Crown to get by, leaving Hoeft in fifth at the end of the moto.

As the checkers waved on the last race of the day, Cooper crossed the line in first, Lopes in second, Walton in third, Crown in fourth, and Hoeft fifth. Overall, the podium would see Cooper winning with a 1-1, Lopes as the runner-up with a 2-2, and Hoeft filling out the top three with a 3-5.

The FMF 2-Stroke final was won last year by the KX500 of Sean Collier, and this year a KX500 stood atop the podium once more. But it wasn't piloted by Collier; instead Tristan Miller was the fastest 2-Stroke racer of the weekend. His big 500cc machine rocketed to a holeshot and then disappeared into the woods, never to be seen again (until the finish line).



Miller is a mechanical engineering student in college and semi-retired from racing after getting disillusioned due to injuries. However, he still shows up for certain races like Mammoth, just to prove that he has still got it.

Garrett Marchbanks scored two wins on the day, leaving him with three total going into Sunday. Austin Black also collected his third win on Saturday, but the rider with the most is, appropriately, Cooper. He has four wins so far and will try to take two more on Sunday.

The 450 Pro class will take to the mountain on Sunday, and it will be the field's last chance to prove that it can beat Cooper.

For Cooper, it is his chance to secure the perfect weekend -- a win in every moto of every Pro class.

Mammoth Mountain MX Coverage

 Mammoth Mountain MotoX Live Updates, Day 4 
Justin Cooper Sets The Mark Friday At Mammoth Mountain 
Mammoth Mountain MotoX Live Updates, Day 3 
The Mammoth MX Is Just Getting Started With The Minis Warming Up The Track 
Mammoth Mountain MotoX Live Updates, Day 2 
Mammoth Mountain MotoX Live Updates, Day 1 
Kobusch Shreds The Competition With Style 
Ride Hard, Play Hard At Mammoth Mountain 
Seven Years' Experience In A 10-Year-Old Body 
Exclusive One-On-One With Joey Crown Before The Mammoth Mountain MX 
Joey Crown Highlights An Early List Of Mammoth Mountain MX Contenders 

Where To Watch

Mammoth Motorcross
Mammoth Lake, CA, 93546

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