Slaw
Monster Energy/Yamaha Star Racing announced on Thursday that Justin Cooper will miss the entire SMX World Championship Playoffs.
At round 2 of the Pro Motocross Championship at Hangtown, Cooper went down hard and sustained a concussion. He missed multiple rounds but returned at Unadilla. After finishing ninth overall in his return, he missed the final two rounds.
In the team release, it mentioned lack of prep time for Cooper as the reason he is not racing the Playoffs.
Below is the official release:
With limited time to prepare for the upcoming SMX World Championship Playoffs, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper shifts his focus to his 2027 campaign and will sit out the three-round postseason.
“We were hoping to have Justin back for the playoffs, but without having much time on the bike, the best decision was to focus on the 2027 season and have him back fighting up front.” – Wil Hahn, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 450 Team Manager.
“It’s disappointing to miss the SMX playoffs. My goal was to be back on the gate in Ohio, but unfortunately I just don’t have enough preparation on the bike to go racing at the level I know I’m capable of. I’m going to focus on getting back to full fitness so that I can come back fighting at the front in 2027.” – Justin Cooper
