Coop's 5th in race 1 @ Unadilla!!!

**takitimu** · 21st July 2008, 11:42

Originally Posted by Pierce

What a top effort! Congrats to the man, goes to show those americans that we've got a lot of top talent (even with Townley out we can still rep it with the big boys)

How far behind Steward did he finish?

Live timing has him 6.7 seconds back & faster on the last lap ( Something weird on the timings though as sum the differences & it's 6.2" ). I'm guessing Lap 9 Stewart fell.

Lap__Cody__James__Lead_Lap Difference
1 2:36.833 2:34.387 2.45 -2.45
2 2:38.477 2:36.901 4.02 -1.58
3 2:41.225 2:39.921 5.33 -1.30
4 2:39.153 2:39.540 4.94 0.39
5 2:40.598 2:41.566 3.97 0.97
6 2:41.541 2:41.783 3.73 0.24
7 2:41.572 2:42.337 2.96 0.77
8 2:45.562 2:42.510 6.02 -3.05
9 2:47.105 2:51.441 1.68 4.34
10 2:47.763 2:45.028 4.42 -2.74
11 2:46.773 2:44.749 6.44 -2.02
12 2:48.879 2:48.884 6.43 0.01
13 2:53.125 2:53.358 6.20 0.23

J. Stewart - 7
Times At-a-Glance:
Best time: 2:34.387
Max. time: 2:53.358
Avg. time: 2:43.262

Cody
Times At-a-Glance:
Best time: 2:36.833
Max. time: 2:53.125
Avg. time: 2:43.739

**Danger** · 21st July 2008, 13:14

Thats awesome, good effort!

**denill** · 21st July 2008, 13:33

Yeah, Coops Did OK!

**arj127** · 21st July 2008, 17:05

Awesome ride Cody.

Can't wait to download that meeting

**denill** · 21st July 2008, 19:06

From HH Media:

Cody Cooper (Biloxi Suzuki City/OTSFF/Rockstar) was 3rd overall in the AMA Motocross Championship at Unadilla this morning - Round 8 of the 12-race series. We had awoken to the news that Coops had qualified 2nd to James Stewart for the gate pick - by just under 4 seconds.

In Race 1 Coops started 11th then lap by lap moved up to 6th where he moved up and down to finish 5th behind Stewart, Byrne, Ferry and Short. He was 38 secs behind Stewart and 18 behind Short. A great result especially when you hear the household names of AMA Motocross behind him.

In Race 2 Coops chased Stewart all the way to the flag and was only 6.673 secs behind him. Stewart's fastest lap was a 2:34.387 and Coops was second with a 02:36.833

SSangYong's Russell Burling rang after he had spoken to him by phone and said: "Cody was very excited to be the first to push Stewart in the last 16 races. The good old Kiwi Farmer relished it in the mud." he continued. Ben Townley was there with him so he was in the right frame of mind and made sure he had the right tyres."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the AMA Official Media Release - slightly edited but they had good things to say on Coops:

In one of the wildest AMA Toyota Motocross Championship in recent memory, Monster Energy Kawasaki's James Stewart and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto, endured extreme conditions and close competition to come out on top and keep their spectacular seasons intact at the Unadilla.

The day began with two relatively uneventful first motos in which both competitors cruised to victory by over 10 seconds, but Mother Nature attempted to steal the show as the AMA Motocross Lites class began its final moto of the day.

Skies opened up and lightning threatened the safety of fans and riders alike, forcing the AMA officials to red flag the second moto of AMA Motocross Lites after nine minutes of racing. Action was put on hold for nearly 20 minutes as the storm cell and lightning passed through the Unadilla Valley, allowing the Lites competitors to re-enter the starting gate.

As the rain continued to fall, Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey took his second holeshot award and opened an early lead over a hard-charging Villopoto. The Suzuki rider held the defending champion at bay for two laps until a fall relegated him to second as the two continued to pull away from the rest of the field. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Brett Metcalfe brought home third in the second moto and third overall on the day after a sixth-place finish in moto one.

"This weekend was one of the toughest with the rain coming in," said Villopoto. "You didn't know what to expect. The track was good before the red flag. (The rain) blew in really quick and next thing we know the red flag was out. When we restarted, I just tried to get out front and make a break for it. The biggest problem with restarting is having the ball rolling (before the restart) and then having to stop and do that all over again in different conditions."

Stewart was able to sweep the holeshot award for the second week in a row as the AMA Motocross began their final moto. Track conditions continued to deteriorate with consistent rain. Suzuki City Biloxi, MS/OTSFF Suzuki's Cody Cooper, capitalised on a great start to grab second and battled with Stewart for the top spot. A native of New Zealand, Cooper excelled in the conditions and kept Stewart in sight the entire moto. A mid-moto fall by Stewart brought Cooper within striking distance but the Kawasaki rider kept his head down and prevailed to improve to 16-0 in motos and 8-0 in overall victories.

"This track has always been tough for me, especially the last three years," explained Stewart. "This is the first moto I've finished since 2004. I stuck with it in the second moto, so you have no idea how excited I am right now. I had to pull my goggles off like five laps into the moto. I got roost in my face and then spun (my tire) off the face of a jump and went down.

"I had to spin the mud off (my tyres) and as soon as I got going I knew I needed to push because Cody (Cooper) was going to be right there. I just need to keep going race by race. If I keep that mindset I'll be better off (towards the championship)."

Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's Michael Byrne continued his recent run of strong performances to finish third. Combined with a third place in the first moto, he finished second overall. Cooper's impressive showing helped him reach his first career podium in third after a fifth-place finish in the opening moto.

**raglanash** · 22nd July 2008, 17:07

450 Words: Unadilla MX July 21, 2008

By Jason Weigandt; Photos by Carl Stone

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The AMA Motocross (450) class has become a strange mixture of both ends of the racing spectrum. The big class features the biggest names in the sport, backed by the biggest teams and the biggest budgets. But it’s also become the privateer playground. Building a competitive 250 four-stroke for the Lites class is difficult when funds are limited, while the big power of the 450 has become a great equalizer. So while James Stewart, Tim Ferry, Andrew Short and Michael Byrne represent their factory squads at the front, the back of the top ten is usually covered by top privateers. In the Lites class, you often have to go well outside of the top twenty to find privateer racers.

Then this weekend at Unadilla, the other great equalizer—rain—came down to further mix up the mix. The second Motocross moto became a privateer showcase, first with Cody Cooper nearly running down James Stewart on his Suzuki City/OTSFF/Rockstar machine. Cooper is apparently a great mud rider, and his team decided to mount him a set of Pirelli mud tires, while Stewart was running on hard pack rubber. The rain, Cooper’s experience in it, and his traction advantage nearly derailed Stewart’s perfect season. The Kiwi kept Bubba within four seconds, and then nearly got to the lead when Stewart fell. He ultimately ended up second, but it was still an amazing run for the first-year AMA rider.

Then came Byrne and then a pack of privateers, led by Moto XXX Tamer Hooter’s Honda’s Antonio Balbi, and Butlerbrothersmx.com’s Matt Boni. In addition, Jack Carpenter (Atomic Racing Honda), Jacob Morrison (Coastline Motorsports Kawasaki) and Jimmy Albertson (North Racing Honda) landed top tens in the second moto.

Up front, it would have been easy to look at Stewart’s name at the top of the results column and simply chalked it up as another easy win. But his reaction after taking the second moto, dropping his bike, pumping his fists, kicking the muddy Unadilla soil, proved otherwise. For the last three years, Unadilla has been a house of horrors for James, and he celebrated his victory not because it was hard fought over Cooper, but because he had simply survived himself.

For Stewart, who crashed out of the race in 2005 and crashed out before the race even began in 2006 and 2007, Unadilla had long been a great equalizer, too. No matter how fast or talented he is, he simply couldn’t get away from New York in one piece. Now he continues on undefeated, with a pack of factory guns and top privateers chasing after him.

**denill** · 22nd July 2008, 17:16

Originally Posted by raglanash

450 Words: Unadilla MX July 21, 2008

By Jason Weigandt; Photos by Carl Stone

Works ride can't be too far away after that?????

**scott411** · 22nd July 2008, 17:25

in the latest Racer X cody says he would not change if offered this season, his bike is good enough,

there are pretty big priviteer bonuses, and taking the factory bike would put him out of line for them ,

i am stoked Cody's hard work is paying off,

**green machine** · 22nd July 2008, 18:21

Is that Cody chasing Bubba?????

**scott411** · 22nd July 2008, 18:30

not, thats Michael Byrne from the 1st moto,

Cooper runs # 902 ,

**Katoomer** · 22nd July 2008, 18:48

That was an awsome result and Cody is fast becoming a US hero. There's a good report on RacerX as well as on the post show video

**raglanash** · 24th July 2008, 09:10

5 Minutes with...Cody Cooper July 23, 2008

By Billy Ursic

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Go to America: Check. Get a support ride to race motocross: Check. Finish in the top 10: Check. Finish on the podium: Check. Cody Cooper is slowly fulfilling his personal goals here in America, and the friendly New Zealander is coming off of his latest accomplishment—a podium finish in the AMA Motocross class! The Suzuki City/OTSFF/Rockstar-supported rider put in 5-2 moto finishes to grab the last spot on the Unadilla podium behind James Stewart and fellow Suzuki rider Michael Byrne. Cooper currently sits eighth in points, but is on the move up. We gave Cody a call today for this interview.

Racer X: Cody, congratulations on your first podium in American motocross!
Cody Cooper: Thank you!

A lot of people were probably scratching their heads wondering who the heck #902 is…
[Laughs] I’m still scratching my head as well!

So it hasn’t sunk in yet?
Yeah, a little bit. It’s a good feeling! I would’ve been fourth until Timmy [Ferry] crashed, so I got lucky there.

Hey, you earned it! In fact, that’s the first time you rode Unadilla, right?
Yes it is. The track was really good! It’s not as natural as what it used to be, but I liked all of the jumps. The landings were really nice and smooth, so everything was good all around.

I heard a few people say that Unadilla is similar to some tracks back home in New Zealand. Is that true?
Yeah, I suppose, but I think when it rained it was a bit easier for me. After it rained, I didn’t find it to be that muddy at all. When it’s real muddy, your feet are down and you’re dragging your feet and the bike is everywhere—that’s what I call “muddy.” At Unadilla, it wasn’t that muddy for me. Once it started getting lines, it was actually dry underneath.

Take us through the first moto, where you finished fifth.
I jumped out, but I got a lot of wheel spin, and Michael Byrne and Andrew Short were on each side of me, and they sort of closed me off. I didn’t go into the corner as hard as I should’ve, so I didn’t really know where I was. That first lap there were just rocks going everywhere—I didn’t realize they were so big! One actually got me in the throat, so for a couple of corners I was like, “Oh no!” because I could barely breathe properly. [Laughs] But then after I got going, I just tried to put my head down and started passing a few people. Josh Hill then crashed and I ended up getting really bad arm pump, but it seemed to go away a little bit and then I think I put my fastest lap in after I shook it off. The other guys were a lot further ahead, and near the end I knew I couldn’t catch them, so I settled for fifth.

What went through your mind when the rain started falling?
I don’t know, I was wondering if they were going to call the race off. It didn’t matter to me. I got on the line, and when they said they were going to run it, I heard James and his mechanic talking about their tire, and they had a hardpack one on, so my confidence kind of went up as I looked around, because a bunch of people had hardpack tires on as well. So I said to myself, “I’m definitely going to get the holeshot now!” and I almost did, but Bubba came underneath me and got to the line first. I actually passed him in the third corner, and I was going into the fourth corner and I was almost on the banner on the side of the track, and he passed me off the track, so I was a bit bummed about that. He was just determined to get past. It was pretty muddy with rocks, so it’s not good being behind someone.

You did something that no one else has all season long, and that’s keeping James Stewart within sight the entire moto. How did that make you feel?
It was good! At first he got a little bit of a gap before I started to slowly catch him. I had tear-offs on, but roll-offs underneath, and the last few tear-offs were stuck on so tight that when I pulled them the whole goggle came off my face, so I didn’t want to wreck the whole system and was cautious with that. After I got that sorted, I actually started to catch him a little bit. It stayed like that for a little while, and then he crashed and I was right behind him.

What were you thinking when you were behind him?
Each time we’d go down to the “Screw U” part of the track I could see him coming out of the turn, and I was thinking, “I got to beat him for Ricky!” [Laughs]

Speaking of Ricky, you’re actually staying down at Camp Carmichael in Florida. How has that been?
It’s good! Lately Ben [Townley] has been coming out with me, and he’s picking up on some of my bad habits, and I’ve been practicing starts and stuff like that. Ricky actually came out today with me and Les Smith, so that was good. He got in behind me and followed me for one of my motos, so it’s good to have guys like that around me.

Does he still have some speed, or did you pull away from him?
[Laughs] No, he pulled me! The first lap he got in behind me it stayed the same, but after that I was a bit nervous. He just puts that nervousness on you when you’re practicing—I don’t know what it is!

Last year you were aboard Hondas, and this year you’re on the Suzuki City team. How did that deal come together?
Well, I think J.H. Leale was talking to Roger DeCoster, and he sorted something out with Michael Nasakaitis from Suzuki City in Biloxi. Michael offered to help me out and put a good deal together, so we decided to do that. And the Suzuki contingency money is good, so that’s good for me.
I’m just really happy with my entire program. I’m running a Pro Circuit motor that Mitch built for me. The Suzuki is a really good bike. The fuel-injection is good and there’s no bog. It just takes a little to get used to it. I’ve ridden Hondas for so long that I’m just so used to that. Now I learned a lot with set-up, but it’s been good.

Has there been any talk about you moving up to the Rockstar/Makita team?
I talked to Michael, my team manager, and they’re trying to sort something out, but we’ll see what happens. I’m just happy where I’m at.

Well, you got a podium, so what’s your next goal?
To get another podium in the dry at a normal race, just to prove that I’m not just a good mud rider.

The series heads up to Washougal next. What are your thoughts on that track?
On Tuesday night at the Carmichael family night, Big Rick puts on the upcoming race and we all watch that to see what it’s going to be like. It looks a little bit slick, and Ricky was giving me some tips on what to do and what not to do there. I think I just got to go there and see how it feels for myself.

Is your family back home in New Zealand following the races?
Yeah, I’ve been sending them the links to the webcast, so they’ve been following along!

Who do you want to thank, Cody?
My mechanic, he just came over to help someone out and it ended up not working out. He’s actually a Kiwi; his name is Craig Guy and he hooked up with me and he’s a big help for me. Also the team owner, Michael Nasakaitis, he has been a huge help. I also want to thank Moose. Nobody wanted to help me out last year because they didn’t know how I was going to do, but Moose stepped up for me.

Well, congratulations again, Cody. Keep up the good work!
Thanks a lot, Billy.

Cody Cooper's sponsors:
Suzuki City, RG3 Biloxi,OTSFF, Rockstar Energy Drink, Moose Racing, Alpinestars, Pro Circuit, Pirelli tires, Works Connection, Sunstar, Braking, FX, Pro Taper, Von Zipper, M2R, Suzuki Genuine Accessories, Suzuki Auto, K&N Performance air filters, Crew Wear, and Boyesen.

**denill** · 24th July 2008, 10:11

Now that's a great story - reading that sets the day up nicely. Great stuff Cody.

Poor BT must be chafing to have to just sit and watch...................

**Katoomer** · 24th July 2008, 13:26

Great report. Interesting to hear how Stewart passed Cody by going off the track.
Chad Reed got docked 2 places at the Daytona SX for doing that to Windham.
If only...........