Justin Cooper Earns Fourth Overall, Deegan Impresses with Top-Five in 450MX Debut
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper and Haiden Deegan launch Pro Motocross season with top-five overall results at Fox Raceway / Jun 2, 2026 /
Anticipation was high for the Pro Motocross season opener, with a stacked premier-class field and plenty of storylines, including six-time 250 class champion Haiden Deegan making his highly anticipated 450MX debut at his home outdoor national in Southern California.
Amid all the hype surrounding the opening round, Justin Cooper quietly went to work, kicking off his title campaign with a podium in Moto 1 and finishing fourth overall, while his rookie teammate joined him in the top five at Fox Raceway in Pala, California.
Cooper continued his upward trend outdoors with a strong outing at the opener. He qualified fourth and got to work early in Moto 1, charging from seventh to third in the opening four laps. From there, he maintained a strong pace to secure a podium finish in the opening moto. In the second moto, Cooper had his work cut out for him after starting in 17th. Undeterred, he put his head down and steadily made his way through to sixth to secure fourth overall.
“Round 1 of the Pro Motocross series was good,” said Cooper. “Qualifying went well. I felt comfortable on the bike all day, so overall it was a solid day. I didn't get the best of starts in the second moto, so that hurt me, but the first moto was good. I got third. Then the second one, I worked my way up to sixth and got fourth overall, which is a good start to the season. I’ve got to dial in those starts a little bit better and be up there in the beginning. But we'll take it. It’s not my favorite track, so we’ll move on to next week.”
It was an impressive debut for Deegan in front of the home crowd. He had a solid qualifying effort in sixth. Then Moto 1 got off to a chaotic start, with Deegan nearly going down in the first turn and finding himself deep in the field. The 20-year-old put in a determined ride, fighting all the way to the finish to cross the line fifth. In the second moto, he was 15th after the start and once again launched an impressive charge, advancing to fourth by the halfway mark and holding the position to secure fifth overall on the day.
“Today was good,” said Deegan. “I qualified sixth and then Moto 1 had a good start until I tucked it in the first turn. I saved it, but man, it was sketchy. I came from 25th to fifth, so that was a good ride. I had good battles with all these guys in the top 10, who are champions. So it was a fun time learning and battling those guys. Then Moto 2, I got a little better start, but obviously we’ve got to work on that, because if we can start up front, I think we'll have a better chance of getting on the podium. I made my way back up to fourth from 15th on the start. So a 5-4 on the day, for fifth overall. I'd definitely say it was a good first-round rookie debut. We'll go back to work this week, get the bike dialed in, do great starts, and come out swinging in Hangtown.”
Fox Raceway wasn’t on Webb’s list of favorite venues, but despite having the 14th gate pick, he had a decent start and quickly made his way to the top 10, but ultimately finished 13th in the first moto. The three-time 450SX champion had a much better start to Moto 2, slotting into fourth, but as the race wore on, he dropped back to 13th, ending the day 12th overall with the pair of 13th-place finishes.
“It was a pretty uneventful day for me at Pala,” said Webb. “I was around 12th and 15th all day. The second moto was a little better, though. I got a better start and rode pretty well in the first half, and then just shuffled back. So we definitely have some work to do. This isn’t my favorite track, but I’m looking forward to enjoying the rest of them.”
“Overall, it was a pretty good day,” said Rich Simmons, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 450 Team Manager. “It was a good first round for Justin and Haiden, coming away with fourth and fifth overall. Justin got on the podium in that first moto. Then both he and Haiden had bad starts in Moto 2, which didn't help, but Haiden did a really good job coming through the pack. Webb had a good start in the second one, but just didn't have the results I'm sure he wanted. I think there were a lot of positives to take away from here. The guys are happy with their bikes. We’ll just keep building off this.”
Next weekend, the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing squad heads to Rancho Cordova, California, for the Hangtown Motocross Classic – Round 2 of the Pro Motocross Championship and Round 19 of the Monster Energy SuperMotocross World Championship on June 6.