Tomac and Cooper Help Deliver Silver for Team USA at MXoN
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac and Justin Cooper earn runner-up overall finishes in their respective classes at the 2025 Motocross of Nations at Ironman Raceway / Oct 7, 2025 /
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac and Justin Cooper each secured second overall finishes in their respective classes at the 2025 FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN), helping secure a runner-up overall finish for Team USA. Joined by fellow American rider RJ Hampshire, it was a hard-fought battle for top honors at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Tomac, who was the Team USA Captain and MXGP representative, earned 4-2 scores, with Cooper showing strength in the MX2 class and scoring a pair of top-10 finishes aboard his YZ250F in the combined 450 and 250 races.
The 78th running of the iconic international event made its debut at Ironman Raceway, with both Hampshire and Cooper joining Team USA on short notice after injuries sidelined members of the original roster. Despite an unlucky draw in the MXoN Qualifying Races Ballot that gave them the 35th gate pick, Team USA qualified fifth for Sunday’s title-deciding races, with Tomac finishing ninth in MXGP, and Cooper third in MX2.
In Race 1, which combined MXGP and MX2 classes, Tomac had a good start in fifth and advanced to fourth after a rider ahead went down early. He continued to push on the technical track, but ultimately finished fourth. The third and final race of the day — an all-450 showdown, featuring the MXGP and the Open classes — Tomac put in an inspired ride for Team USA. Once again fifth after the start, the eight-time AMA Supercross/Motocross Champion charged his way to second around the halfway mark and held strong to the finish, securing a hard-earned runner-up result. His efforts sealed Team USA’s second overall finish and earned a personal second-overall finish in the MXGP class.
Cooper, who answered the call to fill in for the injured Haiden Deegan, also played a key role in Team USA’s result. Despite limited time aboard the 250, the 450 rider showed impressive form from the start and was fastest in the MX2 Free Practice. On Sunday, he fought his way through the combined MXGP and MX2 field to finish 10th in the opening race. With just a short amount of time to line back up on the gate for Race 2 (MX2 + Open), Cooper quickly made his way to ninth among the 450s and continued to battle for a top 10 position. After a tipover in the final laps that dropped him back to 11th, Cooper reclaimed 10th on that final lap, earning second overall in the MX2 class.
Rich Simmons – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 450 Team Manager
“Overall, I think we did what we could. I’m really proud of Justin for dropping down from a 450 to a 250 with limited time and delivering the result he did. He was fastest in Free Practice and ran with those top two guys in the MX2 class – yesterday in the qualifying race, and again today as the second overall MX2 finisher. So I’m really proud of his efforts, and Eli, the way he rode in that second moto was inspiring. It’s a lot of work behind the scenes for this race, and for the riders to tack it on to an already long season isn’t easy. So I’m proud of the whole team. Thanks to the AMA, and obviously a big thanks to our Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team, and thanks to RJ and his team for stepping up on late notice.”
Eli Tomac – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing
“Well, we got on the podium. It’s so hard to beat Team Australia when they get all of those first and second-place finishes. That’s all I can say. I’m proud of Justin for stepping up and proud of RJ (Hampshire) for also stepping up to the plate here. We gave it our best effort. Australia is just very good right now, and they are hard to beat.
“Today, personally, I went for it too. I felt like I improved my riding every time on the track this weekend. To be totally honest, I was struggling a little bit yesterday on the qualifying day, but today, I was much better in the motos and was pretty happy with my riding.”
Justin Cooper – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing
“It was a tough weekend all around. Bad outside gate picks were kind of on the menu for me all weekend, but we pulled through. We got on the podium and finished second. RJ had some unlucky scenarios, so that kind of took away our chances to win, but we came together as a team, and that’s what matters. Everyone was in this together, and we were all in. You don’t get any other races like this, so it’s special and even more special when you have all the fans cheering for you around the whole track. It keeps you going out there.”
2025 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations Results
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