Cody Cooper shares his thoughts on racing AMA Pro Motocross Championship in 2008 taking P3 at Unadilla and P2 at Southwick to finish P5 overall. The multi-time Motocross Champion remains one of New Zealand’s legend’s of the sport carving out an outstanding racing career over 2 decades from winning 7x NZ MX1 Championships, 1x Australia MX2 Championship, competing in 11x MXoN and taking NZ’s only podium of P3 at MXoN at Matterley Basin with Ben Townley and Josh Coppins in 2006.
Having covered Cody’s racing career for many years, the following questions focus on what it was like racing in America’s Pro Outdoors, the challenges, the rewards, and his thoughts on Cole Davies’s racing career path in AMA SX and MX Championships.
SC: Even though it’s back in 2008, the experience racing Pro Motocross Championships, standing on the podium against the formidable rider – James Stewart – must still mean alot to you. Could you let readers know what this season was like, how challenging was racing Outdoors, and how did the season affect your MX career overall?
CC: ‘Yeah it was one of the best parts of my career getting to race in the USA and getting podiums. It definitely gave me a lot more confidence leading into the rounds to follow’.
Race report from Motocross.com 2011:
‘”With the rain from the lites moto not letting up and more coming, the second motocross class moto blasted off the line. This time it was the Suzuki City/ Rockstar Energy Suzuki of New Zealand’s Cody Cooper out front of the mud covered field. With Stewart out front Cooper was turning in consistently quicker lap times than the race leader and he was starting to close the gap. Then Stewart went down. This might have been the break that Cooper needed to stop the streak. But Stewart was back up quickly and although Cooper closed the gap he never really challenged the series points leader. Stewart went on to grab the victory and break his “Unadilla Curse”. Cooper held on for second place and fellow Suzuki rider Michael Bryne survived the worsening conditions to take the final podium spot”‘.
SC: The race schedule is pretty demanding with Qualifying sessions and 2x 30 minutes plus 2 laps motos on the same day. Taking into account the heat, how did you manage to keep race focus throughout the entire day?
CC: ‘Yes the heat was the biggest struggle but doing the work pre-season and between the weekends helped with that. Especially for a New Zealander we don’t get that sort of heat. For me putting myself up the front with a good start helps being in the right mindset.
SC: The podiums at Unadilla and Southwick must have been an awesome feeling. Can you re-account how both those Rounds played out, how you felt on the track, and did you have a specific bike set-up change for either Round with Southwick being sand?
CC: ‘Unadilla was a perfect race track for the first moto then it rained a lot before the second moto. I just remember telling my mechanic I was going to get the hole-shot and I did. James passed me straight away and I sort of got him back for a split second. He pulled a little gap then I started to catch him a little each lap. But he was just to good. As you can see he won every moto that year. Southwick was just another good start that put me in a good mindset and finished second overall there’.
SC: Growing up riding, training, and racing on NZ tracks compared to racing America’s outdoors has to be a challenge to deal with when you were over there. Were there any similarities in dirt, track layout, jumps, and elevations that were familiar to any tracks back home, or was there a complete adjustment in your style of racing?
CC: ‘Yeah the tracks were fun. A lot more grip and I had to set the bikes up stiffer. More bumps going into corners than coming out I would say’.
SC: Finally, with Cole Davies heading into his first full MX 250 season, any thoughts, suggestions, or advice you would give him based on your outstanding career racing both at home and offshore?
CC: ‘I’m loving watching him each weekend. But I don’t think I would need to give him any advice. He has all the right people around him and looks to be stronger in the areas now than last year. All I would say is keep being the humble kiwi he is’. Cody Cooper.
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