What Really Happened in Denver?

Justin Cooper will not win a Supercross main event until he learns how to hit whoops. It’s that simple.

All season long, Cooper has shown he has the raw speed to run with the front pack. But the whoops? They are shutting the door. He ranks 12th in whoops speed on the year, and when you filter out the injured riders, he only moves up to 7th.

In Denver, it was déjà vu. Cooper was only 8th fastest in the whoops, bleeding an average of 0.4 seconds per lap in the section to Chase Sexton. Over the full main, that totaled 8.3 seconds lost, almost the total time interval between him and Sexton. Omit the whoops (S5), Cooper was six tenths of a second faster per lap overall.

Cooper’s Total Sector Time vs. Sexton

Cooper’s night started rough. While Sexton grabbed the lead by Lap 4, Cooper was buried in 12th on the holeshot and only climbed to 9th by the end of Lap 1. But at the halfway mark, something clicked. Cooper found another gear and outpaced Sexton over the final 9 laps.

From 15.1 seconds back on Lap 17, he slashed the deficit to just 9.1 at the checkered flag, the only rider to take real time out of Sexton’s lead.

Cooper vs. Sexton Lap Time Ranks

And it’s not like Sexton dramatically backed off on lap 16, either. Sexton only recorded two laps over 52 seconds in the entire race. But for 7 of the final 9 laps, Cooper was simply the fastest guy on track. Still, he lost time each lap to Sexton in the whoops.

Over the 25 laps, Cooper never outpaced Sexton in the whoops.

Justin Cooper: Time Lost to Sexton in Whoops per Lap

There’s no question Cooper has taken a leap in year two. But until he figures out how to blitz the whoops, or at least jump them as well as Cooper Webb, he’s not winning.

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On Any Sunday Merch!

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Deegan’s Championship Push

Let’s be clear: Cole Davies was faster than Haiden Deegan in Denver. At least in the beginning. And it wasn’t close. Davies’ best lap—50.38 seconds—was nearly a full second quicker than Deegan’s, and even outpaced top 450 riders like Webb and Cooper.

But Davies can’t hold that blistering pace for long stretches… yet.

We saw the same thing play out in Philadelphia. A lightning start from Davies, followed by Deegan reeling him in late. But in Philly, Deegan came up short. This time, the script flipped. In the 19-lap main, Davies only posted a faster lap than Deegan 7 times, and just once over the final 9 laps.

Deegan was coming. And nothing was stopping him.

Cole Davies: Time Lost/Gained per Lap on Haiden Deegan

Then it all boiled over on Lap 16. One of the most controversial passes of the year saw Davies fly off-track, over a berm, and end up tangled on a tuff block. A rookie mistake, and a costly one. When Davies has a clear track, he might be the fastest 250 rider in the sport. But right now, he doesn’t have Deegan’s 3 years of 250SX experience, especially when it comes to dealing with lappers and defending under pressure.

Davies’ Superpower

Anyone watching could see it. Davies is a beast in the whoops. The data confirms just how dominant he is there.

• Only Chase Sexton posted a faster single whoop section all night
• On average, Davies was the fastest rider in either class through the whoops
• He gained 0.16 seconds per lap on Deegan—who was the 2nd fastest 250 rider in the section

In a sport where whoops can make or break careers, Davies’ raw speed through them is a massive advantage. And he’s only 17. As he continues to refine the rest of his game, that speed will only get more dangerous.