What Really Happened in Indianapolis?
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Cooper Webb was dominant in Indianapolis. Or was he? Justin Cooper had the potential to beat him but ultimately lost 7.1 seconds to Webb in the whoops. This has been a recurring issue for J. Cooper in his sophomore year, as whoop speed has cost him opportunities to win. Through the first 9 rounds, he’s ranked 10th in whoops.
Even though Indianapolis marked just the second podium of his 450SX career, J. Cooper’s performance across his first two seasons has eerily mirrored several past champions. The potential is there, and he could be the next real deal. But first, he needs to address his weakness in the whoops.
Justin Cooper in the Whoops at Indianapolis
J. Cooper crossed the finish line just 8.4 seconds behind Webb. A staggering 7.1 of those seconds were lost in the whoops. While Webb isn’t exactly known as a whoop specialist, he still ranked 4th in whoop speed at Indianapolis compared to J. Cooper’s 8th.
If J. Cooper could have matched his teammate’s times in the whoops, he would have been battling for the win instead of riding in no-man’s-land.
Top 10 Average Whoop Times from Indianapolis 2025
Important to note that the Indy whoops timing segment continued through the next corner and to the base of the finish line.
Supercross is a battle of tenths, and the whoops remain a defining factor between winning and losing. Webb was 0.28 seconds per lap faster in the whoops, yet, Webb was only 0.24 seconds per lap quicker than J. Cooper. This means J. Cooper was faster than Webb around the rest of the track outside of the whoops. He lost the time in two places: the opening lap and the whoops. While J. Cooper is typically strong at starts, this week hurt him. However, at every race, on every lap, the whoops are costing him a shot at victory.
Rookie to Sophomore Transition
I don’t mean to harp on J. Cooper’s whoop speed, but here’s the crazy part: when you stack his rookie and sophomore seasons against the elite riders of the last decade, he’s holding his own.
Sure, comparing him to Jett Lawrence’s meteoric rise isn’t exactly fair, but J. Cooper is improving. And if consistency is key, J. Cooper is doing that too. He’s finished in the top five in each of the last five rounds.
Rookie Year vs. Sophomore (First 9 Rounds)
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J. Cooper has stayed healthy and lined up for every 450 main event he’s attempted, except for San Diego (Rd. 2) in his rookie year where he failed to qualify. Through this point in their respective careers, only Ken Roczen had made more main events.
Piece by piece, J. Cooper is building a legitimate resume. He’s got the starts. He’s got the speed. He’s matching some of the sport’s greats in finishing positions while also getting more starts. So the whoops? He’ll figure those out too.
What Does it Mean to Win the 250 Showdown?
There are two big stories from the data. First, Tom Vialle only holds the red plate because too many West Coast riders passed Max Anstie. Winning the Showdown may give bragging rights, but half of the riders truly don’t matter. The points are what matter, and they are not equally distributed.
East Coast Points without West Coast Riders
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West Coast Points without East Coast Riders
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If we remove the opposite coast’s riders, the points battle looks different. In this scenario, Anstie would have kept his lead by +2 points instead of trailing by -1. On the West Coast side, Haiden Deegan would have actually gained more on Julien Beaumer. Instead of leaving the Showdown with a +12 advantage, he would have had +13 if it had been a standard West Coast race.
With three Showdowns this season, these points swings could decide the championship. Every single position matters.
No One was Beating Hammaker
The second story? Hammaker was untouchable.
At no point were Vialle or Deegan a real threat to his lead. Hammaker was consistently outpacing Vialle, and Deegan’s deficit was too large to close. Even if we adjust for Deegan’s off-track excursion and compare their average lap times, Hammaker still wins by 4 seconds.
No debate—he was simply the fastest guy on the track.
2025 Indianapolis SX, Hammaker vs. Deegan Lap Comparison
2025 Indianapolis SX, Hammaker vs. Vialle Lap Comparison