Justin Cooper, Chase Sexton, Eli Tomac Lead United States to Victory
After eleven long years, Team USA has won the 75th Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations on home soil in Buchanan, Michigan at RedBud MX!
With the support of thousands of cheering and screaming fans, Reigning Supercross and Pro Motocross Champion Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac and Justin Cooper joined with Team Honda HRC Chase Sexton raised their flag high on the top step of the podium for the first time since St. Jean-d’Angély back in 2011 bringing the Chamberlin Trophy back to the United States of America!
The return of the famed Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN) on American soil saw a massive and raucous crowd descend on Michigan’s legendary RedBud MX for the event’s 75th running.
The United States Motocross Team, captured the Chamberlain Trophy for a record 23rd time. Other Supercross and Pro Motocross Champions, Frenchmen Dylan Ferrandis and Marvin Musquin as well as Australian siblings Jett and Hunter Lawrence, all played an integral role in helping their respective country’s finish on the MXoN podium in second and third respectively.
More than a decade had passed since the United States last prevailed at the annual spectacle affectionately referred to as the “Olympics of Motocross,” but the star-studded trio combined for a comprehensive effort that was simply too tough for their rival nations to overcome. Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing rider Cooper captured individual honors in the MX2 division with 9-4 moto scores, while both Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing’s Tomac (1-6) and Team Honda HRC’s Sexton (2-3) secured runner-up finishes in the MXGP and Open divisions, respectively. A total team score of 16 was more than enough to end the longest winless drought for the U.S. at the event and give America its fourth victory on home soil.
For Tomac, it puts a finishing touch on what has been the single-most-successful season of his decorated career, where his first MXoN victory in what could very well be his fourth and final appearance completes a banner 2022 campaign in which the Colorado native swept both the Monster Energy Supercross and AMA Pro Motocross titles and also earned an ESPY Award for Best Athlete, Men’s Action Sports. A season of emergence for Sexton that saw the Illinois racer join the sport’s elite ended with his most coveted accomplishment to date in his debut at the MXoN, adding to a memorable year in which he earned his first premier class win in Supercross and was Tomac’s combatant in the closest Pro Motocross title fight of all time, earning six 450 Class victories along the way. What began as a season of heartbreak for Cooper ended on a high note for the New Yorker, who overcame a serious foot injury that initially put all of 2022 in doubt but ultimately saw him defy the odds and return to form in the latter stages of the summer to earn a spot on the U.S. lineup for the second time.
“It’s been a long wait for American motocross fans to once again have a reason to celebrate the talents of their racers on a global stage like the MXoN, but it was well worth it when you look at the truly incredible atmosphere at RedBud,” said Davey Coombs, President of MX Sports Pro Racing. “Through all the years of frustration, no one took the lack of success harder than the athletes themselves and as a result Eli [Tomac], Chase [Sexton], and Justin [Cooper] came determined to take care of business in front of the hometown crowd. They focused on the task at hand and accepted every challenge that came their way for one of the most impressive collective efforts we’ve seen from a U.S. squad, where every rider stepped up to hold up his end of this team event. It was a memorable way to regain America’s grip on the sport.
Beyond the podium, familiar faces from American motocross proudly represented their home nations, including Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Dean Wilson, who embarked on his final MXoN journey for Great Britain, who finished in 10th place, as well as veteran Fredrik Noren, who helped Sweden to a 12th-place effort aboard his BBMX KTM. Additionally, the KTM-mounted duo of Benny Bloss and Josh Varize composed two-thirds of the lineup for Guam and guided the island U.S. territory to a 17th-place finish. Rounding out the influence of Pro Motocross on this year’s MXoN was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Italian icon Antonio Cairoli, who leveraged his experience as a part-time competitor here in the states this summer to lead his country to a fourth-place result and sixth in the MXGP division (7-9). Fresh off a championship runner-up finish in the 250 Class this summer, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda also made his MXoN debut for Japan, but the team missed out on securing one of the 20 available spots to contest Sunday’s motos.
The 2022 Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations signified the second time in five years that RedBud served as the host site. A cornerstone venue of American motocross with a history that spans nearly five decades under the guidance of the multi-generational Ritchie family, RedBud has long been a standard bearer for how to showcase the sport on its highest scale and has quickly established itself as a go-to stateside destination for this annual global spectacle.