Slaw Dog
Massive news just dropped regarding Team USA for the 2024 Motocross of Nations. Cooper Webb will drop down to a 250 to replace the injured Chance Hymas, Yamaha and Honda announced today.
Hymas has been dealing with a knee injury much of this season and has been sidelined from the SMX Playoffs in an effort to be healthy for the MXoN, but it has been decided he won’t be 100% and will undergo surgery.
THAT’S WEBB’S MUSIC
Yep, Webb will drop down and go represent Team USA in the MX2 Class alongside Chase Sexton and Aaron Plessinger. This marks Webb’s first appearance at the FIM Motocross of Nations since 2016 where Team USA finished runner-up.
Here is the full PR from Yamaha:
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing is excited to announce that Cooper Webb will join Team USA and race the MX2 class aboard the YZ250F at the 2024 Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) Motocross of Nations. The team and the five-time Monster Energy AMA Supercross and Pro Motocross Champion are proud to represent the U.S. at the event with a rich history, which will be held this year at the Matterley Basin Circuit in Winchester, U.K. on October 4-6.
Jim Roach – Yamaha Racing Department Manager for YMUS
“It is exciting that Cooper Webb will be representing the USA and Yamaha Racing at the Motocross of Nations this year aboard our YZ250F. Cooper has raced MXoN before, and his experience will be very beneficial to Team USA.”
Jeremy Coker – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 450 Team Manager
“We’re excited to race the Motocross of Nations again and represent the USA. It’s also great to have Coop ride one of our 250’s again. It’s been a while, but he was able to get some laps in and looked good. We’ll get straight back to work after the SMX finale this weekend and are looking to bring home another championship.”
Cooper Webb – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing
“I’m so excited to be headed to MXON. It’s a fire drill situation and decision, but I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity. I was asked to ride a 250, so I spun some laps on Haiden’s bike and remembered how good the YZ250F is. I haven’t raced one since 2016, but I felt right at home with the few laps that I did. I will be all in on 250 prep after Vegas SMX, and I’m excited for the opportunity to represent my country. Let’s do this!”
Honda has also released news on Hymas:
Team Honda HRC Progressive announced today that Chance Hymas will undergo surgery on his left knee on September 24 in Nashville, Tennessee. As a result, the Idaho native will be forced to sit out the Motocross of Nations.
The procedure comes a little over a year after Hymas last underwent an operation on the same joint. The Idaho native then reinjured his ACL during training just before the 2024 season got underway, but he has been able to perform at a high level for much of this year. During the AMA Pro Motocross series, Hymas scored the first overall victory of his professional career and tallied a total of four podium overall results and an additional four top-five overall finishes.
Unfortunately, Hymas aggravated the injury during the opening SuperMotocross round in Charlotte, North Carolina, on September 7. With the goal of retaining his spot on Team USA for the October 6 Motocross of Nations at Matterley Basin in England, he pulled out of the remainder of the SMX series, but after further consultation, Hymas and his team have decided it is more prudent to have the injury repaired as soon as possible. Even though there was high confidence that, after two weeks off, he would be able to perform at a high level, the possibility of reaggravating the injury and adversely affecting Team USA’s result was also a consideration. Luckily, Star Yamaha and Cooper Webb have stepped up and volunteered to take Chance’s spot for the event, with Webb dropping down to a 250 from his usual 450. Meanwhile, Hymas will focus on returning to action in time for the 2025 AMA Supercross 250 East series.
“I’m absolutely gutted,” Hymas said. “I have waited for the opportunity to represent my country at MXoN since I was a kid. I was proud and excited to wear the Red, White and Blue. I was doing everything in my power to be ready for MXoN, but I’ve been battling issues with my knee this entire season. The team and myself decided the stakes are too high to take chances at the MXoN, and I need to get my knee fixed for the future. My sole focus now is getting back to top form and being prepared to compete for championships in 2025. I want to say thank you to Cooper for stepping up and taking my place. I’ll be rooting for him and Team USA from back home. THANK YOU!”
“We’re really, really gutted for Chance, as he has gone through more than his fair share of bad luck in the past year and a half,” said Lars Lindstrom, Manager of the Honda HRC Progressive team. “We know how important this event was to him and the team. Chance has proven that he has the speed to be competitive, and I know that when he’s at full health, he’ll be tough to beat. Although we were excited to support him at the Motocross of Nations, we’re grateful to Star Yamaha and Cooper Webb for stepping up for Team USA. We wish them well. We’re pulling for Chance to have a smooth operation, a productive recovery, and a successful 2025.”
