Cooper McDonald Standing in for Kevin Olmedo in MotoAmerica SuperSport for Altus Motorsports
(Altus, OK) With Kevin Olmedo sidelined from an MX training incident, Altus Motorsports is excited to announce Cooper McDonald as a seat-fill. The former Twins Cup racer will compete in the MotoAmerica SuperSport class on the Altus Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R600 for at least Round 1.
During the Daytona 200, Kevin had some shoulder issues from an injury he sustained riding motocross. After meeting with doctors, he was advised that he needed surgery. In an effort to salvage as much of the 2021 season as possible, the decision was made to have it immediately. With the operation completed, Olmedo is now on the road to recovery.
“We committed to MotoAmerica to put that bike on the grid and as soon as we found out about Kevin, we started looking for someone to fill the spot,” said Team-Owner, George Nassaney. “We’ve known Cooper for a few years and he’s from Oklahoma as well. I’m glad he can step in and look forward to having him in the pits.”
“Obviously, we wish that Kevin could be at 100% for the start of our 2021 MotoAmerica SuperSport campaign. We are all hoping he can make it back by the second round, but if not, Cooper will continue to ride.”
Cooper McDonald is no stranger to the MotoAmerica paddock. He competed in the Twins Cup for the past two years, finishing the 2019 Season 8th overall and the 2020 season 6th overall. He has campaigned a middleweight bike at the club level and raced in the Daytona 200 in 2018. He’s looking forward to a test on the Altus Motorsports GSX-R600 before he heads to Atlanta.
“My plan was to take a sabbatical from the National level for the 2021 season and join the SuperSport ranks in 2022. But, when George called it seemed like a great way to get some experience. It’s an incredible opportunity. I’ve been training a ton. I’m probably in the best shape of my life,” said Cooper. “I’m grateful to Altus for thinking of me and placing their confidence in me. And I’m extremely thankful to Cody Gayer at CG Law for his support. Without it I would not be able to jump on this chance to race MotoAmerica in 2021.”
Racing at Road Atlanta and riding on the Suzuki platform will be relatively novel experiences for Cooper, but the Altus team is there for support. Teammates Jaret Nassaney (SuperSport) and Jake Lewis (Stock 1000) will be there to help with their knowledge of the track and the bikes. Crew Chief Eric Gray also has years of data and setup information. And if that’s not enough, McDonald also has the benefit of advice from his mentor, former Suzuki MotoGP-legend Kevin Schwantz.
The Altus Motorsports team is supported by our great family of sponsors: Altus Motorsports, Environmental Service Solutions, Creative Sports Concepts, Tucker Powersports, Schaefer Engineering, Hot Bodies Racing, M4 Exhausts, Vortex EK, Motion Pro, Barnett, VP Lubricants, SBS Brakes, Galfer USA, Moto-D Racing, Bonamici, Ohlins, K-Techs, RS Taichi, Arai, Law Tigers Oklahoma, and Altus Factory Racing.
