Already a two-time Progressive American Flat Track champion at just 18 years of age, Kody Kopp has thrived under expectations that would have crushed lesser talents.
Both cursed and blessed by unending comparisons to his father, 2000 Grand National Champion Joe Kopp, and his immediate predecessor as the sport’s “Next Big Thing,” Dallas Daniels, Kopp has every bit lived up to the hype.
But now he is set to forge his own path simply by continuing down the one that he is on, diverging by not diverging. Those who cannot wait to see Kopp join Daniels in premier-class action will have no other choice, as Kopp is destined to defend his Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER crown yet again in 2024.
Kopp’s eventual ascension will not be delayed forever – and perhaps not beyond one more go in the class he has dominated for the past two seasons. But for now, his sole mission and focus is to rewrite the record books aboard his Red Bull Factory Racing KTM 450 SX-F.
And coming off an epic eight-win season that compares favorably with any the class has ever witnessed, the Washington native has the benefit of appreciating the inordinate weight of the #1 plate.
Kody explained, “You always go into a season with the goal of a championship, but it wasn’t exactly the main goal to come out in our sophomore season and win the championship in 2022. It was in the back of our head as a team, yeah, but the goal was really just to be more competitive than we were in my first year.
“We had three podiums as a rookie and weren’t really there as much as we wanted to be. So to jump into it right away in ‘22 and get that first win, that kind of made (a championship run) seem realistic. But this past year, we went in with the #1 plate, and we had a target on our back. It was a totally different season.
“In the offseason before the season started, I felt that target. I didn’t think it would affect me, but I struggled quite a bit at the outlaw races in the Florida panhandle. I didn’t win a real outlaw race the entire offseason. And even though I really like those Florida short tracks that we race, we straight-up got beat a bunch. That definitely fired me up.”
However, when the lights came on for real, Kopp was better than ever. He came out swinging with three wins and a runner-up in the season’s opening six races. That allowed him to build up a sizeable title advantage, one he would ride comfortably for the remainder of what would prove to be a historic campaign.
“I was almost second guessing myself in the offseason,” Kopp admitted. “So to start the year in Daytona and sweep the doubleheader, that was… I don’t know how to explain it. It was a great feeling and reassured me that I was still good.
“Obviously, we clicked off eight wins, which is crazy. For the past two seasons, I had the goal to match Dallas’ (record of) eight wins, and to be able to put together that season, that was pretty crazy. There were so many great moments.”
Asked to single out a couple of the highlights from a season loaded with them, Kody said, “I’d say the Orange County Half-Mile was a big one for me. It was huge to fight back from three seconds down. And the Black Hills Half-Mile might have actually been my favorite. We weren’t really in it all day – we were a little bit off pace. To find that high line and come from last pick on the second row, that was probably the hardest I had to ride all year. That made it the most rewarding on what was a pretty one-line track.”
The season wasn’t without its challenges, of course. After the star-studded KTM contingent spearheaded by Kopp swept the opening four races and hoarded nine of a possible 12 podium positions, they were blanked from the box completely during the midseason run of three consecutive Miles.
The relative downturn in form was especially apparent for reigning champion Kopp, who strung together uncharacteristic finishes of tenth, sixth, and fifth, while the factory Honda and Yamaha aces took the spoils.
“The Miles were tough – those three back-to-back-to-back weekends. That was not helpful for our championship goals. The way we started off the Miles at Sacramento, that was a bit depressing, honestly. It was like, almost an out of your control sort of deal.”
Ultimately though, that apparent Achilles heel simply set the stage for a dream championship lockup when Kopp won the Springfield Mile I by 0.010 seconds to secure a second straight Parts Unlimited AFT Singles title.
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