03-29-2026: 4-State Moto Complex, Neosho, Missouri
Round One of the Coal Train Energy Missouri State Motocross Championship Series got off to a better-than-expected start for 2OG on Sunday, (03/29/2026), despite challenges leading up to the race.
With Little destroying his right knee at the first Loretta Lynn's Area Qualifier the weekend prior, things looked to be squarely in the hands of Coffman to get a good showing on Sunday in the +50 Vet Class.
"Throughout my racing life, I've never worried about Mark pulling off a decent race finish, so this wouldn't have been a big deal," Little said. "However, Mark just built that new building and has been focused on adding two lines and getting everything going. He's been busier than I've ever seen him and he's literally only been on the new bike a half-dozen times since we picked them up back in January. And, like me, he hasn't raced in a lot of years."
Little went on, "I wasn't worried about this drive or abilities. More than anything, I was worried about him pushing too hard and getting hurt as well. Plus, he's been beside himself with concern over my injury, so I knew that was floating around in his head, too."
However, realizing that they'd asked longtime friend, fellow Vet racer, (and motocross/supercross legend!), Guy Cooper to join them for this round several months back, Coffman sent a text that saved the day for the pair, securing the win for the team in both the +50 Vet and the +45 Vet classes!
"We had asked Guy if he'd join us for the Neosho opener some time ago," said Little, " I think back when we first told him we were doing this thing. To my surprise and thrill, he agreed! It was awesome!"
Having saved face for the round with Guy's commitment, the pressure was off, but because Little's MRI came back with much more destruction than initially anticipated, (see related blog post), the big question remained ... should Little ride the initial round to earn points, (albeit last place points), or should he lay back and wait to get the surgeries scheduled and find out what the timeline for healing would be.
"I felt a little bit guilty, because I first put that thought into his head, I think," Coffman said. "When he and Beth were driving home from that first Loretta Qualifier and called to tell me about his leg, I was trying to cheer him - and maybe myself - up and mentioned that he could stay in the Missouri series standings if he rode a lap at the first round and took the checkers. At least if there weren't a bunch of entries at that first race, he'd have some points to fall back on to offset any rounds he'd have to miss for surgery or healing. I immediately regretted saying it because I didn't want him to get hurt. That's the thing about Bill, if he gets his mind set on a goal, he gets laser focused and pushes way to hard to achieve it."
After a week of back and forth, Little purchased a Mobius X8 knee brace and ultimately decided to do just that, riding a lap and taking the checkered flag to get last place points, which keeps him in the series if he can avoid missing more than 2 rounds following surgery.
"It's a big surgery and it's still up in the air," said Little, following his meeting with his Orthopedic team on Monday. "We decided to try to save the meniscus, despite the large root tear, which will mean 4-6 weeks of zero weight bearing following surgery. Add to that another 8-12 weeks of rehab and healing time on the new ACL before it's back to 100% - and that's IF everything goes perfectly - and it's going to be a close call as to whether I'm able to stay in this thing. I'll still need to brace it and ride a couple of more single-lap rounds to stay in the game."
Little noted that there was a good chance that the meniscus won't be able to be salvaged, in which case they'll scrape it all out and he'll only need to worry about strengthening the new ACL and allowing the bones time to heal, but then he'll be in need of a total knee replacement within a year or two and his racing days will be effectively over since the replacement won't withstand that type of punishment.
Whatever the future holds, Round 1 went off with the best possible results for the 2OG with Cooper winning all 4 of his motos for the day, earning First Place in both the +50 Vet and +45 Vet Classes, Coffman with a solid 6-6 moto finishes for 6th place overall in +50 Vet and Little riding a painful lap of both +50 motos to muscle out last place points and stay in the fight for healthier days!
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