For the second year running, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Cooper Webb came out on top in a heavyweight battle to enjoy another victory at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington. The red-plate holder’s fourth win of the season also helped strengthen his Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX Championship lead, giving him an 11-point advantage with six rounds remaining. Teammate Justin Cooper also showed strength in the tricky conditions, battling for a podium position but ultimately finishing sixth after a tip-over in the latter half of the race.
With rain leading up to Round 11 of the championship in the Pacific Northwest, the schedule was delayed and reduced to two sessions of qualifying. Webb got off to a good start, topping the first session and ultimately qualifying third. From there, he got a great start to the heat race, passing his teammate on the opening lap and ultimately crossing the line second to complete a stellar 1-2 finish for the team. Things heated up for the main event, which was an absolute dog fight, with four to five riders in the mix, including his teammate Cooper. After the gate drop, Webb grabbed the holeshot and led the first five laps. He continued to run a strong pace and kept the frontrunner in his sights. On Lap 15, the duo was passed by another title contender, with Webb in third for a lap before reclaiming the runner-up spot. As the clock wound down, he closed the gap and then made his move to the lead right before time ran out. From there, Webb held off advances, scoring his 29th-career win and second-consecutive Seattle Supercross victory to expand his lead in the championship to 11 points.
Cooper hit the ground running in Seattle, earning the fastest 450 qualifying honors and then grabbing the holeshot in his heat race. Although he was passed by his teammate on that opening lap, the New Yorker reclaimed the lead on Lap 3 and rode on to his first 450SX heat race victory. Cooper got another great start to the main event and rode a strong pace in third. In the multi-rider fight, he was shuffled to fourth before the halfway point, but continued to push and made his way back to third with around 10 laps remaining. Unfortunately, three laps later, the New Yorker crashed and rejoined to battle for a top-five finish, ultimately crossing the line sixth. Cooper sits fifth in the point standings and one point from fourth.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team heads back east for Round 12 of Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the SuperMotocross World Championship at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on April 5.
Rich Simmons – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 450 Team Manager
“This track was tough all day with the deep ruts, so bike setup was important. The whole team did a great job communicating and making adjustments to allow Cooper and Justin to ride at a level to win tonight. Both guys had good speed all day, with Justin getting the heat win. It was another impressive main event win for Cooper, showing that late-race grit. Unfortunately, Justin’s crash knocked him off the podium, but he leaves here with a lot of positives. We’re looking forward to next weekend in Foxborough.”
Cooper Webb – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #2
“Seattle was an amazing day. Qualifying went well. I ended up third and got second in the heat. It was a crazy main event. I led at the beginning, and then Kenny (Roczen) got by me. We were battling, and Chase (Sexton) got us both, so it was a three-way battle, and then Justin was in there. It was just crazy. It was mano a mano with Chase and me at the end, and I was able to get him late. It was gnarly conditions out there. I’m just stoked that I could rebound the way I did after last weekend.”
Justin Cooper – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #32
“It was a really good day. I qualified first and got my first heat win of my career in this class, so that was special. I really just felt like I clicked with the track. I don’t know if that was just me progressing or if I just felt that good on this track, but it was definitely working well for me. I was in a good spot in the main – third and fourth for most of it. I got around Kenny and got into the podium spot with around four minutes left, and that’s pretty much when I crashed. I definitely felt like I could have at least gotten the podium tonight, but I felt like I had another push in me to fight with the top two. I was really waiting for mistakes, and that’s what I did myself. That was unfortunate, but that’s how it goes. It was a tough track tonight, and I was hoping for more, but there was a lot to take away from it.”