The layoff pays off for Webb

Cooper Webb comes from behind in the mains to win round 12 of the Monster Energy Supercross series

In a groundbreaking Wednesday night Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship event, Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb took the 450SX Class win at Round 12 presented by WPS in an action-packed Main Event that marks the second of seven consecutive events inside Rice-Eccles Stadium. Fighting back from a mid-pack start, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac was right on Webb’s rear wheel at the end, with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne, who led 20 of the 27 laps, rounding out the podium in third place.

“After the crash in Arlington, my body was not in the best place but I came back to race the next weekend but you could definitely say that the unforseen layoff has helped me recover,” said Webb. “You had to be patient out there this race. The whoops were tough; I just committed to my line from the beginning and it played out pretty well, so it was a great, great night. To get a win, it’s awesome. These are not easily gained, especially with the top guys up here tonight. So, I want just soak it in.

sits 29 points behind 450SX class points leader Eli Tomac and theoretically has a shot at a repeat title, only if Eli doesn’t race again, which doesn’t seem likely.

“Winning a title is always the season long goal,” said Webb. “Having a healthy body to go racing helps us try and accomplish that goal for sure. Right now we are a long ways out from that feat but we trained hard in the off season to go for it and we are going to give it our best for the remaining five races.”

Tomac, who seems primed to finally win that elusive premier class title, was calm and collected about the prospect of winning the title with relative ease over the course of the final five races.

“Right now it is less about protecting our points lead, it is more about how do we continue to add to it,” said Tomac. “If I stop being on attack, then complacency comes into play. That is the last thing we need as a program.”

In Eastern Regional 250SX Class racing, Shane McElrath took the win in the 6th round of the regional division; it was McElrath’s fourth consecutive win at the venue. The holeshot went to McElrath’s Monster Energy / Star Yamaha Racing teammate Colt Nichols, who led for the first six of twenty laps and finished in second. Third on the podium was GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin. After a sixth-place start, points leader GEICO Honda’s Sexton began moving toward the front, but one minute into the race Sexton washed out his front wheel on a corner entrance and went down. The mistake was compounded when Troy Lee Designs / Red Bull / KTM’s Pierce Brown, with nowhere to go, came to a stop atop Sexton’s bike. The Honda rider remounted in 17th position and charged hard to reach fourth place. The finish put the two top riders, McElrath and Sexton, tied in points with two more Eastern Regional 250SX rounds plus the points-paying East/West Showdown to determine the 2020 champion.

The next race, Round 13, airs live this Sunday, June 7th at 5:00 PM ET on NBCSN.