Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb gains ground in the 450SX Championship with a second-place finish at Tampa Supercross
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb finished second on a wild night of racing at the Raymond James Stadium, Round 5 of Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the SuperMotocross World Championship, in Tampa, Florida. The North Carolina rider charged his way through the field to secure a second-consecutive runner-up finish, moving him to second in the hotly contested 450SX title chase and closing the gap to five points. Justin Cooper continued to make progress with a season-best result, finishing fourth. Unfortunately, Eli Tomac injured his leg during the second qualifying session but he put in a gritty, determined ride to finish 17th and score valuable points in the championship.
On the heels of a runner-up finish at Glendale, Webb who now calls Florida home, was looking forward to heading east to home turf. The day got off to a strong start as he qualified second and then went on to grab the holeshot and a convincing victory in his heat race. Unfortunately, he did not get off the gate as he had hoped in the main event and found himself towards the back of the field. Webb immediately went to work and was 10th after the first lap and made his way to sixth by Lap 3. He continued his way through to third and claimed the runner-up spot in the final laps, scoring his third podium of the season and advancing to second in the championship and five points from the top spot.
Tomac was on track for a top night in Tampa. The Colorado rider showed speed from the start, setting the fastest time in the first qualifying session, but unfortunately injured his leg in the second qualifying session. Qualifying eighth in the combined times, Tomac had a decent start in his heat race in fifth and soldiered on to finish seventh despite feeling less than 100%. In the main event, he did not get the start he was looking for and found himself at the back of the field but he continued to push on to finish 17th and score five points. Tomac’s determined ride keeps him in the top five in the point standings and within 21 points of the leader.
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Cooper had a good start to the East Coast swing in Tampa, qualifying fifth. He then built on that with a great start to the heat race, slotting into the runner-up spot and quickly claiming the lead. The New Yorker led for most of the race and ultimately crossed the line third. In the main event, Cooper got another great start in second, and although he was shuffled to sixth, he continued to battle for position all the way to the end, making the pass for fourth on the final lap. His fourth-place finish marks his best result thus far during his sophomore season in the premier class.
Next weekend, the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team heads to Detroit, Michigan for Round 6 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and SuperMotocross World Championship and Round 2 of the 250SX East Championship at Ford Field on February 15.
Rich Simmons – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 450 Team Manager
“I’ll start with the elephant in the room – it was an unfortunate night for Eli. It was just a freak accident with him getting his foot caught between the foot peg and the ground during qualifying. He was really sore and bruised, but he did the best he could to manage a points night. On the other hand, it was a great night for Webb. He didn’t get a great start in the main event, but he rode really well to work his way through the pack to get second place and cut the gap in half for the championship – he came in 10 down and leaves five down. Then for Justin Cooper, it was a big turnaround for him confidence-wise. He continued to ride well through the day and build on that. He got a good start in the heat and was third, and another good start in the main, and just kind of stayed in the mix. Riding with those guys is building confidence for him. So, there are definitely some positives on an up-and-down night, and we’ll move on to Detroit.”
Cooper Webb – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #2
“Overall, it was a good day. I was able to qualify second, won the heat race, and finished second in the main. I just made a mistake on the start, got some wheel spin, and was buried. I made a good charge through the pack and was picking guys off. I’m just a little bit bummed because I felt like I was coming through with Malcolm (Stewart), and then I was making some mistakes, lost the tow, and the lappers kind of interfered. Overall, it was a good points night and a good second-place finish. We’ll take the points, get better, and move on to Detroit.”
Justin Cooper – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #32
“I had three really bad starts last weekend in Glendale, so to have two really good starts is the biggest positive for me. I know I’m a good starter, so to get that back and do it twice tonight was important to me. It put me in a good position all night. I was third in the heat race, and I was able to get Chase (Sexton) on the last straight away to finish fourth in the main. So it was a good night for me because I charged to the end and stayed strong. We’ll keep working and keep building for Detroit.”
Eli Tomac – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #3
“It was a tough day in Tampa. I caught my leg underneath the foot peg on a jump during qualifying, and sprained the top of my ankle and bruised my lower leg. I’m going to do everything possible to get back on the line in Detroit.
