Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb took the 450SX Class win to tighten up the AMA Supercross championship in the second Orlando SX on Saturday, a repeat of his victory form the opener. His Red Bull KTM teammate Marvin Musquin kept Webb close, and round one winner Troy Lee Designs / Red Bull / GASGAS Factory Racing’s Justin Barcia held off heavy pressure to finish in third.
The event kicked off the nine round Western Regional 250SX Class with a wild and action-filled Main Event that saw Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha’s Justin Cooper stay out of the chaos to lead wire to wire without any serious challenges.
Webb’s charge from eighth at the holeshot stripe to leading the race in less than nine minutes demonstrated the speed and aggression of which he’s capable.
Webb came into the first Orlando round 16-points down in the 450SX Championship but two big wins in the sunshine state have propelled the 2019 champ to within striking distance of the title as he now sits only six points back of Ken Roczen who struggled with a poor start.
The last time Webb strung together two wins in a row was 2019, the year he won the title. Musquin benefitted from a crash in the whoops by early-leader Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo to take over second; from there the KTM rider did not let Webb get away but could not close to within striking distance.
About halfway through, Webb turned up the pressure on race leader Cianciarulo and he made his move into the lead on lap 11. With quite a bit of action taking place behind him, Webb maintained his focus ahead to nail down win number three of the season.
Webb: “This one is huge, back-to-back wins is amazing! It was a great race battling with AC [Cianciarulo] and great points for tonight. Marvin was riding great. I knew he was coming there at the end and I know how strong he is because we ride and train together every day. I felt like start to finish I was in my comfort zone just clicking laps away and it felt really good. KTM going one and two is incredible, this is an awesome feeling.”
For Musquin, the end result was worth the fight as he earned his third podium finish of the season in the Main Event. Musquin put himself into a great position off the start as he settled into fourth on the opening lap. He battled inside a group of front-runners early on before setting himself up for a sole push to the front. Applying increasing pressure on Cianciarulo in second, Musquin set himself up to capitalise on any mistakes and it wasn’t long before the French rider went on to join his teammate in the lead battle. Musquin continued to charge into the final laps, finishing only three seconds behind his teammate Webb for second overall.
Musquin: “It feels really good to be running up front. The whoops started to be very tough so I was trying to be careful but at the same time I wanted to gain time on Cooper. I felt like I was a little bit quicker at one point but I didn’t want the track to bite me and go down. At least I had a great feeling out there. I want to thank the team for their hard work, I felt better today.”
Justin Barcia lined himself up for a great start in the Main Event as he nailed another holeshot aboard his MC 450F, settling into second on the first lap. He got passed early on and went to fourth, leading a hard-charging pack of riders all fighting for a chance at the podium.
Mid-race, Barcia was gifted the third-place position when Cianciarulo went down but it was up to him to capitalise on the opportunity with a strong ride in third. He held off points leader Ken Roczen in the final laps to assume the final spot on the podium, giving him a nudge up to fourth in the 450SX championship standings.
Barcia: “It was a tough day for sure, I had a crash in practice and kind of destroyed myself. I had to regroup and I felt like I got a little bit better. We made a lot of changes on the bike for the Main Event and I got off to a great start. I picked my speed up at the end of the race and I got into a flow, which was cool. For how the morning went, to be up on the podium was a solid race. Obviously, I want a lot more out of myself but it will be nice to have a week off, regroup and get the body right before heading to Daytona, which I’m excited for.”
Points leader Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen got pinched at the start and found himself in seventeenth position. He made a brilliant early charge and got up to the rear tire of defending champion Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac just four minutes into the 20-minute plus one lap race. After several attacks and counters, Roczen made it past. By then the riders were battling for fourth, and Roczen got right on Barcia’s rear fender but could never get a wheel ahead of him. Tomac lost a spot two laps from the end from a hard charge by Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jason Anderson, who recovered from outside the top ten to earn a top five finish.
Max Anstie made it through to his first ever 450 SX main event after holding off fellow Briton Dean Wilson for the last qualifying slot in the first 450 heat. Wilson went through after winning the last chance qualifier. In the main event, Wilson took 12th place while Anstie was 18th.
The dry, hardpacked track approximated conditions for the traditional Western Regional 250SX Class opener and Justin Cooper took home the win after the Main Event had to be re-started due to crashes. Once into the lead Cooper broke clear of the pack and ran what appeared to be an easy win for his fourth career victory and his second consecutive opening round win.
Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Cameron McAdoo traded a second place start for a fifth with the restart, but within two minutes of the 15-minute plus one lap event had gotten himself back into the second place spot. Putting in a hard charge after finishing the first lap in eighth place, ClubMX / IAMACOMBACK / Yamaha’s Garrett Marchbanks landed the final spot on the podium.
The opening round was a heartbreaker for the Martin brothers Jeremy and Alex. Jeremy crashed just feet past the holeshot stripe on the first lap and older brother Alex crashed hard just two corners after that. Alex was down on the track, necessitating the reg flag re-start.
The series brings together a half dozen title contenders and nine high profile rookies, all without a championship title among them. If the opening round of the Western Regional 250SX Class series is any indication, 2021 will be a dramatic year with hard-fighting and hungry riders looking to take the title in the nine round championship that concludes at the East/West Showdown in Salt Lake City on May 1.
450SX Class Results
- Cooper Webb, Newport N.C., KTM
- Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM
- Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS
- Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Honda
- Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Husqvarna
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki
- Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha
- Zach Osborne, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna
- Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha
- Justin Bogle, Edmond, Okla., KTM
450SX Class Championship Standings - Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Honda (180)
- Cooper Webb, Newport N.C., KTM (174)
- Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (149)
- Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS (136)
- Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM (133)
- Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha (125)
- Zach Osborne, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna (123)
- Adam Cianciarulo, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., Kawasaki (120)
- Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (113)
- Dylan Ferrandis, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Yamaha (109)
Western Regional 250SX Class Results
- Justin Cooper, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha
- Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Kawasaki
- Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Yamaha
- Jalek Swoll, Belleview, Fla., Husqvarna
- Hunter Lawrence, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Honda
- Seth Hammaker, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki
- Kyle Peters, Greensboro, N.C., Honda
- Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., GASGAS
- Robbie Wageman, Newhall, Calif., Yamaha
- Jace Owen, Mattoon, Ill., Yamaha
Western Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings - Justin Cooper, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha (26)
- Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Kawasaki (23)
- Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Yamaha (21)
- Jalek Swoll, Belleview, Fla., Husqvarna (19)
- Hunter Lawrence, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Honda (18)
- Seth Hammaker, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki (17)
- Kyle Peters, Greensboro, N.C., Honda (16)
- Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., GASGAS (15)
- Robbie Wageman, Newhall, Calif., Yamaha (14)
- Jace Owen, Mattoon, Ill., Yamaha (13)