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COOPER WEBB
450 SX / 8TH
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / KILPATRICK DESIGN / WILSON
>> Cooper Webb hasn’t had the best season by the exceptional standards that he sets for himself as one of the top riders in the world. It’s easy to be critical of some- one who has been so dominant over the past couple of years on the same colored bike, racing against some of the same competition, but Webb has still been able to show flashes of his full potential with podiums and top fives. The rookie made his return to racing a couple of weekends ago in Detroit; he’s struggled to replicate his results from the peak of his season so far, but it’s only a matter of time before he finds that podium speed yet again. It was a flashback to round three of the series at Oakland for Webb as the Yamaha rider was comfortable on the squishy, rutted track from the very first time he put his wheels to the dirt. The North Carolina native found his speed yet again as he dominated the treacherous conditions with the fastest lap time of the session, affording him the number one gate pick heading into the night show. Webb showed speed reminiscent of his best 250 days in the second 450 heat race as he nailed the start and separated himself from the pack with immediate effect. The Yamaha rider was flowing with the track to near perfec- tion and looked poised to grab his second 450 podium SX podium in the main event. He was able to put himself in contention at the sharp end of the field right from the get go as he carved to the inside of the first corner, barely scraping his way past the tuff block that caught out Dungey and Bogle. Webb made a couple
of quick moves and found himself in third position by the end of the first flying lap, placing him position to track down Jason Anderson. He caught up to the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider and began to plan his attack, eventually executing an aggressive block pass before the triple that momentarily staggered his competitor, forcing him to miss the jump. Webb was able to resist pressure from a charging Eli Tomac as he held down second position all the way until the closing stages of the race, but a split-second mistake in a rhythm lane sent him hurling through the air, and he dropped back to eighth position. Although the result isn’t impressive on paper, Webb can be pleased with the speed that he showed throughout the day and a finish back inside the top ten.
30 GRITMOTO • APRIL 9, 2017