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GRITMOTO • MAY.23.16
IMAGE/JACKEDWARDS
It’s a very rare occasion that the defending 250 West SX Champion comes into the outdoors and everyone is doubting whether or not he’ll be a title contender, a race winner, and even if he’ll last the
entire season; that’s exactly the case this year for Cooper Webb. The Star Racing Yamaha rider clinched the
250 West title by the skin of his teeth ahead of Joey Savatgy after he suffered a major setback at the practice track. Webb suffered a crash in which he broke his navicular bone, arguably one of the worst injuries that a motorcycle racer can experience. Fortunately, the damage has been done to his left wrist instead of his right, so his throttle control has not been compromised. But, it’s still a nightmare
of an injury which can have a complicated healing process that might leave the wrist never feeling 100%. Range of motion in the wrist
is incredibly important in the sport of bike racing and Webb noticeably struggled to an 11th place finish at the SX finale in Vegas. He did exactly what he had to do and eked out the title, but it was by no means a comfortable margin and the relief that Webb showed in his post race celebration speaks volumes about his mindset going into the race. The speculation by the majority of the media is Webb will not make it through the entire outdoor series, some say he might not even make it through the first round. Hangtown is a notoriously bumpy track which is precisely the kryptonite of this particular injury. Webb was able to ride through the pain in Vegas when the title was on the line, but will he be able to do the same at the start of a fresh series with an entire season of racing ahead of him? He’s a brash character that says what’s on his mind and rides with a fervent energy reminiscent of the olden days of motocross. The choice to ride through this injury is also reminiscent of years gone by. It’s very rare that a team allows a rider to risk worsening the injury and they are
COOPER WEBB
st Championship, it’s not at all worth the potential sacrifice moving forward towards his 450 career next year.
shot at a 250 National
normally forced to put their pride aside. Although he will be itching to show his determination and have one la
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