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COOPER WEBB
450 MX / 9TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> With the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National Championship just last week, much of the industry is in discussion about the hottest upcoming commodities. Who will be the next
to emerge, signing a pristine contract and placing themselves in solid contention for a memorable career? Will it be someone who topped the podium a few, short days ago? Or will the veteran’s of the series prevail; making sure that no one of a younger age is there
to dethrone the status in which they’ve worked for. Cooper Webb feels as though he’s a staple amongst the upper echelon of the game, and has all needed in order to withstand the storm of the fresh ock preparing to sweep in. He looked to set an astounding tone ear- ly on in practice, launching off the slight step-up and on to the start straight. Cutting fero- ciously from left to right, he would sweep in to the following bend, and other the catwalk, in the blink of an eye. He could see fans of his in admiration, albeit a bit of blur out the sides of his goggles. It propelled him to a solid time on the charts, and to the rst moto he would go. Rioting out of the starting grid, the eld would clash into the opening few corners. With the inertia from the combed out ruts slowing the wheel travel just a tad, he made sure to keep his vision focused forward, rather than staring at the ground just in front. Champion- ship contenders were out to a feverish pace, while he found his groove alongside Ken Roczen. Landing off the sky tabletop, he would choose both inside and outside lines in the following corners, launching off the rolled-single and onto at ground. With the suspension clashing, his front fender began to show wear, as the black marks of the tire imprinted the plastic. It was a sign of pure charge, as he hurled his bike to the checkered, although a miscue in the latter moments would drop him back substantially; he would nish sixteenth. The sequel of the moto’s was now upon him, and he looked to in ict damage early on. Off the grid, he attempted to run laptimes near the mid 2:40 mark, as the track was becom-
ing almost a bit dangerous. A methodic, rhythmic ow would ensue, as he could literally choose from a card deck of lines. Any combination would provide a solid hand, but when he ipped the last few so to speak, he would be paired with Justin Barcia; and the two teammates went at it! One would run the other wide, and vice versa, with a climax of Justin Barcia providing a look back and hand raise! Barcia would eventually make the move for good, but there wasn’t any love lost between them. Both would check each other until the nish, with Webb taking fourth, generating ninth overall.
54 GRITMOTO • AUGUST 12, 2018