In the 450SX Class, Red Bull KTM's Cooper Webb took his sixth win of the season and stretched his points lead to 17 by winning the event by finishing second, first, and then third.
The thirteenth round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship also held within it the third and final round of the Triple Crown series, and the racing could not have been much more exciting for the 49,183 fans packed into NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. In the 450SX Class, Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb took his sixth win of the season and stretched his points lead to 17 by winning the event by finishing second, first, and then third in the night’s three Main Events. Webb’s victory made history as it is KTM’s first win in Houston in the 51 times the Texas city has hosted a Monster Energy Supercross round. Webb’s teammate, Marvin Musquin, finished second overall, with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Dean Wilson taking the final 450SX Class podium spot. The Western Regional 250SX Class was equally exciting with Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis earning his second ever 250SX Class win with second, first, and second place finishes in his Main Events.
The first 450SX Class Main Event saw Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen grab the holeshot and run off with the race, amassing over a ten second lead at one point. There was an incredible amount of action behind him, though. Webb, Musquin, and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac were bar to bar around a berm on the first lap battling for third with Dean Wilson just ahead of them. Musquin and Webb started a physical battle; the riders came together a few times, with Webb aggressively pushing Musquin off the track before the sand section, causing his KTM teammate to lose three positions. Webb eventually ran down Wilson for second, while Musquin battled back, nabbing fifth from Tomac right at the finish line jump.
In the second 450SX Class Main Event Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy got the holeshot at the stripe but Cooper Webb grabbed the lead away from him right away. Behind them, Roczen tangled with the back of Dean Wilson’s bike and hit the ground hard, pulling out of the race with what looked like a right foot or ankle injury. Musquin was back in fifth but charging hard from the opening laps, and Tomac was attempting the same but from back in tenth. It took Musquin three minutes to get into fourth and nearly another three minutes to put his KTM into third. With just over four minutes left on the clock Musquin got past Team Honda HRC’s Cole Seely and started to chip away at Webb’s lead of just over two seconds. Musquin got close but pushed too hard and went down on the final lap in the sand section, eventually winding up third behind Webb and Wilson.
In the final race of the night Joey Savatgy once again grabbed the holeshot but before the pack had left the second corner Musquin was leading it. Webb was in sixth but moved quickly up to third, passing Tomac on the way. Musquin pulled a little breathing room on Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne, who sat in second with Webb and Tomac closing in quickly. A little before the half way point both Webb and Tomac got around Osborne almost simultaneously but had over five seconds to pick up if they hoped to catch Musquin. After just over six minutes of racing Tomac and Webb traded positions a couple times, with Tomac making the pass stick and taking off after Musquin. He got the lead as narrow as three and a half seconds before Musquin pulled it back out to win comfortably. It was enough for second overall on the night for Musquin. Webb’s third place Main Event #3 finish got him the overall win as well as the Triple Crown championship-within-a-championship title. It’s also a personal milestone for Webb since in neither of his two previous 450SX Class seasons has he made it to the thirteenth round – and in 2019 he leaves it healthy and with a 17-point lead. Dean Wilson finished third overall, with Tomac scoring a fourth overall. Ken Roczen, who had looked done for the night with an injury in the second Main Event, lined up and managed an eighth-place finish in the final race.
Webb said from the podium, “It was a tough night. You always forget in the Triple Crowns how many laps you end up doing… For me it was good to go out and get a win, which is great. I knew the laps were going to be tough. I had a little gap, so I kind of knew where I needed to be, so it was good. It was a great night for us KTM guys going one and two, and like you said, I was able to win again, which is sweet. I’m stoked on that, and it feels good to be up here on the top.”
Musquin saw a lot of action and stood on the overall podium in second place. When asked if Webb’s aggressive riding was fair, he answered, “I don’t know. I mean, Triple Crown is always super aggressive racing. It’s only twelve minutes so you’ve got to go for it. And I was really aggressive, I made a clean pass on Cooper and I was pretty happy. And then obviously he didn’t like that I passed him, and he got very aggressive and he was revving the bike super hard on multiple turns; and he finally got me and pushed me off the track. It was pretty sketchy. I thought he was going to go down as well, but he didn’t so, yeah, I guess that’s the way it is. Yeah, I will have to do that if I have the opportunity or if I need to make a pass. Second moto was better. I caught him but unfortunately a dumb mistake in the sand got me. Got up, and man, it was a tough day. But [I] finally put it together in the last Main and got the holeshot and rode just like last week. I was just leading and hit my marks and it was awesome. It feels so good to be like that in the lead. I showed some really good speed all day but unfortunately [I made] some mistakes, but finally a good last Main. So thanks to the team. We lost a little bit of points in the championship, but it could have been way worse. Triple Crown is really tough so I’m glad at least I got second overall.”
Dean Wilson was happy with his finish, “It feels great. It’s been a long journey and it’s what I’ve been working towards all season. I’ve been riding well and I’m just stoked to be up here… These guys up here, they’ve been up here so many times, it’s just like, they’re used to it, where I want to be in that position. But it means a lot to be up here. I’ve been through a lot and I just kept plugging away and I knew I could be up here because my qualifying times were always good, my heat races were always pretty good, but to make it happen when it counts is the hardest part. So, I’ve been really working on my mental game because I feel like sometimes I’m my own worst enemy.”
Tomac wasn’t happy with his fourth overall. When asked about his three races he said, “The first two [I] just wasn’t myself at all. [I] was struggling just with pace and even struggling just feeling comfortable that whole moto, and with a few lines, too. At least that third one was a little bit more like me. Those first two, though, just really got me. I got a better start there in the third one… followed a little bit with Cooper and I made my way into second, tried to push it, but that was all I had tonight. Gotta be better, that’s all there is to it.”
450SX Class Results
1. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM
2. Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM
3. Dean Wilson, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna
4. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki
5. Cole Seely, Sherman Oaks, Calif., Honda
6. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna
7. Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., KTM
8. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM
9. Joey Savatgy, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki
10. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Honda
450SX Class Championship Standings
1. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., KTM (288)
2. Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM (271)
3. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (262)
4. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Honda (252)
5. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., KTM (215)
6. Dean Wilson, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna (201)
7. Joey Savatgy, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki (173)
8. Cole Seely, Sherman Oaks, Calif., Honda (160)
9. Chad Reed, Dade City, Fla., Suzuki (151)
10. Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., Yamaha (150)