Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Cooper Webb clinched his first 450SX class title at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas in front of a sold-out crowd of 39,509 fans this past weekend. Webb rode a mistake-free race to finish third in the main event, which was more than enough for him to take home the number 1 plate.
“It’s been an incredible journey,” Webb said. “I mean, just the changes here. I was a washed-up 10th-place guy last year and this KTM team believed in me. This group of guys took me in, transformed me, and got me back to what I knew I could always be. I really just can’t believe it. This year was not expected at all, but I just can’t thank those guys enough for giving me this opportunity to get back to this level. To do it this way, it’s unreal. It’s a dream come true since I was a little kid. I never thought I’d be a 450 champion, that’s for sure, but you’ve just got to dream at something, and this is what we did, and now we did it. It’s an incredible feeling.”
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac did all that he could to keep his title hopes alive by winning the main event, but ended up finishing second overall in the point standings—one position better than his 2018 title campaign.
“That’s all I could do tonight was control my destiny [by] getting out front early,” Tomac said. “I just got out front with that holeshot and really rode a clean race that time—better than that heat race [and] more mistake-free. [It was a] great way to cap it off. Congrats to Cooper on the championship. I gave it my all, so it’s a good way to end it.”
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Marvin Musquin claimed the runner-up spot in the main event and finished third in the point standings.
“I was looking for one more step than last year,” Musquin said. “Overall it was a decent year; we never gave up. We started off very rough with not much training in the off-season. But like I said, I gave my all and that’s all I can do. [I made] little mistakes at the end of the year. I wish I could’ve fought until the end, but that’s racing. I’m not done; I had a good year. The whole team, the people around me, my family, my brother, my parents, Mathilde, my close friends—they support me so much. And it’s not over; my career is not over, so I’m looking for next year.”
After it was announced during the pre-race press conference on Friday that he signed a three-year contract extension with Team Honda HRC, Ken Roczen got off the line to a seventh-place start in the main event and advanced to fifth by lap two. He continued his charge, closing in on fourth and making a pass through the whoops to secure the position. Toward the end of the 22-lap race, Roczen advanced on third but was unable to make the pass, taking the checkered flag in fourth. The German rider also finished fourth in the championship standings.
“I’m pretty happy with how [Vegas] went,” Roczen said. “I struggled in the heat, but we went back to an earlier setting and things were a lot better in the main. I still didn’t get the best start, but made some passes pretty quick, working my way into fourth. I actually felt good throughout the whole race and didn’t lose steam, which is what I’ve been fighting a lot this season. We’re still trying to fully figure out what was or is going on, but it seems to be a little better than before. I’m so happy to make it through a whole Supercross season and am looking forward to heading into outdoors.”
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne began his night by capturing his first career heat race victory. In the main event, he got off to a fourth-place start, but was passed by Roczen, which pushed him back to fifth place, a position he held until the finish.
“The track was really tough to make a move on tonight and I ended up getting passed in the main event to finish fifth,” Osborne said. “It was a solid night. I’m making some headway, and moving into the outdoors, I’m pretty happy with my fitness and my riding, so we’ll just keep plugging away.”
