When Cooper Webb wins, he is determined to do so in grand style.
Weather delayed the start of Round 8 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross championship as a combination of rain and lightning kept the competition off Spring Creek MX Park in Millville, Minn. Moto 1 in the 250 class was a muddy affair. The track began to dry before the 450 class took to the track, but the ruts continued to deepen.
Webb did not allow a little moisture to rain on his parade. He scored his first career moto win in Moto 1 and then picked up where he left off. in Moto 2.
Prior to this weekend, Webb had not even stood on the podium in the Motocross series.
Webb was leading Moto 2 early when he saw Ken Roczen triple the uphill segment for the first time in the combined races. Emboldened, Webb was certain he could do that on the following lap. He couldn’t. Webb crashed and allowed Roczen to get around.
“I was feeling good,” Webb said. “Ken was riding awesome and I went and followed him up the triple and I crashed - which sucked. But I just got up and put my head down. I knew I had some tricks up my sleeve.”
Webb charged hard for the remainder of the race and finally caught back up to Roczen as time ran off the clock. With two laps remaining Roczen lost momentum in the whoops and allowed Webb to blaze past.
This is the first career win for the 2019 Supercross champion who has struggled for most of the outdoor season. Webb’s best finish so far this year was fourth, which he scored three times. In fact, Webb is coming off back to back fourth-place finishes at Southwick and RedBud.
Zach Osborne took second overall with two consistent motos. Finishing fourth in Moto 1 and third in Moto 2, he scored his third consecutive podium after finishing third overall in WW Ranch and second at Southwick. Osborne missed last week’s race at RedBud with a shoulder injury sustained in practice.
Eli Tomac padded his points lead over Marvin Musquin. He finished a comfortable second in Moto 1 and then struggled in Moto 2 to finish fifth. As has been the case all season, Tomac struggled to put two motos together. Tomac ran up on Justin Bogle and stalled his bike. The mark of his championships have been a refusal to give up. His 2-5 was enough to score third overall.
“I just wasn’t on it in that moto,” Tomac said after the second race. “No one to blame there but myself. Just some bad riding. The mistake there in the back didn’t help me at all - shuffled me back a few spots.
“Got to regroup and come out swinging for Washougal.”
A big pileup in Moto 2 gobbled up Marvin Musquin and pinned him under his bike for the second time in two weeks. Musquin was forced to overcome the loss of track position and finish seventh. Finishing 3-7, Musquin finished fourth overall but lost four points to Tomac.
Roczen came close to winning a fourth moto of the season and he needs a strong run. He finished second in Moto 2, but coupled with a 14th in Moto 1, he lost a ton of points. Roczen finished fifth overall.
450 Moto 1 Results
450 Moto 2 Results
450 Overall Results
Points Standings
Mud or dry - it doesn’t matter for Adam Cianciarulo.
In Moto 1, Cianciarulo was riding a snake after getting a clod of dirt in his goggles that limited his vision. He followed the leader Hunter Lawrence off course early in the race, had several instances during which he flew sideways across ruts, and finally went off course and then down with four minutes on the clock. Somewhere in the midst of all the chaos, he was forced to jettison his eyewear.
The mud giveth and the mud taketh away - but it tooketh away only one spot since then fourth-place Chase Sexton was more than 20 seconds behind him at the time.
Moto 2 was never in question. Cianciarulo grabbed the lead at the start and never looked back. While second through fifth battled with a few seconds between each position, he climbed to a 22-second advantage with about five minutes remaining. He cruised home and earned the overall with a 3-1.
“I’m not really an angry person,” Cianciarulo told NBC Sports Gold after the conclusion of Moto 2. “But after that first moto for some reason I was really mad. Just mad at the situation. It was frustrating and I had to get to my girlfriend in the semi and put my ear pods on and just breathe.”
Still angry by the time the moto started, Cianciarulo used that to focus him.
Alex Martin wanted to make a statement on his home track. With the family home literally on the property, this track is special and Martin pushed harder than in any race. Finishing second in both motos, he took second overall. Martin made a dramatic pass in Moto 2 as time ran off the clock and the 3-lap-to-go sign was shown.
After the race’s conclusion, Martin was penalized one position for not slowing sufficiently when he went off course. His 2-3 was still enough to finish second overall. This was Martin’s first overall podium since this race last year when he finished third.
Lawrence took the lead early in Moto 1. It is difficult to pass on a muddy track and despite making a few charges, Cianciarulo was unable to get to the lead before he went down. As has been the case too often this season, the second moto was Lawrence’s undoing. Missing a shift off the line, he finished sixth, but with a 1-6 he was able to stand on bottom step of the podium.
With nine minutes remaining on the clock, the second-place rider in points Dylan Ferrandis showed both what makes him so great and risky. Flying through the whoops, he blasted past Colt Nichols. At the end of the straightaway, he was unable to navigate the turn and went down - handing the position right back to his teammate.
Ferrandis finished fourth overall with a 5-4.
Shane McElrath rounded out the top five with a 4-5.
Chase Sexton’s return showed a lot of promise in the first moto. He was riding fourth when he went down in the mud and fell back through the field. Finishing seventh in Moto 2, he scored a respectable 12th overall.
250 Moto 1 Results
250 Moto 2 Results
250 Overall Results
Points Standings
Moto Wins
450MX
[6] Eli Tomac (Hangtown II, Pala I & Pala II, Thunder Valley II, WW Ranch II, RedBud I)
[3] Ken Roczen (Hangtown I, Thunder Valley I, High Point II)
[3] Marvin Musquin (WW Ranch I, The Wick I, RedBud II)
[2] Cooper Webb (Spring Creek I & II)
[1] Blake Baggett (High Point I)
[1] Zach Osborne (The Wick II)
250MX
[6] Adam Cianciarulo (Hangtown II, Pala II, Thunder Valley I, High Point II, The Wick I, Spring Creek II)
[4] Dylan Ferrandis (WW Ranch II, The Wick II, RedBud I & II)
[3] Justin Cooper (Hangtown I, Pala I, Thunder Valley I)
[2] Hunter Lawrence (High Point I, Spring Creek I)
[1] Chase Sexton (WW Ranch I)
Next race: Washougal MX Park, Washougal, Wash., July 27
Season passes can be purchased at NBC Sports Gold.