The Monster Energy Supercross Round 17 showcased a tight battle early among points’ contenders Cooper Webb and Ken Roczen, but the results will show that Webb earned not only the 2021 championship, but he did so in style with his eighth race win of the season.
In the first five minutes, Roczen and Webb battled side by side. Their spirited battle allowed Roczen’s teammate Sexton to catch the pair and with a much faster Honda underneath him, Sexton shot into the lead.
But Webb earned his 2021 championship with tenacity and an unwillingness to give up. With six minutes remaining on the clock, Webb grabbed the inside line on a tight turn, nudged Roczen off line with a knee and scooted into second. Webb only needed to finish 19th or better to secure his second title in three years, and with the leader in sight, he knew he could be aggressive.
No better way to end a championship season than with a win 🔥 @CooperWebb_2
— Supercross LIVE! (@SupercrossLIVE) May 2, 2021
Monster Energy 450SX Main Event LIVE fueled by @maverik#SupercrossLIVE #DropTheGate pic.twitter.com/rozxfH3llf
Webb’s KTM teammate Marvin Musquin passed Sexton in the closing laps to finish second on the heels of last week’s win.
Sexton was denied his first career 450 win. He was forced to settle for his third podium finish in the last five races.
Sexton missed the middle of the season due to an injury sustained in Houston 2 while he led that race. He battled back and scored back to back runner-up finishes in the first two Atlanta events, but then slipped off the podium in the next two races.
RESULTS: Click here for 450 Results; Click here 250 Results
The 450 class rookie of the year, Dylan Ferrandis finished fourth for the second consecutive race.
Last week, Malcolm Stewart earned his first 450 podium. This week he finished fifth for his second consecutive top five.
Joey Savatgy in sixth, Justin Barcia in seventh and Aaron Plessinger in eighth grabbed the next three positions.
After winning his heat in convincing fashion, Eli Tomac settled for ninth in the race and secured third in the championship.
Once Roczen lost contact with the leaders, he faded to 10th at the checkers, but earned enough points to finish second in the championship.
Click here for Round 17 450 Main results | 450 Rider Points | Manufacturer Points
Chaos erupted behind the leaders in the 250 East/West Showdown, but the title contenders were in front of the incident.
When the dust settled, the rider with the best position was Colt Nichols who only needed a solid run to wrap up the 250 East championship. Nichols rode to a comfortable lead by the midway point, but when he was chased down by Jett Lawrence, he decided not to put himself at risk and allowed his East rival to pass uncontested.
Lawrence held on to win the 250 East/West championship. It was his third win of the season.
Cooper’s closest rival for the championship, Jo Shimoda finished a distant sixth.
In the 250 West series, Justin Cooper only needed to finish 17th or better to win his championship.
Cooper settled into ninth early in the race. He found a safe place to ride and dropped more than 25 seconds behind the leader. Cooper maintained his ninth-place result and claimed the 250 West title.
Click here for 250 East heat results | 250 West heat results
The battle for the final position on the podium came down to the final lap as Hunter Lawrence made a dramatic pass on Cameron McAdoo to join his brother in the top three.
McAdoo finished fourth.
Hear from your 250SX East / West Showdown winner, the one and only @Jettson83 🇦🇺#SupercrossLIVE #DropTheGate pic.twitter.com/Xz9VFtBows
— Supercross LIVE! (@SupercrossLIVE) May 2, 2021
Earlier in the afternoon, Seth Hammaker was awarded the 250 Rookie of the Year trophy. He backed up that honor with a fifth-place finish in the Main.
Pierce Brown finished seventh, Jalek Swoll was eighth and Kyle Peters rounded out the top 10.
Click here for 250 East/West Main results | 250 East rider points | 250 West rider points
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 1 AT HOUSTON: Justin Barcia, Christian Craig take early lead
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 2 AT HOUSTON: Eli Tomac closes gap, Jett Lawrence wins his first
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 3 AT HOUSTON: Ken Roczen earns one-point margin; Colt Nichols, Christian Craig share 250 lead
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 4 AT INDIANAPOLIS: Ken Roczen wins to extend points margin, Colt Nichols doubles down
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 5 AT INDIANAPOLIS: Ken Roczen makes it two in a row; Colt Nichols threepeats
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 6 AT INDIANAPOLIS: Ken Roczen continues to roll; Christian Craig stops Colt Nichols
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 7 AT ORLANDO: Cooper Webb gets second win as Jett Lawrence also doubles
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 8 AT ORLANDO: Cooper Webb wins again to close the gap on Ken Roczen
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 9 AT DAYTONA: Eli Tomac gets back in contention with fifth Daytona win
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 10 AT ARLINGTON: The Battle of words between Webb and Roczen ends with Webb win
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 11 AT ARLINGTON: Cooper Webb two-for-two in Arlington; Hunter Lawrence wins first 250
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 12 AT ARLINGTON: Cooper Webb gets second residency sweep with perfect Arlington effort
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 13 AT ATLANTA: Eli Tomac surges to second win on NASCAR infield course
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 14 AT ATLANTA: Ken Roczen isn’t done yet; Justin Cooper extends 250 lead
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 15 AT ATLANTA: Title contenders finish 1-2-3; Cooper Webb extends advantage
POINTS, RESULTS AFTER ROUND 16 AT SALT LAKE CITY: Marvin Musquin, Jo Shimoda step up with one race remaining