Tomac and Webb Enjoy Stellar 1-2 Finish at St. Louis Supercross
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac wins St. Louis Triple Crown, and Cooper Webb finishes second overall to be crowned the overall winner of the three-round series / Mar 31, 2024 /
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 450 team enjoyed another 1-2 finish, with Eli Tomac leading the way to score his first win of the season by sweeping all three main events at last night’s final Triple Crown of the season in St. Louis, Missouri. His teammate Cooper Webb joined him on the podium with a runner-up finish (5-6-2) and was crowned this year’s Triple Crown Champion with his overall score from all three rounds. Looking at the bigger picture, the North Carolina rider’s second-place finish also made gains in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX Championship as he closed the gap to eight points from the leader. Their rookie teammate Justin Cooper joined them in the top 10 with a ninth overall finish (9-10-9) in the tricky conditions at The Dome at America’s Center.
Tomac had a strong start to the day and qualified fourth in the combined times. In the first race of the night, he got a great start in the runner-up spot and claimed the lead after the front-runner went down on Lap 2. The multi-time champion kept cool under pressure and rode to his first victory of the evening. In race two, he got another good start in third and made his way to the runner-up spot by Lap 3. Tomac continued to run a strong pace and crossed the line second, but ultimately was credited with the win after the race leader was assessed with a penalty for jumping the finish line while a red cross flag was waving at the end of the race. In the final main event, Tomac grabbed the holeshot to lead wire-to-wire and secure the overall victory with his third win of the evening. His first win of the season and 52nd premier class supercross victory moved him back up to fourth in the 450SX points standings.
Webb also had a strong start to the day, qualifying third. Unfortunately, he did not get off the gate as he had hoped in the first main event and found himself 11th after the first lap. The North Carolina rider put his head down and fought his way up to a top-five finish. In the second main event, Webb got a much better start in the top five and advanced to third, but unfortunately went down just after the halfway mark and rejoined in eighth. Undeterred, the two-time 450SX Champion fought his way back forward to fifth but, along with other riders, was assessed a penalty for jumping the finish line while a red cross flag was waving and he was credited with sixth. Webb got an even better start in the final race of the evening in third and made the pass for second after the halfway mark. He started to close the gap on his teammate but would cross the line second for another stellar 1-2 finish for the team. It was also a top night for Webb, who earned the overall points lead in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross three-event Triple Crown series and an important points haul in the 450SX Championship. He moved to within eight points of the championship leader with five rounds remaining.
Their rookie teammate Justin Cooper also showed speed early and was second in qualifying. The New Yorker didn’t get off the gate as he had hoped in the first race and also ended up on the ground, but he kept pushing to break the top 10 and cross the line ninth. In the second main event, he got a great start to claim the lead. Cooper led the first lap and was trying to maintain a podium position but was ultimately shuffled to fifth. After the halfway mark, he went down in front of the mechanics’ area, rejoined in 11th, and then made his way back to 10th. With a less-than-ideal-gate pick, Cooper was 11th after the start of race three and would cross the line ninth to end the night ninth overall and remain eighth in the points standings with his eighth top-10 finish.
After the series’ break, the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team returns to action on April 13 for Round 13 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the SuperMotocross World Series at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Jeremy Coker – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 450 Team Manager
“It was an unbelievable night! It was a beautiful scene to see Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing go 1-2, not only in that final race but in the overall. It was unfortunate that Jett (Lawrence) went down, but that’s part of racing. I’m so proud of our team. It was an incredible effort, and we’re looking to keep it rolling.”
Eli Tomac – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #3
“It was an outstanding weekend for us here in St. Louis. We were finally able to get an overall win. I just felt really good the whole day - from qualifying to all three main events. Our starts were on point tonight, the riding was on point, and I was just back to my old self. So I’m just really happy to deliver a win for the team. I was getting in a bit of a slump or a rough patch, or whatever you want to call it. I feel like I’m back now, and I’m excited for the end of this series.”
Cooper Webb – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #2
“It was an insane triple crown today; they always are. The first main event, I just didn't get a good start and made a lot of mistakes. I charged hard, but it wasn’t a great result. In the second one, I put myself in a good spot and then had a fall. I was super frustrated but got back up, made a pass, and got another fifth. We had an incident with the red cross flag, so I don’t know what I actually got. I just knew in the last one that I had to execute a start and honestly just win; that was my goal. I got a great start, rode behind Chase (Sexton) for a while, and was able to get around him. I was catching Eli in the end, but it was just a solid second place. Obviously, it was a huge night for the points, and for the team to go 1-2 is really special. It will be great to go into this break and come back swinging.”
Justin Cooper – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #32
“It was an up-and-down day. Qualifying went pretty well, and I felt good on the bike. My starts were kind of hit-and-miss. My speed was good, and I was able to lead a few laps in the second main, but I was on the ground in the first two mains, and that didn’t help things. So yeah, it was just an up-and-down night. We’ll keep working and look to come back after the break.”
2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX St. Louis Results
2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX Championship Standings
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