Webb Scores Emphatic Victory to Heat Up Supercross Title Chase
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb takes a wire-to-wire victory at Foxborough Supercross to tie for the lead in the hotly contested 450SX Championship / Apr 15, 2024 /
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb scored an emphatic victory at Gillette Stadium, leading from start to finish to secure his fourth win of the season and leave Foxborough, Massachusetts, tied at the top of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX Championship. Eli Tomac fought his way back from a less-than-ideal start and an early race tip-over to finish sixth. Justin Cooper also overcame adversity, rebounding after a big get-off in his heat race to finish eighth at Round 13 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.
Mother Nature made for another round of tricky conditions, as it rained leading up to the event and on and off during the day. Despite those challenges, Webb showed strength from the start, taking fastest qualifier honors in the 450 class, and then grabbed the holeshot in his heat race. The North Carolina rider was running a strong race up front but ultimately was passed by his championship rival in the final laps and finished second. In the main event, he claimed his second holeshot of the evening and put in a strong pace up front to lead every lap and claim his fourth victory of the season. Webb’s stellar outing at Gillette Stadium also made valuable gains in the title chase, moving him to a tie at the top of the 450SX Championship and putting a red plate on his YZ450F.
Tomac also hit the ground running and qualified right behind his teammate in the runner-up spot. The Colorado rider then grabbed the holeshot in the first 450 heat race and set a blistering pace to lead wire-to-wire and head into the main event with the number-one gate pick. He did not get off the gate as he had hoped and found himself eighth after the first lap, and then unfortunately had a tip-over in the tricky conditions and rejoined in 11th. Undeterred, he put his head down and charged his way to fifth before the halfway point but was shuffled to sixth a lap later, where he would finish. Tomac sits fourth in the championship standings, trailing by 30 points.
Their rookie teammate Cooper also had a strong start to the day, qualifying fourth. He then got a great start behind Tomac in the first heat race and was running a strong second before, unfortunately having a big get-off around the halfway mark. The New Yorker had to go to the LCQ, where he fought his way back from fourth to second. Despite a less-than-ideal gate pick, Cooper had a solid start in the top 10 and made his way to eighth for his 10th top-10 finish this season.
Next weekend, the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team heads to Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, for Round 14 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the SuperMotocross World Series on April 20.
Jeremy Coker – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 450 Team Manager
“It was an amazing night. Cooper rode a heck of a race from start to finish. He managed that race really well. Unfortunately, Eli had a little tip-over, but he rode really well and did a good job keeping the pressure on some other riders. Justin was riding well. Unfortunately, he had a big get-off in the heat race, but he didn’t give up and got another top-10 finish. To go into Nashville with the red plate is pretty awesome, and I think we are in a good spot. We’ll go back to Florida, go to work, and keep fighting.”
Cooper Webb – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #2
“Foxborough was amazing! We were able to get a pole position, my second one of the year, which was awesome. I had a great heat race, and the main event was awesome. I was able to pull the holeshot and lead every lap. I made one big mistake that cost me a little bit of the lead that I had and made it a closer finish than I liked. But yeah, it was an unbelievable night to get another win and to be tied for the points lead; it’s an amazing feeling. We’re going to give it all we can in these last four.”
Eli Tomac – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #3
“It was a tough main event with an average start and a tip-over that put me back early in the race. We'll do our best to be mistake-free next week.”
Justin Cooper – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #32
“I felt really good all day. Then I had a big crash in the heat race that kind of hindered me the rest of the night, but I’m just thankful to walk away bruised and battered and nothing more. It felt like it was shaping up to be a good night for me, but that changed quickly!”
2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX Foxborough Results
2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX Championship Standings
