05.03.2022
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Leading 15 of the 18 Main Event laps in Daytona, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cooper Webb had a stand-out performance in the roughest of conditions to claim a strong second-place at Round 9 of the AMA Supercross Championship. Narrowly missing his first win of the season, the defending 450SX Champion extended his podium streak to three-in-a-row as he continues to make a mid-season charge in 2022.
Feeling confident aboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION right away, Webb shot off the line in 450SX Heat 1 to secure the holeshot and early lead. Challenged multiple times by the second-place rider, Webb was able to maintain a strong pace to secure his second heat-race win of the year.
With a great gate pick for the Main Event, Webb made it two-for-two on holeshots as he powered his way to the front once again. He controlled most of the race out front until late in the race, when lapped traffic started to become a factor. With only a few laps to go, Webb was joined by a hard-charging Eli Tomac and the two riders entered into a fierce battle for the lead. With Webb paving the way, he got caught up in the path of a lapped rider, which allowed Tomac to inch by for the lead and despite a hard-fought effort, Webb finished a close second.
Cooper Webb: “Man, I was so close to getting the win, I could taste it. I rode great the whole time and I felt like I rode strong, I knew Eli was coming because he’s so good here. I should have maybe anticipated a little bit better but it’s definitely a bummer when a race is decided - or goes that close – and a lapper gets involved but it’s racing. Overall, I’m happy but it sucks. I knew how hard I needed to push to go the distance but it happens, I guess. We’ll come back next week and try to get that first win of the season.”
Matching his best qualifying finish of the season in third, Marvin Musquin had a positive start to the day aboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. In 450SX Heat 2, he grabbed a solid top-three spot off the line and he battled up front for the first half of the race. He settled into fifth halfway through and brought it in for a top-five transfer into the Main Event.
In the main, Musquin got off to a seventh-place start and he battled just outside the top-five for the entire 18-lap race. Matching a pace similar to the front-runners late in the race, Musquin put forth a strong effort all the way to the finish, landing just outside the top-five with a sixth-place result in Daytona.
Marvin Musquin: “The feeling was good on the bike today, so thanks to the team for that! I qualified third, so that was amazing, but the heat race wasn’t that great. I really wanted to put it all together and do a consistent Main Event. I passed Roczen at some point and tried to chase down Ferrandis and Barcia – I wasn’t too far behind them but I couldn’t get quite make it happen. My speed was decent, the same as the top guys in front, so I’m going to keep working hard and trying to be better every weekend.”
Team rider Aaron Plessinger successfully underwent arm surgery last week and as a result, he will likely miss the remainder of the 2022 AMA Supercross Championship.
Additionally, teammate Max Vohland was also sidelined in Daytona as he continues to recover from injuries sustained at the opening round of the 250SX Eastern Series in Minneapolis.
Next Race: March 10 – Detroit, Michigan
Results 450SX Class – Daytona SX
1. Eli Tomac (USA), Yamaha, 18 laps
2. Cooper Webb (USA), KTM, +05.273
3. Chase Sexton (USA), Honda, +10.293
OTHER KTM
6. Marvin Musquin (FRA), KTM, +21.966
14. Shane McElrath (USA), KTM
Results 250SX Class – Daytona SX
1. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 14 laps
2. Stilez Robertson (USA), Husqvarna, +14.005
3. Cameron Mcadoo (USA), Kawasaki, +18.657
OTHER KTM
13. Henry Miller (USA), KTM
21. Jack Chambers (USA), KTM
Standings 450SX Class 2022 after 9 of 17 rounds
1. Eli Tomac, 203 points
2. Jason Anderson, 186
3. Cooper Webb, 170
OTHER KTM
7. Marvin Musquin, 145
11. Aaron Plessinger, 97
12. Shane McElrath, 85
16. Max Anstie, 55
21. Joey Savatgy, 27
Standings 250SX East Class 2022 after 3 of 9 rounds
1. Jett Lawrence, 73 points
2. Cameron Mcadoo, 68
3. Stilez Robertson, 52
OTHER KTM
14. Henry Miller, 25
29. Jack Chambers, 2
30. Max Vohland, 1