Cooper Webb | Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha | 2-5 for third overall
Racer X: Had it, looking good, and then… first of all, are you all right?
Cooper Webb: Yeah, I’m all right. Just a little sore.
It was a good one.
It was actually a big one. I watched it on the big screen afterwards and I am lucky, but it’s just a bummer.
Was it the same line you were taking the whole time and just a jump on and jump off and it kind of caught you?
Yeah, I was trying to carry my wheel over… basically lifting on the third instead of the fourth and I just barely missed. I just got cross-rutted trying it. I really don’t even know what happened. I just know that it sent me on an endo. I hit the table and I tried to muscle it but just kind of rode the front wheel off the tabletop. It was a pretty good get-off. It was just a weird crash because I’d been hitting that same line.
Two laps after you Weston did almost the exact same thing, it was gnarly. Was the track maybe breaking down a little bit? Mookie crashed, you crashed, James [Stewart], we know maybe wasn’t a track reason, but he crashed and was out for the weekend. Was it just a little bit of got soft, got tough, got tight?
That dragon back definitely got soft and just weird. You would hit it one lap and it’d be firm and the next lap you’re making an indention in the dirt. So it’s definitely a little weird. I don’t really know what exactly went wrong. But the track’s tough. It’s tight and it gets rutty and it’s soft and it’s technical. You’ve got to be on your toes.
For you, USGP, Motocross des Nations, Japan, Genoa, this thing. You got to be looking forward to just a break right now.
Yes and no. Unfortunately every time I lose it gets me motivated. Last night I felt like I should have, could have, would have, and then even tonight. Definitely some more motivation, but I like racing and as long as I’m having fun racing it’s fine. I would love a break but… originally we were supposed to take a break to do East Coast but with injuries it looks like I might be doing West. So we’ll see.
Last night’s race with Weston it was really cool for us, it was exciting. Are you okay with everything that went down that way?
It was good. It’s one of those races where you don’t want to take somebody out over a European trophy. It was good racing. It was fun. Obviously I was bummed that I got second but it was still fun racing. It’s good to take into the States.
You and Romain Febvre, both of you are just sick of each other I guess?
It’s funny, the more and more we race each other the more and more we kind of got to know each other. I’ve always respected him and I think he always respected me. But when we were battling, it seems like ever since my American series ended he’s been in every race, except Genoa. It’s been good though. But it’s funny because I think we’re a lot of the same person. We don’t give up and we don’t like losing. It’s hard when both of the guys want the same thing.
And you being as young as you are and him too, you’re probably going to see each other for the next ten, fifteen years so get ready, right?
Exactly.
Malcolm Stewart | GEICO Honda | 12-11 for tenth overall
Racer X: I don’t know if anybody’s gone as fast as you over two nights and gotten zero results. Crash tonight, crash last night. Kind of a bummer weekend I guess, but in the end you’re healthy and your speed is there so I guess that’s it, right?
Malcolm Stewart: Definitely the speed’s there. I had a black cat going on, me and James. As weird as it was, I actually kind of had more fun this year than I did last year, even though I crashed my brains out. I think it was just the fact that I knew I was fast. Last year I was doubting myself and stuff like that. The only positive things I can take from here is I knew I was faster than everybody else here and little things like that. The heat race went good. Obviously me and [Dylan] Ferrandis had a good battle. In the main event it was a big pileup. People were jumping on stuff. I think some dude hit the side of the ramp. That guy smoked the ramp. And then Ferrandis went down in the whoops. Somebody else crashed pretty hard. Cooper ended up crashing in front of me. It was just kind of to the point where I was like, all right, just ride. [Then] I went down before you knew it. The section that I went down I was the most cautious in. And it bit me. It was one of those things. I’m not sure if I [hit a] false neutral or not. I’m definitely not going to blame it on my motorcycle, it was clearly my fault. Either I hit false neutral or I hit a really deep rut. They both happened at the exact same time. Before you knew it all I saw was dark and sky. I saw lights and then pitch black. So overall I guess I could take this weekend as I’m healthy and I’m glad that Cooper’s healthy and hopefully he’s okay. He had a pretty nasty one. Hopefully that Ferrandis kid… I don’t like to see anybody get hurt. Ferrandis, I just want to tell him I have no hate towards that guy at all. I didn’t mean to do it. Even if I did, why would I do it on the first lap, in the first corner like that? I’ve been racing a long time,. clearly it was a mistake [I made on] the motorcycle. But overall I know he’s all right, I’m all right. Let’s just get home. Shout out to all the people in Paris for all that. People’s lives and stuff got lost so I hope everybody’s all right and continue on with their lives.
Track deteriorated fast. I think that was a reason why some guys were struggling.
Yeah, track got pretty nasty. It was definitely better tonight than it was last night. I think the track just got beat down a little bit, so everything was a little bit better. I think the track crew kind of paid attention a little bit to stuff. They actually fixed the whoops really good but it just so happens where people were missing one then that last one was really sharp. But the track, it was way better tonight than it was last night. At the end of this day I’m okay and I’m not sure if the team is going to even let me go to Geneva, just because all this.
I was going to ask you: three down, one to go? [Racing in Bulgaria, Bercy and Genova.]
Third time’s a charm. They work in threes, don’t they? The team might pull me out of that one. They might. If they do it’s whatever. It’s the team’s call. But if not, I will for sure go racing. I need the most experience I can get. Clearly I got a lot of experience this weekend. Casing jumps and doing cartwheels. So I got experience on that one!
