Yamaha officially announced today that Alex Ray will fill in for the injured Cooper Webb on the Monster Energy Factory Yamaha team. Ray, who was on a supercross-only deal with CycleTrader.com/Rock River Yamaha, will spend the next two weeks testing with the team before making his debut at round two at Glen Helen. He will continue riding with the team through High Point, at which time it will be a week-by-week assessment until Webb makes his return.
"It's a dream come true to even be considered to ride for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team,” Ray said in a statement. “I believe that with this great team and amazing bike, I can really do some damage and have solid results in the Pro Motocross Championship. I’ve got some testing to do with the bike before lining up, but I'm confident that we will be super comfortable leading into Glen Helen.”
Webb is on the mend after fracturing his tibia and fibula in Minneapolis earlier this year. He underwent surgery to have a plate and screws put in.
“At first the injury didn’t seem like a big deal, but after flying to California and visiting Dr. Wong, he recommended I get surgery to speed up the healing process,” Webb said in a statement. “He put a plate and some screws with one longer screw holding my tib/fib together at the top of my ankle. I get that longer screw pulled out this week and the healing is going great! I’m much further ahead of schedule than originally planned. I should be able to start riding lightly, corner tracks with no jumping, the following week. As far as a return date to racing, we are still undecided. We will take it week-by-week to make sure I come back 100 percent. I want to make sure I can put my Yamaha up front where it belongs, instead of coming back early and unprepared. Thank you to my team, sponsors and fans for sticking behind me. I’ll see you guys soon!”
