On Friday before the Seattle Supercross, I spoke with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 450 Team Manager Jeremy Coker. His team, although loaded with a pair of two-time Monster Energy Supercross Champions, was on the ropes. Jett Lawrence was on a three-race win streak and Coker knew what he was dealing with. Beating Jett Lawrence was going to be tough! The plan, from that point on, was to forget trying to become the fastest guys and go on a huge win streak based on pure speed. The plan now was for his guys, Cooper Webb and Eli Tomac, to stay up front as often as possible so they could maximize points. If the kid faltered, at least they would be in position to take advantage.
“No one knows more than us that anything can happen,” said Coker. Just last year, his team pretty much had the title sewn up until Tomac tore his Achilles tendon in the next-to last round.
Coker’s plan has now played out perfectly. In Seattle, Jett was probably faster than at any point all season, but a mis-timed pass attempt on Webb cost him a shot at the win. Then came drama at the next Triple Crown round in St. Louis due to a red cross penalty and then a nearly head-on collision with Justin Barcia. Then Webb showed up faster than ever for Foxborough, but Jett still had answers by outdueling him in their heat race. In the main, though, Jett spun off the start and found himself buried. He could only get fifth. That start changed it all. Webb took full advantage to win again, and just like that Coker’s plan had come to fruition: Webb has gone 1-2-1 while Lawrence has gone 3-8-5 and now his 21-point lead is gone completely.
“This was not the end result we were looking for tonight,” said Jett Lawrence in a Honda HRC statement. “The bike felt great, and my riding felt awesome—I just couldn’t link it with a start. I got a good jump, just slipped on a harder spot about 20 feet out. Unfortunately, in this class it’s game over without a good start. That’s a shame because I felt like I could be up front this weekend. We’ll move on to next weekend.”
Here’s what Webb had to say:
“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.”
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jett Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia  | 351 |
| 2 |  Cooper Webb | Newport, NC  | 336 |
| 3 |  Chase Sexton | La Moille, IL | 307 |
| 4 |  Eli Tomac | Cortez, CO | 282 |
| 5 |  Jason Anderson | Edgewood, NM | 282 |
Lawrence might still be the speed demon of the sport, but Webb and his team have gotten quicker, and they’ve found ways to stay in the fight, keep the pressure on, and take advantage of mistakes.
Now it’s down to four races to see who emerges as champion. Don’t forget that Red Bull KTM’s Chase Sexton is also still in it, down just 15 points. But if you’re housing the experience of Webb, or the speed of Lawrence, there’s still reason to be confident.
“To go into Nashville with the red plate is pretty awesome, and I think we are in a good spot,” said Coker. “We’ll go back to Florida, go to work, and keep fighting.”
“It was definitely an up-and-down night for us as a team,” said Lawrence’s Team Manager Lars Lindstrom. “Jett was great in his heat race, and I’m super confident that he can get the job done through these next four races.”
