“There have been races where I’ve ridden better than I ever have and finished fourth,” said Cooper Webb about the high level of competition this season in Monster Energy AMA Supercross.
Coop's not wrong. Last year after 13 rounds Eli Tomac led the standings with 292 points. This year after 13 rounds, Cooper Webb and Jett Lawrence are tied with 261 points!
So many swings this year. A lot of it comes down to a healthy and ready group of riders all stealing points from each other every week. It magnifies every bad start, every small mistake. That's what led us to a tie at the top of the 450 standings. Let’s give you some examples for The List.
Anaheim 1
Webb Crashes:
Cooper Webb showed up a completely different man at Anaheim 1 compared to his Yamaha return toward the end of 2023. SMX and Paris Supercross? It wasn’t there. Anaheim 1. It was! Cooper was faster than usual in qualifying and then put it together in his heat race to beat Jett Lawrence. In the main, he and Jason Anderson kept Jett close toward the final laps, but Webb, when he usually does his best work, uncharacteristically went over the bars and crashed back to sixth. That would have been a podium night, for certain.
San Francisco
Webb Struggles in Mud:
Well, double trouble here. Webb took 11th after a bunch of mistakes in a mud race.
Lawrence Struggles in Mud:
Not much better here. Lawrence was ninth!
San Diego
Lawrence Back in the Mud Again:
Lawrence started about last in a race where you don’t want to start last—in the mud—and had his work cut out for him. He managed to fight back to fourth. By the way, the day before Lawrence cased a jump horribly on press day and was lucky to escape without a major wrist injury. Season could have been done right there.
Anaheim 2
Lawrence Crashes:
More frustration for Jett after a crash on the first lap of race 1 of the Triple Crown, and then a crash on the final lap of race 3, which bumped him from a podium overall back to sixth.
Detroit
Webb’s Bad Start:
Cooper looked super fast in qualifying and then led his heat race early, but he tipped over while leading, which led to a bad finish and bad gate pick. Thus came a bad start in the main, and a fourth on a night when he had podium speed.
Glendale
Webb Doesn’t Desert:
Cooper is never good at Glendale, full stop. He finished seventh.
Arlington
Lawrence Crashes While Leading:
Big points swing between the two title combatants, as Lawrence crashes while leading, handing the lead to Webb. Lawrence tried to come back on the final lap but crashed into a lapped rider while trying to get inside of Webb. This dropped him to fourth.
Indianapolis
Webb Gets Hit:
In a Triple Crown, Webb got hit by lapped rider Cade Clason and ended up off the track and then down on the ground. He would end the night in fifth place.
Seattle
Lawrence Bumps Webb:
Jett had unreal speed as he closed in on Webb and Chase Sexton here, but he ran into the back of Webb in the sand and crashed. Later, he got held up by a lapper. He had to settled for third while Webb rallied for a win.
St. Louis
Everything Happens to Lawrence:
What didn’t happen? Lawrence had a win in the second race taken away from him due to a red cross violation (Webb was also penalized) but the big hit, literally and figuratively, came via Justin Barcia. Lawrence, for a moment, appeared to be headed into the third race tied for the overall lead. He ended the night eighth, while Webb, who was off for most of the night, ended up second.
Foxborough
Lawrence Bad Start:
Simple as that. Lawrence started in the back and could only get back to fifth, while Webb took the victory.
