The 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Champion, Cooper Webb, took a quick break from training to attend the SMX Media Days to talk title defense, mental fortitude and testing the new YZ450F. Webb has been in this situation before, showing up to A1 with the number 1 plate. However, being the defending champion comes with its own set of challenges, and even though Webb is now a three-time champ, he has never successfully defended his title, winning in 2019, 2021, and 2025.
Now for 2026, Yamaha has come out with a whole new bike, making Webb's preparation more difficult. “Obviously, we got the new bike, so just kind of working through that. Like anything, just taking time, you know, waiting on parts, putting them on, trying it, that kind of thing. And yeah, I'm kind of the guy to do it now, right? Obviously, we don't have ET3 here, so kind of for me I've been developing.” Webb continued, “So, yeah, this year with the new bike, though, it's definitely been adding some more work days, some sunup to sundown type days. And like I said, hopefully it pays off.”
The sport of SMX is always evolving with new technology, new bikes. But this forward progress also brings a lot more work for the riders, “There are challenges with new bikes, we saw with Jett [Lawrence] last year. I'm sure we'll see it with maybe Eli [Tomac] and Chase [Sexton] getting on new platforms. And like I said, even for myself, it's hard when it's part of the sport. But like I said, I didn't touch my bike for two years and we won a lot of races and I felt great. And you kind of start over when you get a new platform. So, some of the old stuff works, some of it doesn't, and it just takes time to literally run through it… I feel like my experience, as always, is going to lean on me in a positive way. And like I said, we're still a month out and have time to get where I think we need to be. Right this second, we're definitely not there. But like I said, I've been in this position before and try not to stress the small stuff.”
Not sweating the small stuff is Webb's specialty. Year after year when everyone else shows up to A1 swinging, ready to make their mark, Webb prefers a slow build. In nine 450 supercross openers, Webb has only started the season off on the podium three times. Instead, Webb focuses on being up to form when the season heads east. This seems to work for Webb as year after year, he peaks when everyone else is stagnant in a mid-season slump.
“I think as we talk about like, that's where I try and I do feel like I excel, or my bad races are usually never that bad. So, every championship season is different. I mean, you're going to have guys that start hot, you're going to have guys that start cold. And as we know, and I think I've made a career out of that as being in it over 17 [races] is the big thing, right. And you want to chase wins. You want to chase podiums, you want to do all that. But for me, it's the long haul. Staying healthy, staying consistent, being there at the end when you actually have the chance to wrap it up or be in that fight. And like I said, every year but one, the last six or seven I've been in that position. So yeah, I look forward to those kind of long, dog fights. And the goal's obviously start strong. I've never won Anaheim, so that'd be something that one of these days I'd love to do.”
The mental fortitude it takes to never count himself out, even when things are going poorly, is why Webb is a three-time champ. “I mean, I definitely am one that I think I can turn the corner pretty fast in the sense of like, if I don't qualify well or if I have a bad heat or even maybe sometimes halfway through the main, if I'm not riding good, I'm able to adjust. But I think just through trial and tribulation, right, you have a lot of great years, but then you learn a lot in your bad years in my opinion, or being injured and just the trials, like you said, with this sport. So yeah, I think for me it's just something that comes with maybe racecraft or just my mentality of like, ‘I'm never out of it.’ And I truly believe that until the checkered flag is waved that it's never over. And yeah, I've been able to make a career out of having that mentality.”
But what about the mentality of teaching an old dog new tricks? This is one of the reasons Webb likes training with the young 250 riders at Star. “I mean, it's hard. I'm kind of stuck in my ways to a degree, right? The body don't move like it used to, but we still work on that. I mean, that's something that's obviously very implemented at Star is, we train, we do our motos, but then we're really working on technique, and we see the future of that, right? I ride with Cole Davies every day and I think he's one of the most technically sound riders there is. And so we're always improving there. And obviously still continuing, for me, the whoops, I think, is an area where we continue to strive to be better. And yeah, you still learn as you go, even at 30 and winning three. There's always ways to be better.”
So, there you have it, even if it takes a few races for Webb and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing to get the new bike working properly, don’t sweat it, because you know he won’t be. If history has anything to say about the future, which it usually does, then Cooper Webb will be fighting for the 2026 Supercross Championship at the closing rounds, just like he always does.
