“It’s been hell, to be honest, to start the year,” said Cooper Webb post race. “But that’s part of the sport, you do everything right and you get your teeth kicked in sometimes.”
This start to Webb’s Monster Energy AMA Supercross title defense has been a head scratcher. We can’t point to one major crash, injury or bike failure that has resulted in a 24-point hole and no top fives in three rounds. Coop has been riding okay, but circumstances have led to sub-par finishes in each race, and thus after just three rounds he’s sixth in the standings and 24 points out of the series lead. If you heard Webb was down 24 points after three races, you’d think there was a DNF due to equipment or injury or illness mixed in there. Nope. This has just been…tough.
At Anaheim 1 and San Diego, Webb crashed in both heats and both mains. The main event crashes were circumstancial, as at Anaheim 1 he tried to make a block pass on Hunter Lawrence at round one and ended up getting tangled and crashing. In his words, he got “taken out” by Chase Sexton at round two. His main event starts, also, have been tough due to the heat race crashes and bad gate picks. After two races, there was enough frustration for the team to send Webb back home to Florida instead of staying in California for the week, as was scheduled.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing Team Manager Rich Simmons says that was not a panic move by the team, but a margin call on performance. Justin Cooper has been struggling with starts, so they wanted him to come back to Florida to test. It only makes sense to have the 450 teammates ride together, so Webb was sent back to Florida also. The team has a replica A2 track, also, and while Webb isn’t one who chases bike settings, the team could at least try a few things at home.
More importantly, Webb just knew he had to come into A2 firing, and he looked feistier in qualifying and his heat, although series leader Eli Tomac did out duel him for a heat win. At least, this time, Webb had a decent gate pick in the main, but looking back after the race, he wasn’t happy with his decision to line up next to Jorge Prado and Hunter Lawrence, who are probably the two best riders out of the blocks this year. They both jumped out ahead of Webb, Lawrence then cut off Prado, and Prado then cut off Webb.
Still, he looked feistier in this main than the first two, as mentioned. He was doing trademark Webb stuff late by sneaking up on the podium, pressing Tomac for third.
“I was happy with tonight, I was riding well and it’s rare when I feel like number three [Tomac], I’m right there with him, and if anything he’s holding me back a little bit. I can’t be too mad at myself, I was trying to line up a pass in the sand and went down. It’s bittersweet but in this sport nothing is over until it’s over. We’ll keep training and working hard, I feel like I made a big stride tonight and I think I was one of the better guys. With Prado off the start, and Hunter, that’s just a thing we’re going to have to deal with I guess when we’re next to Prado. I’m pissed, I’m bummed on the results, but it’s not from lack of effort. The heart is there. Get on the same pony that kicks you off and ride it out.”
![“I was happy with tonight, I was riding well and it’s rare when I feel like number three [Tomac], I’m right there with him, and if anything he’s holding me back a little bit.](http://rxi.iscdn.net/2026/01/321672_webbalignmediasx26anaheim2039.jpg)
It’s coulda, shoulda, woulda for Webb at this stage. He led Anaheim 1 early until a red flag restart. He got knocked down by Sexton at round two, cut off by Prado and Lawrence at round three, and then fell trying to get Tomac. Small signs he’s still the old Webb, but mixed with the type of bad-luck racing stuff that rarely happens to him.
“I felt really good all day and had a good heat race finally,” Webb said. “Then in the main event, I collided with Hunter (Lawrence) and (Jorge) Prado off the start, which was a bummer. I was pretty buried, but made some passes and got closer to the front. I had a gap to the leaders and was able to catch up to them.
“I felt like it was time to try to get around Eli and potentially go for Hunter,” Webb said. “The next thing you know, I'm flying over the berms. It was a bummer to crash like that when I felt like I had a podium or, at least, the speed to potentially win tonight, but I can’t be too mad at myself. In this sport, nothing’s over until it’s over. We’ll be back next week, that’s for sure. We’ll be hungry to come out to H-town and turn it around.”
In his post-race TV interview, Webb said this race may or may not have been the nail in the coffin as far as defending his title. He later clarified that at the time, he thought he might have been down 30-some points in the standings. Down 24, he feels it’s a big gap, but not impossible. If there’s any silver lining, it’s that the same deep, healthy field that is stealing points from him now can help him get them back quickly. Webb netting a win while the group ahead in the standings—Tomac, Lawrence, Sexton, Roczen, and Anderson, who he is currently tied with—take points away from each other can very quickly erase a large deficit.
“Overall, both guys were more consistent,” said Simmons of his Yamaha 450 riders. “Qualifying was better, the heat races were better, and Coop was racing with the lead group. The speed was there. Unfortunately, the mistake in the sand cost him a podium. Justin got stuck in that pace in the main event, but we know what we need to work on. It was a better night.”
Still, the margin of error is low now. Webb needs wins earlier and more often than usual, to take advantage of a field that can still mix it up behind him. Can this weekend’s Triple Crown provide the format needed to rescue the season?
