Cooper Webb on: Detroit Victory | Transcript

Monster Energy AMA Supercross delivered a fifth winner in six rounds in Detroit – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Cooper Webb took the top spot on the podium for the first time since Foxborough in the April of 2024. An off-season setback left him behind the eight ball at Anaheim 1, then an illness only compounded the difficult landscape that he faced. Nonetheless, he has made significant strides forward in recent weeks.

Webb – second at round six in Tampa – was quick to take second place in Detroit. With six minutes left, Webb stalked Progressive Insurance Ecstar Suzuki's Ken Roczen and began applying pressure. A lapper allowed Webb to close up and he showed a wheel in multiple corners until he made the final pass with a minute left on the clock.

The win was enough cause for celebration, but he also pulled even with Chase Sexton in the 450SX championship standings and will therefore run a red plate in Arlington's AT&T Stadium. Following the triumph, Webb took to the stage to discuss Detroit's main event with the press.

Press Conference: You caught Ken Roczen towards the end of the main event, but making the pass was difficult. There was a lot of back and forth. Take us through the race with Ken.

Cooper Webb: His lines were really good. I could not run it up on the inside he controlled it and was carrying momentum. I had some good spots and he did too. You're kind of playing a waiting game, but then it got late. It was like, "You either get going or you are going to run out of time." I played it the best I could, but it was hard not to make mistakes. If you look at the lap times, we were within a few tenths every lap. It's fun when you have races like that because it's almost like a game of chess.

You had tried setting up the pass in the 'End Zone' switchback section quite a few times. You showed him a wheel lap after lap. How did you know that was the spot to do it?

That three-in started to get difficult, and there was a lap where Kenny had an incident with a lapper. I thought that could be an opportunity, because you would leave the door open to hit the left back onto the straight correctly. That was the fast way around. It was like a road-race section where you need to go out and then in to set everything up. With that being said, you needed to be close enough to make it happen. As Chase [Sexton] said, the track was a good track but there was not much separation when it came to different lines or options. It was about having patience and seeing where you could or couldn't make a pass. I felt comfortable where I was and that I could make up some time when I needed to. That was just the point that I picked out. 

It seems like you have been building into this championship each round. What has been the biggest step forward since Anaheim 1? Is it health, fitness or progress with the bike?

Everything. The health and fitness for sure, but just generally getting better every weekend. I felt like I ended the West Coast swing well, but I love going east. That's where I tend to shine, so I'm excited. We've had some injuries in the series, which is a bummer, but I'm in the championship fight and tied with the red plate. I don't think a lot of people expected this. They expected the other guys to do their thing. It is good to quietly remind everybody.

It seemed that halfway through the race, you guys were switching between jumping or skimming the whoops. Can you speak on which was better or was it situational?

They got tough. They were not that big whoops, but they got very edgy. You would hit them one lap with no problem, and then another, I'd hit the same line and get a kick or swap. You're searching and trying things. I was skimming left and right and picked up skimming on the left really well, but then you are on the left going into a right-hander with little option. It was more searching and ensuring that I didn't make a big mistake that would allow Ken to get around me again.