Cooper Webb on: Rivalries, Cross-Jumping | Transcript

Cooper Webb and the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team are one step closer to securing the 2025 AMA Supercross Championship after a hard-fought second-place finish in Denver. Webb, who entered the penultimate round of the series with a 12-point lead, struggled throughout the day with his corners and health. Landing on the podium was critical for keeping a safe points gap. Still, an aggressive pass by championship rival Chase Sexton and Justin Cooper and Malcolm Stewart's pressure made a top-three arduous. Webb, a two-time 450 Supercross champion, kept his composure and fulfilled his goal.

With a nine-point lead heading into the finals in Salt Lake City, Utah, the championship is not guaranteed, but it does take much of the pressure off of Webb. This season's physical and mental duels have been something for the ages: a weekly collision of warfare between two of the best to ever do it. Cooper Webb discusses his opinion on championship rivalries and Sexton's aggressive pass in the post-race press conference.

Press Conference: Can we get your perspective on the early pass during the race? Did you know he was setting up the pass there, and did you expect a little contact?

Cooper Webb: I could feel him there, for sure. He was coming in and wanted to pass. You never know about contact. It’s for a championship, so it’s always in the back of your mind. He thought I cross-jumped him early, and there was frustration. You have to be mindful of it; it was good for me not to go down. Then he rode away from us, but it was good to lead a few laps.

You said that Chase thought you cross-jumped him. Did you two discuss that, or did you hear him mention it in his post-race interview? How did you know he thought that?

Malcolm (Stewart) got the holeshot, and everyone was going left to get to their line. He went left on me, and I went left, which put us all at risk. It’s unfortunate because I don’t want to do that. I hate getting cross-jumped and think it’s bullshit. So, it was by no means intentional. We were trying to make quick work early, and in that section, I clipped jumps and got cattywampus all day. I think all of us, besides Chase, were struggling with that section. I didn’t mean to do that, and I get his emotions in the moment. Hopefully, he knows I would never do that on purpose.

It appeared you were struggling in the turns in the main. There were a few dabs and bobbles. Did you feel you were struggling in the corners?

Yeah, I was off. Fuck, it was a tough day. I could say a million things, but I’m definitely not feeling great. In general, my corners were not good all day. We need to work on that, for sure. 

In the heat race, I saw you flinch. Was that intentional in trying to mess up (Chase) Sexton? If so, will those tactics continue heading into Utah?

Yeah, I wanted to see if he was counting the gate. He didn’t take the bait. 

Can you take us through the time after Sexton’s pass when Malcolm made up time and put pressure on you? Then, in the last five minutes, Justin (Cooper) was coming in, knowing he’s a good tail gunner but wondering if he’d be able to get Malcolm. With your health today, how were those last 15 minutes?

It was tough. I tried to latch on to Chase, but he was on it today. I felt I rode a great race and think I was consistent. My lap times were good, and I felt I hit the whoops solid all day. As I said, I will look back on a few of the turns. I could feel Justin catch me in some of those areas in the last few laps. Malcolm and I pretty much stayed the same during the whole race. Maybe one lap, he’d get me here or there, but I knew it would be hard to pass. I was imagining Malcolm was probably a little better in the whoops, knowing him, but I felt I could get back away on the rest of the track. On my board, we were pretty much identical on every lap. He trains at Aldon’s (Aldon Baker), and I knew he wouldn’t fade. Those guys are battling for third place in the championship, and a lot of money and podiums are at stake. I was just trying to go as hard as I could for as long as possible. In the end, I was holding on and expecting a fight. I was trying to ride a wide bike for that second place. 

When you got done, the bike started steaming. Was that just you pushing it to the limit?

Probably so. I was riding my clutch more than I had in a while. It’s tough at this altitude, and we have to make a lot of changes to the engine. I had to make adjustments because it isn’t running how it normally does. So, you’re riding it differently, and in this case, I was clutching it more to get more “oomph” out of it. More than likely, that was why.

With one round left, how do you reflect on this season compared to other years you’ve won the championship?

It’s been a lot different, man. It really has. I feel it’s been more of a head-on battle. In ’21, Kenny and I really went at it, but I had a bit of a breather in the last two. I went into the last rounds with something like 20-point leads. It’s nowhere near that this year, and it’s been a dog fight. Every weekend is different, but it’s been good. This is what you live for. I feel I’ve been very consistent, but still riding well. I feel I may be riding the best I ever have, even better than those championship years. In theory, I get better every year, but you don’t really know. We’re all riding at such a high level, and I think that level has truly risen. Back then, there were nights I knew no matter what, I could get third or even second. It’s not like that these days. It’s hard to just get in the top five. As we know, there have been some injuries, but overall, we’re riding at an elite level we’ve never been at before, in my opinion. 

People are trying to create drama between you two with anything that happens on the track, but I feel the mutual respect is there. You both want to win the championship, but is the rivalry what the media is trying to make it?

It’s just a championship rivalry. It’s good to have. We aren’t friends by any means, but there is always a lot of respect. We’ve raced each other for a long time. He’s been a contender since he’s been in the 450 class, and so have I. You have run-ins and heated moments. We both are emotional and want to win. I’m sure one day, when this is all over, we will get along great, but for the time being, it’s business. You shake hands and have respect, but we want to beat each other. There is nobody on this starting line that I don’t respect. It’s such a gnarly sport, and it can change at any point. We’ve all had highs and lows. There should be a rivalry when you get two guys going head-to-head at the highest level. It’s cool. This is racing. It’s not rainbows and butterflies all the time. There should be some emotion.