Cooper Webb | Photo credits: KTM Factory Racing
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team rider Cooper Webb secured another victory at the penultimate round of the 2020 450SX Championship on Wednesday. The rider will be heading to the season finale this Sunday with high hopes. It will be the series’ seventh consecutive stop at the Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Pierce Brown also managed to finish just shy of a podium win in fourth place.
After qualifying fifth overall earlier in the day, Webb powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into a top-three start in 450SX Heat 2. He then quickly jumped into the second-place position. He battled hard to ultimately secure second-place in the heat race. In the Main Event, Webb had a great jump off the start as he battled through the first-turn with the front of the pack, settling into third early on.
Five laps in, Webb overtook second and from there he set his sights on catching the leader, Zach Osborne. Webb soon found himself in a close race once again with championship points rival Ken Roczen. The duo continued to battle until series points leader Eli Tomac joined the fight. Webb and Tomac broke away from the rest of the field. With seven laps to go, Webb made the pass to take over the lead. He held off a hard-charging Tomac for the remainder of the 29-lap race to ultimately secure his fourth Main Event victory of the season.
“We were all really close in speed, not a lot separating. I fixed the whoops about halfway. I think that’s what was holding me back and I started hitting them really well. It was a tight race between us four. The whole race it seemed like a lot of pressure between us all because we weren’t making many mistakes. I’m sure it was a fun race for the fans to watch. It was a fun race to win, for sure.”