The Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship returned to Texas and Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb kicked off the Arlington triple-header inside AT&T Stadium with a dominant 450SX Class victory that pushed him from second to the lead in championship points. Opening round winner Troy Lee Designs / Red Bull / GASGAS Factory Racing’s Justin Barcia earned second at the tenth Round of the season with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jason Anderson battling aggressively through the pack to grab a podium finish in third. In the third Round of Western Regional 250SX Class racing, a third different winner was crowned. This time it was Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s rookie Seth Hammaker who led wire to wire to the screams of the limited-attendance, pod-seated Texas crowd.

Cooper Webb left Texas with a win at Round Three and returned to the state to win at Round 10 without any bona fide challenges from the other racers. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Dean Wilson grabbed the holeshot but Webb pushed his way past immediately and was never challenged. Justin Barcia started outside the top three but within five minutes of the 20-minute plus one lap Main Event had worked into second place. Barcia shaved a bit of time off the three second deficit to Webb over the next five minutes, but as the race clock ticked to 10 minutes Webb began to stretch his lead back out.

Cooper has won three of the last 4 main events to take control of 450 championship. Photo Credit: Feld Entertainment, Inc.

On a track that proved difficult to gain time or make a pass, Jason Anderson was the rider on the move. After one lap he sat eighth, but on the sixteenth of what turned out to be a 28-lap Main Event, Anderson pushed past Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton and held the final podium spot to the checkers. Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen, the points leader going into the race, was the victim of a bad starting gate pick after a heat race crash. A bad launch put Roczen in eleventh after one lap; he managed his way slowly through the pack to earn a sixth-place finish, which dropped him to second in the points. The 2020 defending champion and the winner of the previous round, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac, had a night that paralleled Roczen’s but a few positions back. The No. 1 plate rider sat sixteenth on lap one and passed eight riders to finish eighth at the first of three Arlington events.

The Western Regional 250SX Class served another surprising race as rookie Seth Hammaker launched off the line, grabbed the holeshot, and lead every moment of his career-first victory ride. It wasn’t easy, as Hammaker’s Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki teammate Jordon Smith applied the pressure from the start until a bobble that sent him temporarily off the track dropped him back to third. Meanwhile, series leader Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Cameron McAdoo and Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha’s Justin Cooper were back in the pack in eighth and ninth place respectively.

Three Rounds in, the Western Regional 250SX Class has produced three different winners. Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker is the second first time winner in the class in 2021. Photo Credit: Feld Entertainment, Inc.

McAdoo and Cooper clawed their way forward, but progress through the pack was slow. As Hammaker was composed in the lead, Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence was just out of reach in second. Just over four minutes into the 15-minute plus one lap race McAdoo had reached the rear wheel of teammate Smith when Smith lost traction on a small jump and landed hard, putting him out of the battle. Things stabilized until the final lap and a half when Cooper reached and then charged past McAdoo. McAdoo countered a corner later and darted back into third. On the second to last corner Cooper made a final pass attempt, slid out, and low-sided trying to cut under McAdoo.

The series races twice more inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, with Round 11 dropping the gate on Tuesday night and Round 12 returning next Saturday. For the full schedule, live streaming times on Peacock and airtimes on NBCSN, and tickets sales please visit SupercrossLIVE.com.

450SX Class podium (riders left to right) Justin Barcia, Cooper Webb, and Jason Anderson. Photo Credit: Feld Entertainment, Inc.

450SX Class Results
1. Cooper Webb, Newport N.C., KTM
2. Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS
3. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Husqvarna
4. Chase Sexton, Clermont, Fla., Honda
5. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha
6. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Honda
7. Joey Savatgy, Clermont, Fla., KTM
8. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki
9. Dean Wilson, Murrieta, Calif., Husqvarna
10. Martin Davalos, Tallahassee, Fla., KTM

 

450SX Class Championship Standings
1. Cooper Webb, Newport N.C., KTM (223)
2. Ken Roczen, Clermont, Fla., Honda (216)
3. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki (190)
4. Justin Barcia, Greenville, Fla., GASGAS (176)
5. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (152)
6. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Yamaha (152)
7. Jason Anderson, Rio Rancho, N.Mex., Husqvarna (137)
8. Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM (135)
9. Zach Osborne, Clermont, Fla., Husqvarna (123)
10. Dylan Ferrandis, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Yamaha (122)

250SX Class podium (riders left to right) Hunter Lawrence, Seth Hammaker, and Cameron McAdoo. Photo Credit: Feld Entertainment, Inc.

Western Regional 250SX Class Results
1. Seth Hammaker, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki
2. Hunter Lawrence, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Honda
3. Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Kawasaki
4. Justin Cooper, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha
5. Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Yamaha
6. Jalek Swoll, Belleview, Fla., Husqvarna
7. Stilez Robertson, Murrieta, Calif., Husqvarna
8. Mitchell Harrison, Murrieta, Calif., Honda
9. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., GASGAS
10. Nate Thrasher, Livingston, Tenn., Yamaha

 

Western Regional 250SX Class Championship Standings
1. Cameron McAdoo, Sioux City, Iowa, Kawasaki (70)
2. Justin Cooper, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha (64)
3. Hunter Lawrence, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Honda (58)
4. Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Yamaha (57)
5. Seth Hammaker, Temecula, Calif., Kawasaki (55)
6. Jalek Swoll, Belleview, Fla., Husqvarna (51)
7. Stilez Robertson, Murrieta, Calif., Husqvarna (44)
8. Chris Blose, Phoenix, Ariz., GASGAS (37)
9. Coty Schock, Dover, Del., Honda (37)
10. Nate Thrasher, Livingston, Tenn., Yamaha (28)

Author

Dan Lamb is a 12+ year journalist and the owner of MotoXAddicts.