Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac bounced back from a tough round in Detroit to finish fourth last night at Round 6 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 450SX Championship at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Cooper Webb salvaged points with a seventh-place finish, and Justin Cooper was 11th on a track that was difficult to make passes on.
Tomac had a strong start to the day, qualifying third and finishing third in his heat. Although he didn’t get the start he was looking for in the main event in eighth, he quickly made his way to fifth and advanced to third on Lap 3. Tomac rode a smart race and maintained the position, but ultimately was passed with around five laps remaining and rode on to finish fourth. It was a good rebound from a tough weekend at the previous round in Detroit and forward momentum heading into the break. In the hotly contested 450SX title chase, he sits seventh in the point standings and 17 points from the leader.
Webb had a solid start to the day in the hard-packed conditions and qualified fifth. Although the North Carolina rider was unable to find his comfort zone, he finished fifth in his heat and got a solid start in sixth in the main event. Webb quickly advanced to fifth and was fighting to advance his position but was ultimately shuffled back to eighth. He kept pushing and fought his way back to seventh on a track that was difficult to make passes on, salvaging points on a challenging night. Webb heads into the break, trailing the leader by 10 points and fourth in the championship standings.
Their rookie teammate Cooper also worked on finding his comfort zone at State Farm Stadium and qualified 12th. In the night show, the hard-packed conditions continued to present challenges, and he finished sixth in his heat race. Despite a less-than-ideal gate pick, Cooper got a flying start in the main event to the front of the field but was pushed wide in the first turn and shuffled back to 10th on the first lap. He tried to make his way forward but continued to struggle to find his comfort zone and crossed the line 11th.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team looks forward to returning after the break as racing resumes at AT&T Stadium on February 24 for the second Triple Crown of the season, Round 7 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the SuperMotocross World Series.
Jeremy Coker – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 450 Team Manager
“Today was a good day. All of our riders were happy through practice and qualifying. Unfortunately, the track was not a great race track and was follow-the-leader. So, without great starts in the heat races, none of the guys were in a good position for a good gate pick in the main. We are going to work hard on starts during this break and be ready for Arlington.”
Eli Tomac – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #3
“This weekend was an improvement over last weekend. I felt pretty solid in the main event. I was a little bit behind at the start, and for the majority of the race, I was running in third. Then Jett (Lawrence) ended up getting me at the end of the race, but it was an improvement from the weekend before. With the weekend off, I think we’re going to the team test track to try and work on a few things and improve some things. I’ll have two weeks to better myself, too. So I’m looking forward to this weekend off to improve for the next race.”
Cooper Webb – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #2
“No excuses. I just struggled all night in Glendale to find comfort and the pace to run up front. Overall, we’re still in a really good spot heading into the break. I am looking forward to one of my favorite stops up next in Arlington.”
Justin Cooper – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #32
“It was a struggle all day for me, really. I’m not really comfortable with the hard-packed conditions, and it kind of got the better of me tonight. I was able to have a solid night, though. I got a really good start in the main event. I just got pushed wide and literally went from first to 10th and finished 11th. I was just trailing those guys and couldn’t make up any time. Overall, it was a quiet night, and I was really uncomfortable all day, so I’m glad to get out of here safe.”
