Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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2019 AMA/FIM 450SX WORLD SUPERCROSS CHAMPION COOPER WEBB P98 Interview the 450 class hit. Obviously, there are so many reasons why you want to do well. You almost do add an extra bit of weight when you do have such an amazing number that has had amazing results. You take the lowest possible number you can get. Two of arguably the best riders in our sport have raced that number. That does come with, I wouldn't say an expectation, but you definitely have that in the back of your mind. You want to prove that you're worthy of running that number. At the time, a lot of it was to kind of have that little bit of, I wouldn't say pressure, but more of a motivator to stay on it." And that's a big key to success: Recognizing what works for you, and using it. Another big key to Cooper Webb's success is his honesty, and honesty requires confidence. He's honest with himself, and he's honest about himself. It's a surprisingly rare trait in the super- cross paddock, as many (or even most) racers create some level of a narrative or belief-system that relieves them of ultimate responsibility for their own failures. "It was the tires/bike/start/etc. It couldn't be me, obviously..." If they believed they were the problem, a lot of racers would fold. They have a need to believe that they are good enough to win, and if they don't, there must be some outside reason for it. But there's not. On this point, Webb is one of the few racers who, for example, will admit that he's nervous. For example, after winning his first race of the year— the first of three main events at the Anaheim 2 Triple Crown—with a last-lap pass on Honda's Ken Roczen, he immediately felt the pressure to back that up in the second main. "Just to achieve a win, my first-ever win, even though it wasn't a true main event, it was the triple crown main event, it was a confidence-booster in itself," Webb says. The rest of that night, I won the second one, and to start the third one I was definitely nervous. I think I still got third, which was enough for the win. I gained confidence in that first one, then with the second main going out and winning straight up, that was the confidence I had from the first race already showing immediately, in my opinion. It was a huge night and a huge mo- ment for me." But, again, very few racers will admit they were nervous before a race, even though basically all of them are. When asked about why he's so comfort- able admitting he was nervous, he says, matter- of-factly, "I was. I try not to beat around the bush. I think we're all nervous. We're all in situations that create nerves or create pressure. How you deal with it, I think is, in my opinion, half of being a racer. When the pressure is on, how you perform. That's why I race. That's part of being competitive." He likes the challenge. He thrives on it. "I think, for me, as a racer, my favorite part is racing," Webb says. "Challenging yourself and Webb says he thrives off pressure. That's good because he'll be under a lot of it next carrying that number-one plate.