VOLUME 58 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 14, 2021 P85
(Left) If there was a new
word that emerged from
this year's Monster Energy
Supercross Championship,
it would be "racecraft." You
can credit Cooper Webb for
that because there is none
better when it comes to
racecraft than Webb. (Right)
Webb might not be the most
flamboyant or flashy rider
on the circuit but he has the
respect of his fans.
Webb has the mental toughness to win championships, no one can get into his head.
championship.' I don't think it re-
ally hit me until honestly probably
two or three rounds to go. Like,
you're in a position to win a cham-
pionship. I think being a cham-
pion in the past, even though it's
at a lower level, I knew how to,
kind of, race in those situations
and handle that pressure. Obvi-
ously, there's a lot more pressure
in the 450 class. I think just from
the past experience, it definitely
helped carry me along."
After winning his first Super-
cross 450SX title in 2019, Webb
suffered a spectacular crash in
Arlington during the 2020 season
resulting in multiple herniated
discs in his back, an injury that
lingered for the remainder of the
year and forced him to sit out the
outdoor season.
"Sitting out the entire outdoor
season and being on the couch
and not sure where we'd be, it
wasn't a very good spot to be in,"
said Webb. "I didn't start back
riding last year until late in the
fall, so I came into 2021 a little
underprepared. But it's a long
season in the 450 class and it all
worked out. It's all about being
there every single weekend."
Webb appeared to be healthy
going into the 2021 Supercross
season but got off to a slow start
to the series with a ninth-place
finish at the opener in Anaheim.
And when Webb's main title rival
Ken Roczen ripped off three wins
in a row in Indianapolis at rounds
four through six to take a com-
manding lead, things began to
look challenging as Webb found
himself 18 points down from
"
Sometimes you need to be aggressive. Sometimes you can play
it smart. You never want to be dumb and be dirty, but sometimes
you do have to get a little physical and do a good block pass.
"
