Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb grabbed the win in a thrilling Detroit Supercross at Ford Field. Webb’s first win of the season put the two-time champion into a point tie for the title just six races into the 17-round Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.
Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen jumped into the lead on the first lap and led the field for most of the 20-minute plus one lap Main Event. He defended several attacks by Webb throughout the race but gave up the top spot in the final minutes. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton got stuck in the starting gate then crashed on the opening lap, but from there he put in blistering laps and passed his way up to a third-place finish. Sexton retains the red plate but now stands in a point tie with Cooper Webb in both the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the SMX World Championship™. In round two of the Eastern Divisional 250SX Class, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen nabbed the win after a late-race re-start tightened up the field
“I really liked where I was by lap three, when I got around Aaron [Plessinger] and was with Kenny. I knew he was riding well today so it was going to be a good pace, and we had some good laps… He felt the pressure and rode well all through the Main Event. I was trying hard, and he picked up on some of my lines. It was a tough Main Event… I’ve been in that position before and it felt great. I’m stoked to get that first win, get the red plate. It just felt awesome.” – Cooper Webb, when asked at what point he felt he had the win.
“It was a really fun race… I kept my cool the whole time even though he was revving behind me. I didn’t let anything faze me. I know the stigma of when we go to battle and him getting me toward the end, but I just tried to do what I could; it’s honest work… I’m happy with a podium, I really am, even though we only got two points closer [to the points lead], I’m doing whatever I can out there and we’re executing our plans that we have coming into the [racing].” – Ken Roczen
“I was dead last, and I was like, ‘Well, time to send it!’ I felt like I rode really well; probably the best ride of the season, but it’s obviously not the result we wanted. But I made the most of a bad situation… I was smashing the whoops and that’s more like it for me. I’m looking forward to keeping this season going; that ride was fun.” – Chase Sexton (#4 in photo above)
The 250SX Class created excitement of its own when a red flag came out late in the race. Levi Kitchen, running seven seconds behind the leader in second place, used incredible sprint speed to take over the lead just two laps before the checkered flag came out. Prior to the re-start, last weekend’s winner, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Max Anstie, grabbed the lead early and pulled out a comfortable gap. After several side-by-side racing moments with Kitchen in the final laps, Anstie eventually settled for second. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire fought into third place, even recovering from a fall. Hampshire tried to capitalize on the staggered-start re-start but wasn’t able to better his spot.
Note: The AMA’s re-start procedure after a red flag was updated prior to the 2024 season. The rule states that if the leader has completed at least three laps, and if there is any time remaining on the race clock, the riders line up in a staggered-position on the start straight. A green flag re-starts the race, and the remaining race duration will be, at minimum, three laps.
“Max rode so good in the beginning of that event… then the red flag came out and I was like, ‘It’s time to reset and I can capitalize on this.’ I took a few deep breaths and just treated it like I was doing a two-lap sprint at Sandbox [Training Facility]. I sent it, made a pretty aggressive pass, and was able to get that [triple jump] out of the turn and got a little gap. We’ll take that. I had to bounce back after last weekend… [After the re-start] I knew it was [going to be] green flag, white flag, checkers, so I tried to plan to get a pass and get some room, and that’s what I did.” – Levi Kitchen
“That red flag threw a bit of a spanner into the plan there. I was in a tough spot, because I knew Levi was fast, and the track was quite open. There were a lot of places to send it down the inside, and I would have done the same thing… I had it in the bag. I was literally cruising around the last two laps, and then the red flag [came out]. It is what it is. Big picture: I’m solid, I feel really good, I’m fast, I’m comfy where I’m at so, yeah, what a bummer.” – Max Anstie
“We needed a podium so bad after last weekend. There was no one that pulled a worse card than me last weekend [getting the bike stuck on a track marker]… We came up with a pretty good setting for that Main Event and that’s the best I felt all day. We’ll take it. If you noticed, on the re-start I was hanging back a little bit. I didn’t want to throw it away for no reason.” – RJ Hampshire
Bidding has opened for two golf-foursome spots in the 2nd Annual Love Moto Stop Cancer Golf Tournament. Winners will golf with Supercross racers, legends, and industry professionals then receive a VIP treatment experience at the Supercross season Final in Salt Lake City, Utah on May 10th. For information, to bid, and to learn more about St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, please go to SupercrossLIVE.com/st-jude.
Nothing beats attending a Monster Energy AMA Supercross in person, but live viewing is also available everywhere across the globe. Each event streams live and on-demand on Peacock. Additionally, select events can be viewed on NBC, CNBC, USA Network, and NBC Sports digital platforms. CNBC airs an encore presentation of each round on the Monday following the race at 1:00p.m. ET. A live Spanish-language presentation is available for every round on Telemundo Deportes’ Facebook and YouTube channels. Live International coverage can be accessed through the SuperMotocross Video Pass (supermotocross.tv) in English, Spanish and French language broadcasts. Races can also be heard live on NBC Sports Audio on SiriusXM Channel 85.
AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas hosts Round 7 next Saturday night, February 22nd. The Military Appreciation-themed event will bring back the Western Divisional 250SX Class Championship for its fifth round, and both the 450SX and 250SX Class racers will face their second Triple Crown-formatted event of the year. Like each Supercross race, the event will pay championship points toward both the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship as well as the SMX World Championship series. Tickets are available now for the Arlington Supercross and each remaining round of the championships, including FanFest and camping options for the post-season SMX World Championship events.
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