Monster Energy SX Racers Sweep Seattle

The Seattle Supercross podium glowed Monster Energy green up top as Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha teammates Cooper Webb (450 class) and Cole Davies (250 WSX) swept the top spots, with Davies leading a complete 250 WSX podium sweep at Lumen Field with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Garrett Marchbanks placing 2^ndand series points leader Haiden Deegan (Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha) locking down 3^rd.

Round 11 of Monster Energy AMA Supercross looked to be a Pacific Northwest rain-soaked affair with all sorts of wild weather predicted leading up to Saturday’s racing. But between a lucky break in the weather, and the magic of series track builders, Dirt Wurx USA, the event and racing came off near perfectly with fans being treated to some feverous bar-to-bar racing action.

Beginning with the 450s, Webb survived the main event’s first turn carnage and broke way into the lead with the holeshot. But unlike Webb’s seemingly easy wire-to-wire win at Indy earlier this month, he’d have to work for this one as Suzuki’s Ken Roczen battled the two-time supercross champion hard, taking the lead from Webb at one point early in the race, after which they swapped the lead a number of times. 

Lurking in the background while Webb and Roczen battled would be the defending 450 class champion, Sexton. With eight minutes remaining in the contest, Sexton caught and passed both Webb and Roczen for the lead. But the ever present mistake gremlin(s) that have haunted Sexton throughout his career would rear up with three laps remaining, allowing Webb to make the pass for 1^st and hold the overall lead/win through the checkers.

Said Webb of his .7 second win over Sexton: “I had the holeshot and led laps – and got passed. Definitely a tough, challenging day all day. Just kept my head in it, kept going. And later in the race we (along with Sexton) were pushing a limit that was gnarly.”

Near podium position later in the race was Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Justin Cooper. Coming off the momentum of a Heat Race #2 victory over teammate Webb, an unfortunate miscue late in the 450 main event would Cooper off the track in the rhythm section. Cooper ended up losing several positions and brought his YZ450F home in 6^th place. Monster Energy-backed Justin Hill (KTM) continued to race well and would round out Monster Energy’s 450 class top ten scoring in 10^th.

And in one of the wilder 250 WSX main events, not only this season but in some time, Monster Energy’s Deegan went down early – in both his heat race and the main event – and had to rally back to make the night’s podium. Along the way Deegan got into it with KTM’s Julien Beaumer (currently 2^nd place in the overall standings behind Deegan) and the two ended up having words following the race (more on that below in “Notes & Quotes”). And while Deegan’s terrific effort would secure a 3^rd place podium finish and protect his overall 250 WSX points lead ahead of Beaumer, the night belonged to Monster Energy’s Davies who nailed his first Monster Energy AMA Supercross career victory at Seattle.

“Made a few changes to my bike for the main, came out swinging and felt real good,” said Davies. “It’s definitely been a long road to get here.”

Also making the 250 podium with a ripping run at Seattle was 2^nd place finisher Marchbanks. On fire through the whoops and rhythm sections, Marchbanks got by Beaumer with ease, but was not able to track down Davies. Rounding out the 250 class top ten at Seattle for Monster Energy was Star Racing/Yamaha’s Michael Mosiman in 6^th.

Seattle 450 class results                                            250 WSX class results

1^st – Webb (Monster/Star/Yamaha)                                            1^st – Davies (Monster/Star/Yamaha)

6^th – Cooper (Monster/Star/Yamaha)                                        2^nd – Marchbanks (Monster/PC/Yamaha)

10^th – Hill (Monster/KTM)                                                           3^rd – Deegan (Monster/Star/Yamaha)

Overall Standings (11 of 17 rounds)

450 class                                                                      250 WSX class

1^st – Webb, 236 points                                                              1^st – Deegan, 149 points

5^th – Cooper, 176 points                                                            3^rd – Davies, 129 points

7^th – Anderson, 151 points                                                         7^th – Marchbanks, 95 points

Notes & Quotes

• “He went way out of his way to defend his position,” said NBC announcer Ricky Carmichael of Roczen’s (real) close battle with Webb for, at that time, 2^nd place in the 450 main event. “But that’s alright.”
• “It wasn’t a mudder. So that was a positive.” – Webb regarding the anticipation of extreme weather at Seattle, which never materialized.
• Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson had to withdraw from the Seattle SX due to what race officials reported as a “family emergency.” Despite the DNS and zero points, Anderson remained in 6^th position in the overall 450 class points standings after Seattle.
•  “It definitely gets a little rowdy. Boys being boys.” – said Deegan of his incident with Beaumer following the 250 main. Added Beaumer: “He’s (Deegan) got one coming for him in Philly.” (That’d be Round 13, Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, April 12^th to be exact.)
• “He rode superb.” – Carmichael on the masterful performance from Davies in the 250 WSX class main event. 
• “Cole Davies didn’t even know if he was going to turn pro this year or not. But he’s been a revelation all season.” – NBC announcer Jason Weigandt
• Talk about parity! With Davies winning his first ever 250 class main event, he becomes the tenth different 250 class (ESX & WSX) winner this season.
• “I definitely wouldn’t be where I’m at without him,” said Davies of his mentor, fellow New Zealand countryman and former pro SX/MX racer Ben Townley. “He took me under his wing and got me to the States. Got me racing.”
• “I finally feel like I was 100-percent from the San Diego crash.” 2^nd place 250 finisher Marchbanks.

Up next: No rest for the Monster Energy AMA Supercross truck drivers as the tour packed up and heads back across the country to Foxborough, Mass., for the April 5^th round (12) of the series at Gillette Stadium – home of the New England Patriots.