Kiwi Rider March Vol.1 2023 | Page 98

DIRT NEWS

WEBB CLOSES GAP ON TOMAC IN TEXAS

Taking his second victory of the season at the Arlington Triple Crown round of the 2023 AMA Supercross Championship has moved Cooper Webb to within two points of the red plate . After qualifying in fifth position , Webb was at his finest across the three-race format to progressively improve and deliver 5-2-1 finishes , which was enough to secure him a second win of the year . He ’ s now earned five podiums in seven rounds , including the top step of the podium in Tampa and Arlington this month . The opening Race saw two-time 450SX champion Webb charge forward through the pack to fifth position , before a stronger start in the second encounter saw him lead the opening lap on his way to the runner-up result . Race three was a spectacular one , where he rode his KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition to an important win from behind , securing him overall victory at round seven . Webb was understandably quite pleased with his efforts . “ I ’ m extremely happy to get another win here in the season ! Dallas is always a good one for me , so to come here and do well in the Triple Crown is super cool . The first Race wasn ’ t my best one , we improved for the second one and then , in the last Race , obviously some mistakes of other riders helped me out , but overall I ’ m stoked to execute and get another win ! I knew I had to get to the front in that final one in the end to get the overall , so that was what I was going for and I felt good , had a great pace going and was comfortable , so it was a good round for us . We ’ ll see where this carries us for the rest of the season , but I ’ m feeling confident and know what I can get better at – we ’ re all riding well and it ’ s definitely a dog-fight at the moment .” For championship leader and current holder of that coveted red plate , Eli Tomac , his evening in Texas was a mixed bag leaving him with third overall behind Webb and Honda ’ s Chase Sexton . Tomac started the day superbly grabbing the holeshot in the first main event and taking the win . However , he didn ’ t get the start he was hoping for in the second main event , and despite making his way to third at one point of the race he ultimately crossed the line fourth . In the final race , Tomac grabbed his second holeshot of the evening and was looking to take another victory . Unfortunately , just before the halfway mark , he had a tip-over and rejoined in fourth . He then managed his race to secure a podium finish in the tricky track conditions , crossing the line sixth to finish third overall and maintain his spot on top of the points standings .

100 KIWI RIDER