ATLANTA – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cooper Webb scored a third-place podium finish at Saturday’s Atlanta Supercross, further extending his points lead in the culminating chase for the 2021 AMA 450SX Championship. Held on the grounds of Georgia’s iconic Atlanta Motor Speedway, Round 13 started off with less-than-desirable track conditions but Webb maintained a championship mindset to power his way to an eighth-consecutive podium finish.
Coming off a three-race sweep in Texas just before the break, Webb carried great momentum into the start of another three-race residency in Atlanta. He pushed through the condensed qualifying session to come away with ninth overall and he found himself back in the pack off the start of 450SX Heat 2. He climbed his way into a qualifying position before the end of lap one and continued the charge to secure a sixth-place transfer spot.
In the Main Event, Webb powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to a second-place start and he raced behind the leader for the first five laps. The 450SX championship points leader maintained a safe pace inside the top-three for the remainder of the race, ultimately bringing it home for a solid third-place finish.
Webb: “I wasn’t pumped with that ride. I got a good start like I needed and was put in a really good situation. Plessinger was riding really well out front and he had that mistake so I got into the lead but I just didn’t execute. Guys got around me and pulled away, definitely not the best race for me but to able to leave on the podium is a huge relief, and to gain points is always good on your bad days.”
Team rider Marvin Musquin returned for a full night of racing in Atlanta. Musquin worked hard to overcome a difficult qualifying session and he found himself back in 14th at the end. He got off to a decent jump in 450SX Heat 1 but the slippery conditions caused him to slide out just after the start. Starting at the back of the pack right away, Musquin made a big charge to get into the top-10 early on and he ultimately secured a sixth-place transfer into the main.
With much more favorable conditions in the Main Event, Musquin got off to a seventh-place start aboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION and he battled mid-pack early on. The French rider wasn’t able to make up the ground needed to break into the top-five but he battled hard to ultimately finish seventh for the night.
Musquin: “It’s good to be back racing but it was crazy to only get one practice considering you have to learn the track and go straight to qualifying. The laps were super long and the practice was super short so I only got one really good lap and then I made a mistake and it cost me big time. Racing was completely different – it was tough conditions but the track turned around and shaped up really well for the main and I ended up seventh. Considering the whole day, I’m not happy with the result but I’m trying to be more consistent and just rebuild from some of the problems I’ve run into this season.”
Next Race: Atlanta 2 – April 13, 2021
Results 450SX Class – Atlanta 1
1. Eli Tomac (USA), Kawasaki, 12 laps
2. Chase Sexton (USA), Honda, +06.669
3. Cooper Webb (USA), KTM, +16.864
OTHER KTM
7. Marvin Musquin (FRA), KTM
8. Joey Savatgy (USA), KTM
12. Martin Davalos (ECQ), KTM
19. Kevin Moranz (USA), KTM
Standings 450SX Class 2021 after 13 of 17 rounds
1. Webb, 296 points
2. Roczen, 274
3. Tomac, 260
OTHER KTM
9. Savatgy, 153
10. Musquin, 152
14. Davalos, 102
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