SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team’s Cooper Webb has finished runner-up in the 2020 AMA 450 Supercross Championship, following a valiant effort to secure a second-straight title amidst a unique set of challenges this season.

Heading into Sunday’s finale at Rice-Eccles Stadium, the seventh stop in Salt Lake City, Webb held an eight-race podium streak with three victories taking place in Utah. The 2019 450SX Champion started the day off strong, sharing pole position with championship rival Eli Tomac as both riders laid down a fast time of 49.438 in qualifying. In 450SX Heat 1, Webb got off to a top-five start and he worked his way through the pack to ultimately secure a second-place finish in the heat.

In the Main Event, Webb had a good jump off the start but he got tangled up with another rider in the first turn and went down. He was able to rally from almost last to 14th by the end of lap one and from there he put his head down and charged through the pack. After 25 laps, Webb was able to make it up to eighth-place, where he ultimately finished for the night. Webb finished out the season in second overall with a consistent string of 13 podiums in the 17-race championship, four of which he stood in the center of the box.

Cooper Webb: “It was a rough Main Event. I kind of struggled with the track a little bit and I didn’t ride my best race but I came back to eighth, so I was able to secure second in points. I obviously wanted to keep the podium streak going but it is what it is. Overall, it was a great season and we’ll get ready for outdoors.”

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team will take a brief break from racing as they switch gears for the 2020 AMA Pro Motocross Championship, which is set to begin July 18 in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

Results 450SX Class – Salt Lake City (Round 17)

1. Zach Osborne (USA), HQV, 25 laps

2. Jason Anderson (USA), HQV, +03.063

3. Dean Wilson (GBR), Kawasaki, +05.369

Other KTM

8. Cooper Webb (USA), KTM

10. Chad Reed (AUS), KTM

14. Benny Bloss (USA), KTM

16. Blake Baggett (USA), KTM

17. Martin Davalos (ECQ), KTM

Standings 450SX Class 2020 after 17 of 17 rounds

1. Tomac, 384 points

2. Webb, 359

3. Roczen, 354

Other KTM

12. Baggett, 200

13. Davalos, 178

16. Reed, 113

17. Bloss, 108

Results 250SX East/West Showdown – Salt Lake City

1. Chase Sexton (USA), Honda

2. Shane McElrath (USA), Yamaha 

3. Michael Mosiman (USA), Husqvarna

OTHER KTM

6. Brandon Hartranft, (USA), KTM

9. Derek Drake (USA), KTM

Standings 250SX East Class 2020

1. Sexton, 218 points

2. McElrath, 209

3. Shimoda, 122

OTHER KTM

9. Brown, 92

Standings 250SX West Class 2020

1. Ferrandis, 200 points

2. Cooper, 180

3. Forkner, 176

4. Hartranft, 158

OTHER KTM

7. Drake, 120

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team’s Cooper Webb earned a hard-fought victory at Wednesday’s penultimate round to bring the 2020 450SX Championship battle down to the season finale this Sunday for what will serve as the series’ seventh consecutive stop inside Salt Lake City’s Rice-Eccles Stadium. Additionally, Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pierce Brown finished just off the podium in fourth as the 250SX Eastern Regional Championship returned to racing. 

With a modified schedule rounding out the final seven rounds of the 2020 AMA Supercross Championship, the reigning 450SX Champion has made a habit out of winning on Wednesdays, as he swept all three of the mid-week races, while earning respectable runner-up finishes on the Sunday bouts to keep himself in the running for a second-straight title.

After qualifying fifth overall earlier in the day, Webb powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION into a top-three start in 450SX Heat 2 and he quickly jumped into the second-place position. He battled hard to ultimately secure second-place in the heat race.

In the Main Event, Webb had a great jump off the start as he battled through the first-turn with the front of the pack, settling into third early on. Five laps in, Webb overtook second and from there he set his sights on catching the leader, Zach Osborne. Webb soon found himself in a close race once again with championship points rival Ken Roczen and the duo continued to battle until series points leader Eli Tomac joined the fight. Webb and Tomac broke away from the rest of the field and with seven laps to go Webb made the pass to take over the lead. He held off a hard-charging Tomac for the remainder of the 29-lap race to ultimately secure his fourth Main Event victory of the season.

Cooper Webb: “We were all really close in speed, not a lot separating. I fixed the whoops about halfway – I think that’s what was holding me back – and I started hitting them really well. It was a tight race between us four and the whole race it seemed like a lot of pressure between us all because we weren’t making many mistakes. I’m sure it was a fun race for the fans to watch and it was a fun race to win, for sure.”

After a week off, Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pierce Brown and the 250SX Eastern Regional division lined up once again before taking on the season finale East/West Showdown on Sunday. Brown had a great day, earning a solid third-place finish in the heat race to transfer with ease into the Main Event. In the Main, he got off to a great start and put his KTM 250 SX-F into podium contention for the first half of the race before ultimately securing a fourth-place finish for the day.

Next Race: Round 17 (finale) in Salt Lake City, Utah – Sunday, June 21

Results 450SX Class – Salt Lake City (Round 16)
1. Cooper Webb (USA), KTM, 29 laps

2. Eli Tomac (USA), Kawasaki, +02.214

3. Zach Osborne (USA), HQV, +05.291

Other KTM

8. Martin Davalos (ECQ), KTM

10. Blake Baggett (USA), KTM

11. Benny Bloss (USA), KTM

15. Chad Reed (AUS), KTM

Standings 450SX Class 2020 after 16 of 17 rounds
1. Tomac, 366 points

2. Webb, 344

3. Roczen, 338

Other KTM

12. Baggett, 193

17. Bloss, 99

Results 250SX East Class – Salt Lake City

1. Chase Sexton (USA), Honda

2. Shane McElrath (USA), Yamaha 

3. Colt Nichols (USA), Yamaha

4. Pierce Brown, (USA), KTM

OTHER KTM

11. Curren Thurman (USA), KTM

13. Kevin Moranz (USA), KTM

17. Hunter Sayles (USA), KTM

Standings 250SX East Class 2020 after 8 of 9 rounds

1. Sexton, 192 points

2. McElrath, 186

3. Marchbanks, 119

OTHER KTM

8. Brown, 92

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing are pleased to announce a two-year contract extension with FIM MX2 Motocross World Championship rookie Rene Hofer. The 18-year old Austrian will steer the works KTM 250 SX-F for the 2021 and 2022 Grand Prix seasons.

Hofer was drafted into the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team for 2020 after showing promise through the EMX European Championship ranks with the KTM 125 SX and the KTM 250 SX-F in the EMX125 and EMX250 divisions. Rene impressed with his maturity, work ethic and strong mentality and brought those characteristics into the beginning of the 2020 Grand Prix campaign where he captured two top five finishes in four motos before the season was halted.

So far Hofer has shown encouraging signs of continuing KTM’s powerful lineage in the MX2 class. The manufacturer has owned the category 12 times in the last 16 years; including every season since 2008, with the exception of 2015. Eight different racers have earned the #1 plate while riding the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 250 SX-F. 2019 rookie and teammate Tom Vialle is the current series leader. Hofer is the first Austrian to represent Red Bull KTM in the principal MX2/MXGP Grand Prix competitions since Robert Jonas at the turn of the century.      

Rene Hofer: “I’ve been with KTM for about a decade now and every time I step into the company, I feel like I’m in the right place. It’s only my first year with the factory team but it already feels like home and it’s a pleasure to work and spend time with the guys and achieve our goals together. All I can say is that I am super-excited about what the next two years will bring and I will enjoy every minute of it. From my side, I will obviously put in maximum effort and I know everybody in the team will do the same. Working together with an Austrian brand will hopefully have a positive effect on Austrian motorsport as well. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to live my dream but I can’t forget to give-it-up to all the people who helped me get here, especially my family.”

Robert Jonas, Vice President KTM Motorsports Offroad: “Rene came into the factory team pretty close under the microscope, but we were thrilled to see how he responded to winter training and preparation and then how he adjusted to the speed of MX2 right away. He made a few good wildcard appearances in 2019 so he was able to see a little bit of what was in store for 2020 and then adapted well to the demands of being a factory rider. His career keeps progressing and we’re excited to continue that journey together. Hopefully the FIM World Championship can begin again soon and both Rene and Tom can continue to learn and develop.”