News 26 Feb 2023

Webb claims victory at dramatic Arlington Triple Crown

Nate Thrasher breaks through for overall honours in the 250SX East division.

Image: Octopi Media.

In dramatic circumstances, Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb and stormed to the win at the Arlington round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, while Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Nate Thrasher took out the 250SX victory.

Featuring the second Triple Crown round of the year, Webb, championship leader Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) and Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) all shared wins, as Webb, Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton, and Tomac filled the round podium.

Eli Tomac grabbed the holeshot of the first 450SX main event, and led to the checkered flag, despite constant pressure from Ken Roczen (Progressive Insurance Ecstar Suzuki) throughout the race.

Sexton put in the fastest laps of the race as he came from deep in the pack to finish a hard-fought third, ahead of Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) and Webb .

Webb’s Red Bull KTM team-mate Aaron Plessinger, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Christian Craig, and fastest qualifier Jason Anderson – who initially remounted dead last after a first-turn crash – finished sixth to eighth.

Colt Nichols (Team Honda HRC) and Justin Hill (Team Tedder Monster Energy Mountain Motorsports KTM) filled the remaining top 10 places.

Jason Anderson took a 2.8-second win in the second 450SX race.

The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider claimed the holeshot, but temporarily surrendered the lead to Webb before retaking it one lap later and holding the rest of the pack at bay for the remainder of the race.

Webb held off a hungry Sexton for second, as race one winner, Tomac, finished fourth. Plessinger, Roczen, Barcia, Craig, Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) and Dean Wilson completed the top 10.

Cooper Webb won a thrilling final 450SX race that saw three different leaders, and claimed the round win in the process.

Tomac grabbed the holeshot and tried to pull away, but Sexton stayed with him before he washed his front wheel in a corner.

Although he didn’t lose a position, he soon inherited the lead when Tomac made an uncharacteristic error.

Webb put in a late-race surge to pass Anderson, then take advantage of a lapped rider to snatch the lead from Sexton and win the race.

Sexton and Anderson claimed the top three positions, ahead of Roczen and Plessinger. Tomac eventually finished P6, ahead of Barcia, Craig, Cooper and Hill.

In the championship standings, Tomac continues to hold a two-point lead over Webb, with Sexton a further three points back.

Image: Octopi Media.

Despite a last-race crash and battling a torn ACL, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Nate Thrasher took overall honors in the 250SX East class, after a chaotic night of racing at the Arlington round of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship.

Team Honda HRC’s Hunter Lawrence, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Jordon Smith, and Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin split the wins in the Triple Crown format, while the podium positions on the night went to Thrasher, Smith and Lawrence.

Hunter Lawrence claimed the opening Triple Crown win, quickly surging past Fire Power Honda’s holeshot winner, Max Anstie into the lead in the opening turns.

From that point the Australian was never headed, although Thrasher hung tough and kept the gap to within 1.5 seconds until the final laps.

The pair finished more than 13 seconds ahead of Anstie, with Smith and Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM) finishing inside the top five.

Martin placed sixth ahead of Michael Mosiman (TLD Red Bull GasGas), who was down as low as 15th on the opening lap.

Chris Blose (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki), Chance Hymas (Honda HRC) and Cullin Park (Phoenix Honda Racing) rounded out the top 10.

Jordon Smith took well-earned wire-to-wire victory in the second 250SX race as Thrasher got the better of Lawrence after a moto-long battle.

After Thrasher took Lawrence high on a berm on the opening lap, Lawrence quickly got back onto the back of the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing pairing and commenced a three-way battle for the lead.

It came to a head in the dying laps when Lawrence went down while trying to force a pass on Thrasher, but he was about to remount and finish a distant third.

Anstie and Deegan completed the top five, as Mosiman, Hymas, Blose, Vialle and Park finished P6-10.

Jeremy Martin claimed the victory in a chaotic final 250SX race.

Thrasher grabbed the holeshot as Lawrence went down in the first turn with Anstie, and remounted at the back of the pack.

Up front, Thrasher pulled out a commanding 10-second lead until, with two laps to go, he crashed in the whoops and handed the lead to Martin.

Martin held on to take the checkered flag from Vialle as Thrasher finished third and claimed the overall win of the night.

Deegan and Smith – who crashed twice in the race – finished fourth and fifth, as Lawrence clawed his way back to sixth.

Mosiman, Blose, Anstie and Jace Owen (Honda) completed the remaining top 10 placings.

With 73 points, Lawrence still holds an 11-point lead over Anstie, with Thrasher another five markers back.

Detailed results

Recent