Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing Team's Cooper Webb Overcomes Obstacles To Finish 7th In Indianapolis

(Press Release) Indianapolis, Ind.

Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing Team's Cooper Webb overcame many obstacles on Saturday, including battling through a shoulder injury and bouncing back from crashes out of his control, to finish with an impressive seventh overall at Round 12 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing Team entered the Indy SX with a positive outlook on Webb's shoulder rehabilitation from the week but it was still a touch-and-go situation for the North Carolina native, who made the tough decision to withdraw from the previous round to avoid further damage. Webb prevailed through the morning's timed qualifying sessions with seventh overall, which gave him a solid platform to head into the evening's night program.

Webb got off to a top-five start in the 450SX Heat 2, where he showed great strength in his first race-situation back from injury. While battling for the fourth-place position, Webb was taken out by another rider, dropping him back to eighth, where he was able to salvage a transfer position into the Main Event.

Webb's luck didn't get any better off the start of the 450SX Main Event, as he fell victim to a small first-turn pileup that left him stuck under his bike while the rest of the pack pulled away. Beginning from the last place position, Webb immediately put his head down and charged ahead despite the pain of his recently-injured shoulder. After the halfway point, Webb turned up the intensity even more as he made valuable passes to break into the top-ten and eventually put himself into seventh-place, where he finished, with an impressive climb from the back of the pack.

 Jim Perry - Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

"Tonight, we salvaged a solid finish. Cooper Webb came into the event with his shoulder in question but the hard work, therapy and rehabilitation that he's done on his shoulder all week seemed to pay off. He started out in practice a little rusty and got better as the night went on. It was a good night. He'll spend the next two weeks working on his shoulder, doing rehab and coming back in Seattle looking to challenge for a podium finish."

 Cooper Webb, #2 - Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing Team Rider

"Indy was a good weekend for me, it was nice to be back at the races again. I was happy with seventh in qualifying, it was a decent result after not riding for two weeks. The heat race wasn't so great, I was in third and got taken out unfortunately. In the Main, I had a good start going into the first turn and ended up getting hit from behind and had a crash that had me stuck under my bike. It took me a while to get back going but I put my head down and was able to charge back to seventh, which I was happy with. I wanted a better result, for sure, and I felt like with a good start I could have been on the podium again. I was happy with my riding and we get a weekend off to be ready for Seattle."

250SX East-West Showdown

On Saturday, the entire 250SX Class faced-off for the first time this season in the East-West Showdown Main Event. Off the start, Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamalube's Aaron Plessinger got held up in the first turn as he began the Main Event back in 17th place. Plessinger made a valiant charge from the back of the pack to ultimately finish fifth place amidst a stacked field of riders from both coasts. Plessinger was able to extend his points lead by seven with three rounds remaining in the 250SX West Championship.

It was a big night for the Yamaha-mounted Traders Racing Team as Luke Renzland earned his first-career podium finish aboard the YZ250F. Renzland got off to a great start and rode a strong and consistent race to finish with a hard-fought third place in the combined 250SX Main Event.

Luke Renzland, #38 - Traders Racing Team Rider

"I really wasn't expecting this [to be on the podium] at this one. With the east and west combined, this is obviously the most stacked the field has been all year for us. So honestly all I've been working on during the week is just doing start after start - it's been my Achilles heel this year. Finally, I executed what we've been working on from the far outside gate and got out in front and made one quick pass early and really tried to ride my own race."

450SX Results - Indianapolis

1. Marvin Musquin - KTM
   
2. Dean Wilson - Husqvarna
   
3. Justin Brayton - Honda
   
4. Cooper Webb - Yamaha
   

1. Jason Anderson, 265 points
   
2. Marvin Musquin, 230
   
3. Justin Brayton, 210
   
4. Cooper Webb, Yamaha, 162
   
5. Justin Barcia, Yamaha, 113 (injured)
   

1. Jeremy Martin - Honda
   
2. Adam Cianciarulo - Kawasaki
   
3. Luke Renzland - Yamaha
   
4. Aaron Plessinger - Yamaha
   

1. Aaron Plessinger, 151 points
   
2. Joey Savatgy, 142
   
3. Adam Ciancirulo
   

1. Zach Osborne, 131 points
   
2. Austin Forkner, 124
   
3. Jordon Smith, 121
   
4. Luke Renzland, 92
   

The Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing Team will take a weekend off for the Easter holiday, returning to racing on Saturday April 7, for Round 13 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in Seattle, Washington.