Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing's Cooper Webb Battles To A Top-Five Finish, While Aaron Plessinger Dominates The Competition In Seattle SX Mudder

It was a rainy day in Seattle for Round 13 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship but the Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing Team battled through the inclement weather and brutal track conditions to finish inside the top-five with Cooper Webb's hard-fought effort in the 450SX Main Event. Additionally, Monster Energy / Yamalube / Star / Yamaha Racing's Aaron Plessinger extended his points lead in the 250SX West Championship with a dominant performance in the muddy conditions.

The rain is coming down here at @centurylink_field as the riders stage for qualifying! Tune in LIVE at Supercrosslive.com via Race Day Live presented by @amsoilinc 🌧 #SXonFOX #DropTheGate #SupercrossLIVE

A post shared by Supercross LIVE! (@supercrosslive) on Apr 7, 2018 at 4:17pm PDT

When the gate dropped for 450SX Heat 1, it was Webb who grabbed the holeshot and early lead. Webb experienced a series of small crashes that ultimately dropped him back to a fifth-place finish, while Hill secured a sixth-place transfer into the Main Event. The 450SX Main Event was shortened to 12-minutes plus one lap, so Webb put himself into podium contention early on with a top-three position off the start.

A mistake in the rhythm section caused Webb to drop back to ninth place on the opening lap, but the North Carolina native fought his way back to sixth and dug deep to make a last lap pass to claim a top-five finish. Meanwhile, Hill had a great start to his first Monster Energy Supercross Main Event since 2015, as he rounded the opening lap in a top-five position. However, crashes in the brutal, rutty conditions made it difficult to recover and Hill ultimately finished outside the top-twenty. Despite the final result, Josh has a positive outlook on his first race back under the Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing tent.

 Jim Perry - Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

"Seattle was a rough night, it rained all day long and the practice and race schedules were cut short due to the weather conditions. In the 450 class, Cooper Webb took his YZ450 to a solid top-five finish despite the challenges of the brutal muddy conditions. Also, Josh Hill returned to the Factory Yamaha Team to put in a good ride. He qualified well in his heat race and was running inside the top five in the Main Event but crashed in the brutal, rutty and muddy conditions. It was a tough day for the boys in blue but everybody came away unscathed and we're looking forward to the Triple Crown in Minneapolis inside the dome stadium."

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

"Seattle was a wet one, and it was very gnarly. After a weekend off, it was nice to get back racing. We had rain all week and all day so I knew it was going to be a mudder but I didn't think it was going to be this bad. It ended up being a lot worse than we thought. We only had one practice and I struggled quite a bit. In the Main Event, I got a pretty good start - I came out third or fourth but I ended up making a big mistake in the rhythm and went back. I never felt great in the Main but I felt steady. I had pressure the whole race but I kept pushing and ended up getting Chad Reed for fifth on the last lap in one of the last corners. It was a good regroup from crashing all day. A top five is solid."

Felt like this all day in mud at Seattle 🙈 Struggled all day but was able to regroup for the main event with a 5th. @yamahamotorusa @monsterenergy @thormxofficial @bell_powersports @alpinestars @ride100percent @toyotaescondido 📸 @kardyphoto

A post shared by Cooper Webb (@cooperwebb2) on Apr 8, 2018 at 4:27am PDT

- Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing Team Fill-In Rider

"The result on the whole wasn't great but the day on the whole was awesome. It was so good to be back on the gate racing with the world's best. I got off to two really good starts on my YZ450F and it felt so good to be mixing it up with the top guys again. I had a small tip-over when I was running 4th in the Main but all-in-all I'm just happy to be back and happy to be under the Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing Tent."

250SX West

Monster Energy / Yamalube / Star / Yamaha Racing's Aaron Plessinger put forth a dominant performance on Saturday to earn his fourth victory of the season in the muddiest of conditions. Plessinger was fast from the get-go as he grabbed the holeshot in the 250SX West Main Event and rode eight flawless laps aboard his Yamaha YZ250F. Plessinger continued to separate himself from the rest of the pack through the deep ruts and slick mud, where he ultimately finished more than 30 seconds ahead of the second-place rider. With two rounds remaining, Plessinger holds a 17-point lead in the 250SX West Championship.

450SX Results - Seattle

1. Eli Tomac - Kawasaki
   
2. Jason Anderson - Husqvarna
   
3. Marvin Musquin - KTM
   
4. Cooper Webb - Yamaha
   
5. Josh Hill - Yamaha
   

1. Jason Anderson, 288 points
   
2. Marvin Musquin, 251
   
3. Eli Tomac, 220
   
4. Cooper Webb, Yamaha, 180
   
5. Justin Barcia, Yamaha, 113 (injured)
   

1. Aaron Plessinger - Yamaha
   
2. Chase Sexton
   
3. Adam Cianciarulo - Kawasaki
   

1. Aaron Plessinger, 177 points
   
2. Adam Cianciarulo, 160
   
3. Joey Savatgy, 153
   

The Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing Team will head to Minneapolis, Minnesota next Saturday, April 14, for Round 14 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.

For more Yamaha racing news, results, photos, and videos, visit http://www.YamahaMotorsports.com/Racing.