Webb: "I was riding really well, but unfortunately I got really bad arm pump again."
Cooper Webb uncharacteristically turned a good start into a finish off the podium on Saturday in Philadelphia, as he ended up fourth, which allowed Monster Energy AMA Supercross points leader Jett Lawrence to stretch his advantage from five points to 12 with two rounds remaining.
“It was a tough main event in Philly," said Webb in a Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing statement. "The day was going pretty well. I qualified second and got second in the heat. In the main, I got a great start with Eli, in third and was able to move into second. I was riding really well, but unfortunately I got really bad arm pump again. Then it was unfortunate in the last turn, losing that spot to Jason (Anderson). So I’m pretty bummed, but we’ll regroup this week and come back swinging. This is racing, so it’s not over until it’s over.”
Webb, fought through arm pump to win in Seattle, but couldn't replicate that this time, losing a spot to Chase Sexton. Then Anderson passed Webb in the final turn of the race, after the whoops.
"With Coop there at the end, I was just charging and I knew the only way I could do it is try to go around the outside in the whoops and, yeah, I tried to squeeze him off and he didn't wanna let go," Anderson said in the post-race press conference. "But it's, I just wanna be up here on the box, you know? It's tough because, you know, Coop's always been a straight up dude and I think it's cool to see him still fighting for titles like this, this late in his career. So, you know, kind of bummed that it was him, but at the same time, I wanna be on the box."
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jett Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia  | 351 |
| 2 |  Cooper Webb | Newport, NC  | 336 |
| 3 |  Chase Sexton | La Moille, IL | 307 |
| 4 |  Eli Tomac | Cortez, CO | 282 |
| 5 |  Jason Anderson | Edgewood, NM | 282 |
You can read Yamaha's take on Philadelphia below:
Jeremy Coker – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 450 Team Manager
“All in all, it was a good day but a tough day also. The guys rode well, but it was actually a really tough race track. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the main event we wanted, and now we are 12 points out in the championship. We aren’t giving up, though. We’ve got two more rounds and we're going to give it everything we've got.”
Cooper Webb – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #2
“It was a tough main event in Philly. The day was going pretty well. I qualified second and got second in the heat. In the main, I got a great start with Eli, in third and was able to move into second. I was riding really well, but unfortunately I got really bad arm pump again. Then it was unfortunate in the last turn, losing that spot to Jason (Anderson). So I’m pretty bummed, but we’ll regroup this week and come back swinging. This is racing, so it’s not over until it’s over.”
Eli Tomac – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #3
“It was an okay day. I had a really good heat race and some good starts out there as a whole. I started well in the main event and was in a really good position there for most of the race, and then I made a mistake or two and was passed and off the podium. I was happy with my speed but not with my overall performance in the 20-minute main event.”
Justin Cooper – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #32
“Practice went well, and I felt really comfortable all day. I had some bad luck with people going down around me, and I had to go to the last-chance qualifier. I feel like I rode the best I did all day in the LCQ, but I had a terrible gate pick for the main. I tried to go outside, but it didn’t work, and I had to wait for everyone. From there, it was a really hard track to pass on. I would get close and then just couldn’t make anything stick. I had to take my time and make my way up to 10th. I have to get good starts in order to be battling up front, so we’ll be working on that.”
