Boogie Dawg
It’s no secret that BoogieDawg is on the Webb Wagon. I mean how could I not be? His dad Bob is a surf legend and I myself am definitely highly sought after in the boogie world. But enough about me and how hard I shred, let’s talk about what happened at the second round of the Atlanta residency (gosh I hate that term) between Cooper Webb and Justin Barcia.
As soon as the gate dropped for the 450 Main Event, Cooper punked almost the entire field by slipping into second by the third corner. But as the race progressed the 2019 Champ lost a couple of positions and took a bit to find his rhythm. This isn’t a new circumstance for Coop nor a sign of weakness by any means, in fact, it could be argued that it’s a calculated and very championship-like strategy.
We’ve seen him do this same stuff in the past. He’ll settle in, find his rhythm, then sprint at the end. Daytona this year was a prime example of Coop finding his late-race groove when he passed AP on the last straight away for an impressive second.
All this is great, until you throw Barcia in the mix.
One word: Wow.
JB rode that race not giving a single flying duck (yes duck) who was behind him. In the rhythm by the pit lane he edged Cooper out so hard that I personally thought they were both going down. Especially after seeing McAdoo’s gymnastic attempt and El Hombre becoming a landing zone for A-Ray just moments prior, I was certain Coop and BamBam were in for a ride.
Webb settled in, regrouped and made another charge. Finally, after somehow defending Tomac off, Coop was again on Barcia’s ass, and this time he was going to make it count.
Only one problem, it’s Justin Barcia. Love him or hate him, he is who he is and if there’s one rider on the track who is better than almost anyone at taking dudes out and playing games, it’s him. He could’ve did this or that to Coop, but instead decided to orchestrate a GENIUS move by brake checking the 2019 Champ over a single….and boy did it work.
The result was Cooper tipping over and having to remount, finishing the race in a season worst sixth. Barcia went on to finish one step off the box (surely not what he wanted) but he did let everyone know that he’s here to race and he’s not rolling over for anybody.
My take: Barcia actually played this nice, considering his reputation and tendencies for parking people. He raced his own race, defended his position and rode the WIDEST bike I’ve ever seen on a Supercross track. As I’ve said in the past, credit where credit is due, and old BAMDawg definitely deserves all the credit. If Cooper wants to pass you, he generally does…and JB stopped that from happening and it should be noted.
I’m still totally on the Webb Wagon, but JB deserves some praise for what he did. And for those of you who say it was “typical Barcia” should take a look back at some of his previous incidents. The guy had every opportunity to take out, park, crash, eff up, destroy, whatever you want to call it to Cooper. Instead he held his own and played the one of the greatest defense games we’ve ever seen.
When I’m out in the ocean shredding double-overhead waves and snaking in surf dorks, I for one will be channeling my inner Barcia. Stamp it.
Main image: Octopi Media
