Troy Dog
One of the biggest talking points from Philadelphia on Saturday night was Cooper Webb crashing in the final turn, while trying to hold off a hard charging Jason Anderson for third. Webb had already been passed by Chase Sexton and was trying to hold on for a podium to maximize his points in the standings.
The two riders did make a little contact in the last turn, but Webb swapped his front end coming out of the whoops and down he went.
This scenario gave the same energy as the Webb/Lawrence practice “incident” where reports were that Webb revved his bike and caused Jett to slip up on his fast lap. This all happened in the left hander before the finish. Jett was on the final lap of practice, so he didn’t have another chance at a fast lap. Webb threw a big whip over the finish and looked behind him after Jett tipped over.
Jason Thomas interviewed Webb on the broadcast after the main and this is what he had to say about the race.
“It was a tough race,” Webb said. “I felt good at the beginning and then honestly just got really tight. It’s tough on these conditions, it’s super slippery to ride tight. I was slipping back and slipping back and those guys were there. I was trying to survive and fight until the end and it was just a bad ride for me. We’ll regroup, it’s definitely not over, but it was definitely a bummer. I’m bummed at myself for not doing my part, it’s been a while since that has happened, so we’ll go back to the drawing board and come back. I just have to win now.”
Webb made no mention about Anderson’s pass.
In the press conference, Anderson was asked about the move on Webb and here is what he had to say about it.
“Today I just started finding some lines towards the end of the main event and was able to make a run and obviously make it on the podium. With Coop there at the end, I was just charging and I knew the only way I could do it was try to go to the outside in the whoops. I tried to squeeze him off and he didn’t want to let go. I just want to be up here on the box and it’s tough because Coop has always been a straight up dude. I think it’s cool to see him fight for titles like this this late in his career, so I’m kind of bummed that it was him, but at the same time I want to be on the box.
Anderson has been up in the mix again since Foxborough and his last three finishes are 4-4-3. This was his first podium since February 10. He now sits fifth in the standings.
As we saw last year, and many times over the years, things can happen in this sport when you least expect them to. Eli Tomac didn’t even crash last year and ended up getting hurt while he was 99.6% on his way to his third SX title. The 12-point lead that Jett now holds is a large amount with only two rounds to go, but we have plenty of racing left to go.
Webb will regroup for next weekend’s race in Denver. This thing isn’t over yet, but man it’s crazy what one turn on a track can do.
Main Image: Octopi Media
