Cooper Webb: First Time 450SX Champ

It was a monumental night in Las Vegas for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team as Cooper Webb secured his first-career 450SX Championship at the season finale, giving the brand its fourth premier class title aboard the 450SX-F Factory Edition. His teammate, Marvin Musquin, finished second on the night and third in the overall championship after a hard-fought performance in the 2019 AMA Supercross Championship.
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Webb, a two-time Western Regional 250SX Champion, joined the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team at the end of 2018 and the North Carolina native immediately went to work to pair himself with an all-new motorcycle and team. With 5-10 finishes in the first two rounds, Webb quickly found his stride with the team as he earned his first-career 450SX victory by Round 3. He repeated the win once again at Round 4, before going on to secure a total of seven Main Event victories as he carried big momentum into the final round in Las Vegas.

Coming in with a 23-point margin over Eli Tomac, Webb played it safe at the final round. Qualifying fifth, the newly-crowned 450SX Champion secured the holeshot in his heat and assumed the lead early on. With two laps to go, Webb felt some pressure from Tomac and he quickly settled into the second-place position, shifting his focus toward the Main Event. With a solid gate choice for the main, Webb powered into third off the start. From there, he maintained a consistent pace throughout the Main Event to secure a third-place podium finish en route to securing the prestigious 2019 AMA 450SX Championship.

Cooper Webb: “It’s been an incredible journey. This KTM team believed in me, they took me in and transformed me back to where I always knew I could be. This year was not expected at all and I can’t thank them enough for giving me this opportunity to get back into this level and to do it this way is unreal. It’s a dream come true, I’ve had it since I was a little kid. It’s an incredible feeling.”

Musquin, the second-place qualifier, lined up in 450SX Heat 1, where he put himself into a top-three position off the start. He quickly worked his way into second early on and made a big charge in the final laps to go after the heat race win but he ultimately secured a second-place transfer into the Main Event. He got off to a second-place start in the Main Event and he maintained a consistently fast pace to ultimately finish second on the night. After putting up an audacious fight this season, Musquin ultimately finished third overall in the 450SX Championship with two victories under his belt.

Marvin Musquin: “I was looking for one more step than last year but overall it was a decent year. I gave my best this season and that’s all I could do. A few mistakes and the end of the year took me out of the fight but I’m looking forward to next year and getting ready for outdoors.”