It has been a tough start to 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross for defending champion Cooper Webb. Webb has crashed in both heat races so far to start the year and in both main events. In the Anaheim 1 main event, his crash with Hunter Lawrence was self-inflicted. But in San Diego, rival Chase Sexton helped him to the ground (see below). Webb's 7-8 finishes are his worst two opening 450SX rounds since he went 6-11 to start 2024.
Webb said the following in the post-race Yamaha release:
“It was a tough night overall. Another crash in the heat race put me in a bad spot, but I felt like I was moving forward in the main and making good passes. Then I got taken out. When I got up, the bars were bent, levers were everywhere, and I just tried to do the best I could. It’s a bummer to have two weekends in a row that aren't great. We'll regroup and come back at A2.”
According to Brett Smith’s We Went Fast account on Instagram, Webb is the first defending champion to finish outside of the top five at the first two rounds since…Mark Barnett did so in 1982! Barnett started 9-15 and would finish second to champion Donnie Hansen by 21 points that year. However, Barnett won the third round that year (Seattle 2, the second night of the doubleheader).
"If ifs and buts were candy and nuts…” yes, we know this does not matter now because of how it played out, BUT Webb had the holeshot and early race lead in the Anaheim 1 SX main event before the red flag came out after the Justin Barcia/Malcolm Stewart collision. You have to wonder if Webb’s first two results of the year look completely different if that red flag does not come out or he could have replicated that holeshot off the restart as well...