
Webb bids adieu to motocross, gears up for next round of World Supercross
Saturday, May 18, 2013. Hangtown Motocross Classic. Rancho Cordova, California. The date and site of Cooper Webb’s AMA Pro Racing debut, where he raced his Yamaha Y250F to 5-18 moto scores for 11th overall.
Thirteen years later, the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing pilot and 2019, 2021 and 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship winner is still fast at it. Coming straight off a win in the opening round of the World Supercross Championship in Calgary, Webb will now return to action in the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship, where he currently holds down eighth overall in the 450 classification.
In what is his final year of competing in the series, Webb is out to attempt to score final moto wins and an overall victory before he calls time on it all and looks to a full-time Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship campaign in 2027.
As he gets tuned up for the final motos of the 2026 outdoor season, as well as the next five rounds of the World Supercross Championship, beginning with the British GP at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on October 10, Webb remains enthused with his performance in Calgary and the boost it will provide for the remainder of his 2026 race campaign.
“It was cool,” said Webb of the victory. “We started off the season really strong. It’s a Triple Crown format, so we were able to get the win. I never raced in Canada before, so that was really cool. The fans were really excited and into it. It was a cool place. Calgary, the town, was awesome. We did a lot of cool things. We got to sightsee, ate some good food, did some good content for YouTube. It was honestly a really fun weekend. And with winning it, that always is nice.
"We’ll have the red plate moving to the next round. We’ve got a hectic schedule in between. The next round isn’t until England in October, but I’m racing in the United States still. I’ve got Pro Motocross and then the last three SMX Playoff rounds. But overall, Canada was really good.
“We’re doing the whole series this year, so that will be cool. I’m excited. It’ll be all new for me. I’m learning the series. Like I said, their format is a little different than the U.S. It’s awesome having Monster Energy on board as the title sponsor of the series. Round one couldn’t have gone any better. We walked away with the win and we have the points lead, so I’m looking forward to the rest of it.”
By the time he heads to Birmingham this fall, Webb may very well have some news on his future in 2027 and beyond.
“We’ve got some changes coming in October that I can’t really speak on yet,” he said. "October 1 will be the big announcement with all my updated plans, so tune in on social media, or I’m sure Monster Energy will do some cool stuff, as well.”
With only the Budds Creek and Ironman Nationals left to be run this August, Webb has been relatively pleased with his performance AMA Pro Motocross Championship this summer.
“I feel like it is definitely a stacked class this year,” Webb pointed out. “Obviously, we’ve got the Lawrence brothers, and then we’ve got a lot of young guys. Haiden Deegan moved up. Garrett Marchbanks is there. Then you’ve got the guys that have been around. There have even been more Europeans with Jorge Prado and the Coenen brothers. So it’s super stacked, but I’ve been pretty happy. Unfortunately I’ve had two DNFs, but other than that I have had mainly top 10 finishes.
"My best finish so far has been sixth place at Southwick. Obviously, you’re always trying to get better, and we’d like to be more in the mix on the Pro Motocross, but it’s kind of where I am at right now. I’d say I’m kind of that sixth to 10th place guy. It’s been good. I’ve stayed healthy. This is the longest I’ve raced the series in a long time. The last time I raced the full series was 2021. I kind of lost my step a little bit on the Pro Motocross, but it’s been fun. I’ve enjoyed the fans, and they’ve been super-interactive knowing it’s my last year.
"Going to some of these iconic places for the last time, like RedBud and Hangtown and those kind of places, was kind of bittersweet. I’m just at the point where I just don’t have that fire to want to race them anymore. They were great, and I’ve had a lot of success at them, but at this point in my career, I feel like supercross is most important, and I definitely feel like I specialize in supercross. I want to go that avenue, for sure. It’s been pretty fun so far.”
One round into the season, Webb has immediately enjoyed and embraced the World Supercross Championship and is looking forward to seeing it all the way through.
“I think it’s awesome, man,” enthused Webb. “I was actually blown away with how cool it was. It was just very laid back. You know a lot different than the U.S. We don’t have our semi-trucks there. We’re there with a small team and everyone is pretty connected and talking to each other. It’s competitive, but I think everyone is definitely more laid back. I thought the track was great. I really enjoyed the track. They had some monster whoops. The stadium was cool. The turnout was good. The fans were really involved and engaged, which was really nice.
"To travel the world and race in different places and see people that we don’t normally see is exciting. Racing in Canada, I had so many Canadian fans that I had never met. They were just so excited to see me race. A lot of people there told me they had never been able to see me race. That was really cool.
"I think as we move to the other countries and other places, it will get even more exciting in places like Argentina. I’ve heard those fans are insane. I know in Australia they’re insane. I’ve raced in England before, so I know they can be really good, too. I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a great first round and I’m excited for the series.
"It’s still growing. It’s still new. Like anything, I think everyone knows the U.S. is still the biggest platform for supercross. I think this is an unreal secondary series that is gaining a lot of traction. They’re kind of going the F1 approach, right? They want to put us all over the world and make us international stars. It’s not just racing here in the U.S. They took care of us really well. It’s a great place to make some extra money and go win another championship.”
So now multifold champion Cooper Webb will look to 2027 and the launch of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. A full-time effort and the only U.S. series Webb will participate in during 2027, he’s totally enthused with the opportunity.
“I think this is something I’ve earned that right to do. I also think that when I look at Ken Roczen this year, or some of the other past champions like Chad Reed and Ryan Dungey, it’s showing that a supercross-only deal is extending your career. Like we saw with Ken this year, he was the champion. I don’t think it’s hurting the performance. If anything, it's keeping you fresher and more motivated and also letting us hone in on our supercross skills.
"For me, I’ve been better at supercross, so if I can continue to be as good as I am, or somehow get better in my older age in supercross, it’s going to keep me in the game even longer.”
Eric Johnson
Born and raised in the rust belt to a dad who liked to race cars and build race engines, Eric Johnson grew up going to the races. After making it out of college, Johnson went into the Los Angeles advertising agency world before helping start the motocross magazine Racer X Illustrated in 1998. Some 20 years ago, Johnson met Paul Pfanner and, well, Paul put him to work on IndyCar, NASCAR, F1, NHRA, IMSA – all sorts of gasoline-burning things. He’s still here. We can’t get rid of him.
Read Eric Johnson's articles
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