Cooper Webb and Haiden Deegan Sweep Dallas SX Main Events

The Monster Energy supercross stars shone big and bright over Texas on Saturday as Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha teammates Cooper Webb and Haiden Deegan swept the top podium spots at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium, with Eli Tomac (Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha) and Cameron McAdoo (Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki) adding 2nd place runner-up positions at Round 7 of Monster Energy AMA Supercross.

The 1-2 450 class finish and 1-2 250 ESX class finish was, as a whole, Monster Energy’s best finish of the 2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross season thus far.

In 450 class racing, both Webb and Tomac took advantage of multiple costly mistakes by race leader Jett Lawrence (Honda) to solidify their 1-2 finish in the 450 main.

Said Webb: “Tough day qualifying, wasn’t great. In the heat race I got a great start, then ended up going backwards. Was struggling with the track a bit, and myself. So it was good to flip the switch after the heat race and be competitive in the main event. Got a good start and put myself in a good position behind Jett, then, obviously, got a bit of a gift there. We were close and maybe the pressure got there, who knows? Either way I’ll take it.”

For Tomac, a crash on Lap 2 set him all the way back to 11th place. His run back to even make the top five, let alone the podium, was great inspiration for the multi-time SX champion who’s battling back from a season-ending injury last year.

“Tonight was just being comfortable, riding like I should I guess,” said Tomac.

On the 250s Deegan would control the race at the start, pulling the holeshot, then was passed midway through the opening lap the 250 ESX points leader, Austin Forkner (Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki). Forkner would lead the next 16 (of 21) laps before a spectacular crash took him out of the race (more on that below). Deegan, who was in 2nd place at the time of Forkner’s wreck, inherited the lead and took the checkers – scoring his first career Monster Energy AMA Supercross win, seven seconds out front of McAdoo.

“Yeah, definitely - getting the dub,” said and elated Deegan on his first supercross win. “I was behind Austin (Forkner) for a while and, obviously, you hate to see that. Not anything you want to see in the sport. It’s a dangerous sport, man. Heal up to Austin. But yeah, first win, what was exciting.”

Quotes

Webb: “As a race we all have a spot where we’re good at. And we’re going to Eli’s (Tomac) next week. I don’t know. We just jell with certain places and cities and stadiums. For me I’ve always like this dirt and the way it breaks down after time. The track’s also a bit tighter here in this stadium, which suits my style. I also grew up racing the Spring Nationals in Texas, so the people and the environment are great here.”

Deegan: “The nerves are always there the whole race. For me I was trying to hit my marks every lap – and not try to make one mistake. You do that in the 250 class, where these guys make a lot of mistakes, and that puts you up front, right?”

Tomac: “To be honest, in Detroit I had really bad arm pump. And when that happens, you’re holding on for survival. Struggling in the tacky dirt, clay. But I should know better. You can’t blame it all on the bike. Look how long I’ve been doing this. I should know in that situation what’s going to make me race more comfortable – and get me out of the arm pump situation.”

McAdoo: “This is kind of a warrior sport. Unfortunately, I’ve had to show it a little bit more. Coming into Detroit I was pretty much behind, missed all of December riding and a good portion of January. I messed my knee up pretty good in that first turn pile up (in Detroit), so I kind of had two nagging things the last couple weeks. So nice to have just a solid, consistent day today. I had a heat win and, like Haiden said, I pretty much hit my marks. You really had to be locked in. Encouraging to

450 Highlights

• In 450 class racing Jett Lawrence (Honda) grabbed the holeshot, with Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Justin Cooper diving right in behind for 2nd place early on.
• Tomac would then blink first in the mistake dept., losing his balance heading into the big bowl turn on Lap 2 – which dropped him back to 11th place.
• A Ken Roczen (Suzuki) crash on Lap 3, while trying to get around Vince Friese (Honda), would also force Monster Energy’s Dylan Ferrandis (Phoenix/Honda) off the track.
• Once things settled down Tomac put the hammer down and ran from 11th, past Honda’s Hunter Lawrence, and into the top five at Lap 18.
• Race leader Jett Lawrence would make a colossal mistake on Lap 24 (of 27), throwing it away in the rhythm section and handing the lead over to 2nd place Webb.
• Lawrence then made another mistake, crashing into the back of lapper Friese, which allowed Tomac to get by for 2nd.
• At the 450 checkers it was Monster Energy going 1-2 with Webb nailing the victory and Tomac a hard-fought runner up spot.

250 ESX Highlights

• Deegan pulled the holeshot in the main, with Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha teammate Nick Romano right beside him, and Austin Forkner (Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki) right behind them in 3rd.
• Forkner then rocketed out of a bowl turn and beat Deegan out of the ensuing whoop section to take the lead midway through Lap 1.
• Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker would make the move past Romano and into 3rd place on Lap 3, followed by McAdoo.
• And just when it looked like Forkner was in control of defending the No. 1 red plate, a gnarly get off in the rhythm second send the points leader sailing off the track and onto the stadium’s concrete floor. Night over for Forkner on Lap 17.
• Deegan, who was withing striking distance of Forkner when the accident occurred, took over the lead and never looked back, topping Monster Energy’s McAdoo by 7.113 seconds for the win.

Notes & Quotes

• “When Eli Tomac is in one of these modes – Beast Mode – you can’t stop him,” commented NBC TV announcer Ricky Carmichael on Tomac’s run from 11th to 2nd.
• “He’s (Webb) been the strongest rider in this stadium in the past – and maybe the luckiest tonight. But better lucky than good,” said Carmichael’s co-commentator, Jason Weigandt.
• Prior to the 250 ESX main event Forkner, geared up in Special Forces-style military flak jacket and tricked out camo helmet with night vision cameras, lobbed – like a grenade - a bunch of his tactical gear T-shirts up into the Arlington crowd.
• How about that mini ghost ride of his bike by Haiden Deegan after the finish line in a tribute to his father, Brian Deegan, who (in)famously ghost rode his Suzuki over the LA Coliseum finish line jump in 1997, sending AMA officials into a frenzy and, unknowingly, launching the then young freestyle motocross movement into the stratosphere.
• “Man oh man, what a sport! The highs are high and the lows are pretty low,” said Forkner’s father, Mike Forkner, in a social media update on Austin’s condition following his crash. … “CT scan on his head came back good, fractures in the back, but no surgery. Has to heal on its own. Broken scapula, which will also heal on its own.”
• Mike Forkner also said that one of Austin’s contacts “came out of his eye halfway through the race. Maybe that played a part in misjudging the double.”
• How’s this for a stat? In the last nine years only two racers – Webb and Tomac – have won Arlington. Webb did it six times, Tomac three.

Up next: Monster Energy AMA Supercross packs up and points the road show back east to Florida’s Daytona International Speedway for the 51st annual running of the Daytona Supercross, March 2.