Image: Octopi Media.

Applying constant pressure to race-long leader Chase Sexton paid off for Cooper Webb as he forced a mistake and became the third 450SX winner of the year.

Webb, the 2021 premier class champion, stalked Team Honda HRC’s Sexton throughout the race, finally taking control when the No. 23 Honda hit the ground in the whoops section entering the closing minutes.

The Red Bull KTM rider jumped past the white flag with a lead of 6s over Sexton, who resumed in second ahead of the other factory KTM 450SX-F FE piloted by Aaron Plessinger.

Webb closed out his first victory since the Salt Lake City finale in 2021 by a margin of 6.169s as Plessinger landed on the podium for the first time in Supercross since the second round of the 2022 season at Oakland.

Ken Roczen (Progressive Insurance Ecstar Suzuki) and reigning champion Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) made it four manufacturers in the top five, with Tomac nearly 32s back from the win at the end.

An early collision with Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) forced Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson to charge up to a sixth-place result, boosted by a late-race pass on seventh-place finisher Justin Cooper (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing).

Barcia, Joey Savatgy of Rick Ware Racing, and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna representative Christian Craig completed the top 10.

A fall for Anderson’s Kawasaki teammate Cianciarulo dropped the No. 9 Kawasaki KX450SR from fourth to an eventual 12th-place result.

As the series leaves Tampa and heads back west to complete the postponed Oakland event, the top three in the 450SX standings are covered by just four points, with Tomac two ahead of Sexton and Sexton two ahead of Webb.

Detailed results