Image: Octopi Media.

Following an elusive heat race victory in the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross Championship, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Cooper Webb has elaborated on the motive of that post-race celebration in Seattle and the mind games directed towards Chase Sexton.

Webb took the checkered flag first in the second 450SX heat ahead of Sexton close in tow, celebrating by looking back and giving the finger gun salute to the Team Honda HRC rider.

With momentum on Sexton’s side after the Detroit victory, Webb employed the tactic to make him ‘lose focus’ and later in the main event the number 23 fell while leading in what was another bitter blow to his title prospects.

“Yeah man, it felt good,” Webb explained. “I hadn’t won a heat race all year and Chase is good, it was a cool deal and it was one of those things that maybe would make him get out of whack and lose focus. Seems like it maybe worked.”

In the main event Webb was able to hold off the charge of Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) to finish in the runner-up position, now equal on points with Seattle winner Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) in the title-fight.

“When you are within a certain window, which I feel like I was at one point to contend and you don’t do that, it is definitely a little bit of a bummer,” Webb added. “I made a lot of mistakes there late, so I was more just kind of bummed on that. But it’s tough, you know.

“Eli is such a good and strong competitor so, I think at one point I actually passed him and then he got me back. I got into a window where I was close enough really, I feel like, to make something happen and he started doing that whoop line and I should have picked up on it, but didn’t and made some mistakes in them doing my jump line.

“We are all competitive, we are all knit-picky racers and I feel like unless I execute a perfect race you are always a bit upset afterwards.”