For the second time in the past three rounds, Cooper Webb landed on the top step of the podium with his fourth win of 2024 in Foxborough. In those three races, Webb has pulled a 21-point deficit down to nothing as he now sits tied with Jett Lawrence in the 450SX standings. In the 250SX class, Haiden Deegan grabbed the win and inched closer back into the East title fight as he moved up to third in the standings. Both riders spoke with the media following the race in this Debrief feature.

450SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Cooper, fastest qualifier, second place in the heat race, then first place in the main event. You said on the podium you had to work for that one, you heard Chase coming. Can you take us through that and your start as well, lining up next to Jett Lawrence and whether that was strategy?

Yeah, like you said, it was a great start. Got the holeshot, which was huge. I was able to put together some good laps. I feel like Kenny and I had a great pace at the beginning and then honestly when the rain came, it got a little bit interesting for me. You don’t know if you can really trust some of those hard packed areas. A few of my lines I needed to clean up and be better at. Like I said, I feel like we had a good pace and I saw Chase catching Kenny and we were all riding well. I had a little bit of a gap and then made that big mistake in the rhythm section, and it tightened it right up quick. Chase made the pass, and he was coming. He was riding well. I just tried to him my marks the last few laps and I was trying to gauge where he was catching me. I looked for where I could pick up time and that was what I was trying to do. It felt good. I hadn’t led a whole main event in a long time. To get the co-points lead is an amazing feeling.

Were you aware of where Jett was throughout the race and were you thinking the championship points?

Yeah, I mean it was tough. I saw first lap that he was buried really far back. It made it tough right because you want to win, but you have all these guys that are fast, but championship guys are kind of who you’re thinking about at this stage of it. It was tough to stay locked in because you think about that, and you think about taking a second or maybe laying over. It definitely was challenging to see that right away and then try to push the limit of going out and getting a race win. I felt like after a few laps, I was able to settle in and lock in.

It seemed like there was pressure all day from Jett in the heat race and these two [Sexton and Roczen] in the main. What are you doing differently to feel like you can stay ahead of those guys in your mindset?

Start was key, that’s for sure. Especially tonight, it was tough to pass. It’s hard though. I haven’t led a lot. It’s definitely different up front. You just have to know where you’re fast and where you’re not and try to stick to that. I think tonight was hard to pass, but you could kind of ride behind guys and ride slower and pick up on where they were fast. It’s definitely a cat and mouse for sure. At this level, we’re all riding so well that if you start up front, you can all ride really fast. Today was good though. Especially after a break and being off the racing for a little bit. You might come in anxious or excited and over-ride. That’s what I think I did a really good job today with my riding was just finding a good flow all day.

You ended Jett’s three race win streak with your win [in Seattle]. Now you’ve finished ahead of him in the last three races. Is momentum really important at this stage of the season with four races remaining?

It’s definitely not a bad thing. I think it’s huge. He’s been really great this year and had a lot of great races, but it’s just something where I know it’s 17 rounds. We all get dealt adversity throughout the season, and it can come at different times. Obviously, he had some tough races these last few and I was able to take advantage of that. I think the big thing is just staying in it. A lot of people wrote me off at the beginning of the year but have written me off since Jett got the points lead. It’s definitely rewarding to have the red plate, fight through a lot of the stuff we have, and it’s not easy. This class and this sport are top level. I’m really proud of myself for sticking to it and knowing it was going to come down to late season points.

250SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Haiden, in the heat race you had that little mistake but then came out in the main event and just dominated. Take us through that moment in the heat race and did that fire you up and help you get this win?

Yeah, I was devastated. I was riding really well in the heat race. I’ve been working on the whoops a lot. I went down to Clermont and worked with one of my old teammates, and we worked whoops and I literally hit the whoops wide open. It just felt so good. I was doing that in the heat race and that’s where I was catching the guys mainly. I went for the lead on the inside there where I passed Seth [Hammaker] the last lap or two before and I think I hit my shifter, or my rear brake and it just stalled. I was like, “God, there’s no way I just did that.” Obviously, I knew I had to tame the tempers. But yeah, I was frustrated.

How much of that race was you managing it once you had that three to four second lead?

At the beginning, I pulled the holeshot which I was like, “Dude, this is what I need.” If I can get out front, then I can just ride my own race. I just got out front and I laid down a couple of sprint laps and then got a good gap where obviously Cameron wasn’t able to get me. I was able to hold that gap and just managed it. That’s what I feel like is the best thing to do in this 250 class is just to get out front early, sprint, and just manage. That’s what I felt like I did pretty well. This track was very mistake prone. The heat race I made a mistake, and it was slick. Just to be mistake free riding up front is what I was focused on, and we were able to do it.

Is this by far the best you’ve been in supercross? I mean the results were good last year, but do you feel you’ve made big strides, and we just hadn’t had the chance to see it yet?

Yeah definitely. I think some of the main event starts kind as well of held me back a little. Obviously, crashing as well. This is the best I’ve felt so far in supercross. I really had more in the tank. I was riding at like 85% or 90% just managing the race. If Cameron did get closer, I could have picked it up quite a bit. It’s just that management you were talking about. Being smooth, but it definitely feels good to finally let it all out and go out and get a win.

This is your second supercross win, but the first one you were in second for a lot of it and only led the last few laps. How much different did this one feel being out front the entire time?

It was awesome. I love when I can just get out front and go. It’s not fun when you’re coming through the pack, trust me. It’s just not great. I feel like outdoors when I could start up front and just race a pro National up front, it just gives you that feeling of how nice it is. Not getting roosted and stuff. When you get up front and do it in supercross, you get that feeling back where you just get to do your own race, lead, knock off your laps, hit your lines, and ride smooth. It’s nice.