Image: Octopi Media.

The race for the 2021 Monster Energy Supercross championship has intensified following Orlando 2 with Cooper Webb going back-to-back and leading a Red Bull KTM 1-2 from Marvin Musquin.

The holeshot was taken by Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) with Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki), Musquin, Justin Bogle (Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS) and Vince Friese (Smartop Bullfrog Spas MCR Honda) in tow.

Cianciarulo got around Barcia quick as Webb slotted into third right away. Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha’s Malcolm Stewart maintained fourth early on, as Roczen was buried in 12th, locked into battle with Zach Osborne (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) and teammate Jason Anderson in the opening laps.

Cianciarulo managed to get out to an early lead of more than two seconds, while Webb didn’t wait long to get around Barcia into second on lap two. Musquin got around Barcia with 16 minutes to go with Tomac all over them for the podium.

Stewart dropped to sixth, but quickly worked his way back into the top five after a mistake from defending champion Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki). Roczen was making quick work of the field on his charge through the pack, seemingly finding traction where others couldn’t and he moved into sixth with 15 minutes left.

Roczen momentarily got past Tomac while at the same time Webb grabbed the lead from Cianciarulo out front. The battle between the top two allowed Musquin back into the mix, the Red Bull KTM rider closing in on Cianciarulo just a lap later.

A few laps went by before Cianciarulo’s night came to an end in the whoops section, leaving Webb with a 3.5s gap on his teammate. With two minutes to go, Roczen finally got around Tomac and set his sights on Barcia. Tomac’s situation got a little worse as he was quickly swallowed up by Anderson a lap later dropping him to sixth.

Musquin put on a charge in the closing stages of the race, but Webb was not to be denied, securing victory and back-to-back wins in Orlando with his teammate 3.040s behind.

Barcia was able to hold off a charging Roczen to take the final spot on the podium, with Anderson rounding out the top five. Tomac finished in sixth place with Stewart taking seventh after an eventful race. Osborne ended his night in ninth place after recovering from a rough start, followed by Bogle with his best finish of the year.

There’s now a weekend off prior to Daytona on Saturday, 6 March, with Roczen leading the Monster Energy Supercross standings by six markers over Webb, while Tomac is a full 31 points in arrears of the red plate.

Detailed Results