T-Dog’s Takes: Coop’s Chip is Back and He’s in Championship Contention

Main Image Courtesy of KTM Images and Align Media

Cooper Webb is going to be in championship contention come the final round of Monster Energy Supercross. There is no doubt in my mind about that this year. 

I understand the argument that I’m hearing out there about how “He got second at A1 last year too”. Well, yes he did, but at the same time, Webb looked like himself again. He came from the back and put pressure on the frontrunners and kept charging like a diesel engine. He looked great out there. Also, his comments about himself being “washed up” in the press conference were classic Cooper. He’s definitely got a chip on his shoulder this season, which should be concerning for the competition. Here are three big reasons why I think 2023 will be completely different. 

Rejuvenated and Having Fun

Cooper took the Summer off from the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship to find the fun again. He didn’t have the Supercross season that he expected and came to find out, he was burned out as he explained on the PulpMX Show when he was in the studio with Seth Rarick and Phil Nicoletti. What was the saving grace of Webb’s year? It was racing and riding anything local that he could. He spent the Summer riding some J Day Offroad races as well as hanging around local tracks. He had fun riding his dirt bike again and it gave him the reset he needed to give 2023 SX everything he had. 

Aldon

In 2021, Webb did not spend the offseason with Aldon Baker. It was the first time he had done so since he joined Red Bull KTM.The season did not go to plan and so for boot camp this past offseason training with him was a must. Webb is a two-time 450SX champion under the training of Aldon and they work well together despite the constant workload it takes to be elite. I personally think that since Webb has found the drive to put his mind and body through Aldon’s program one more time he’s not going to let this opportunity go to waste. He’s put all his poker chips in the center of the table to become a three-time champ. 

Father Time

This portion goes two ways. One way is that Webb is 27 years old and yes we have seen an average increase in age of the top riders, but I feel like Webb will be different. He might only want to do this another 1-2 years or even be a Supercross only guy the rest of his career. This coincides with the fact that he just became a father and he may feel like if he wins this SX title that he’s accomplished all of his goals and made enough money as a racer. Also, with the new SuperMotocross schedule, Webb could essentially just race Supercross to qualify for the playoffs and possibly win the large sum of money up for grabs. We will have to see, but these three key reasons are why I feel like Webb will be hard to beat for this SX title in 2023.

Written by Troy Dog

Faster than Slaw Dog. Editor-in-Chief

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