2015 Phoenix 250 Supercross Recap
After a rough start to the season at Anaheim 1, Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Cooper Webb rode flawlessly to take his first career 250 Supercross win at round two of the Monster Energy Supercross series at Chase Field in Phoenix.
He would be joined on the Phoenix 250SX podium by GEICO Honda’s Malcolm Stewart and Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/KTM’s Jerry Nelson – the winner at Anaheim 1 last weekend.
After a strong third-place start, the North Carolina rider passed Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne on lap two to overtake the second position. Webb then chased down Stewart, and was able to execute a perfect block pass on the younger brother of James Stewart on the beginning of lap five.
This placed Webb in the lead, and from there he would put his Yamaha YZ250F on cruise control for the remaining fifteen laps to achieve his first-ever 250 Supercross victory.
Webb was all smiles up on the podium: “I got off to a really good start. Osborne, Stewart, and I all battled it out the first couple of laps and I knew I just had to be smart and try and get around them. I tried to lay a few good laps down to get a lead and just cruise. It was fun to get my first win here. I really wanted to get it last weekend, but we got it done here and have plenty more to go.”
Another rider who put in a much better performance than the previous weekend was second-place finisher Stewart. After a 22nd place finish at Anaheim 1, the GEICO Honda rider got a great start and flew by Osborne and Webb in the whoop section on the first lap to overtake the lead.
He held onto the lead until lap five when he was passed by Webb. He was able to hold off Nelson for the entire race to score a second place finish – a career best. Stewart knew that he had to stay off the ground to get on the podium.
“Honestly, I can’t thank my brother enough. I felt like he was behind me this whole race. Cooper was catching me and I knew he was faster than me tonight. My biggest problem has been staying up,” Stewart says.
“I just tried to keep it on two wheels and I ended up 2nd. I am happy and my biggest goal next weekend is to make it from the heat race to the main event. I don’t care about anything else. I will make my way from there. I just want to stay off the ground. I am tired of having a heart attack from all of these crashes!”
Nelson put his KTM 250 SX-F Factory Edition into third place for the second week in a row to round out the podium. A fourth-place start put him right near the front where he would utilize several inside lines that no other riders were taking. He made his way past Zach Osborne on lap three where he would remain for the rest of the race. But not without several knocks on the door from Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha rookie Aaron Plessinger, who closed up on Nelson during the last few laps of the race.
Nonetheless, Nelson was able to hold him off to retain third place and hold onto the red plate going into Anaheim 2.
“I am just trying to stay in the title hunt with good starts and riding consistent. I could have pushed and tried to get Malcolm, but we could have tangled like we have seen with other riders in the past,” Nelson says.
“I really wanted to get him, but he was riding good. Cooper was on another level and I was struggling a little bit. I didn’t even realize that Plessinger was right on me and I realized I needed to wake up and ride a little protective. It was a good day and I can’t thank the team enough. To get a third and still have the points lead is awesome and I could not be happier.”
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Tyler Bowers made a last lap charge to overtake fourth-place Plessinger, who put in another great ride scoring his second 5th place finish of the season.
After qualifying fastest during timed practice, Red Bull KTM’s Justin Hill would have to settle for sixth after a 14th place start. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne was feeling the effects of a broken thumb attained the week before at Anaheim 1 falling back to seveth place at the end of the main event after getting the holeshot.
Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/KTM’s Shane McElwrath, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Zach Bell, and Motorsport.com/GPI/Honda’s Tommy Hahn rounded out the top 10, respectively.
After failing to qualify for the main event the previous weekend at Anaheim 1, Monster Energy Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Chris Alldredge put his KX250F in the main finishing 15th after a last lap crash put him outside of the top ten for the night.
2015 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX Results – Round 2 – Phoenix
1. Cooper Webb – Yamaha YZ250F
2. Malcolm Stewart – Honda CRF250R
3. Jessy Nelson – KTM 250 SX-F Factory Edition
4. Tyler Bowers – Kawasaki KX250F
5. Aaron Plessinger – Yamaha YZ250F
6. Justin Hill – KTM 250 SX-F Factory Edition
7. Zach Osborne – Husqvarna FC 250
8. Shane McElwrath – KTM 250 SX-F Factory Edition
9. Zach Bell – Husqvarna FC 250
10. Tommy Hahn – Honda CRF250R
11. Matt Bisceglia – Honda CRF250R
12. Michael Leib – Honda CRF250R
13. Josh Hansen – Kawasaki KX250F
14. Cole Martinez – Yamaha YZ250F
15. Chris Alldredge – Kawasaki KX250F
16. Scott Champion – Yamaha YZ250F
17. Zack Freeburg – Yamaha YZ250F
18. Jackson Richardson – Honda CRF250R
19. Landen Powell – KTM 250 SX-F
20. Alex Martin – Yamaha YZ250F
21. Nico Izzi – Yamaha YZ250F
22. Austin Politelli – Yamaha YZ250F
[…] far behind and out of contention. Let’s see who’s in a good position after the second round in Phoenix, and who is in serious […]