2015 Washougal 250 MX Results | Webb Upsets Point Standings

Yamaha's Cooper Webb
Yamaha's Cooper Webb

2015 Washougal 250 MX Results

Yamaha's Cooper Webb
Yamaha’s Cooper Webb

Just as in the 450 class at Washougal Motocross, a tiebreaker was needed to settle the 250 class. Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Cooper Webb won the tiebreaker against Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin to earn back-to-back overall victories during an afternoon that saw another major swing in the championship point standings.

The 250 Class got underway with reigning champion and points leader Jeremy Martin posting the quickest lap of timed practice to earn the Bud Light Fastest Qualifier aboard his Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha.

However, that advantage didn’t work out to his favor in the first moto as GEICO Honda’s Christian Craig earned the Motosport.com Holeshot Award ahead of his teammate RJ Hampshire, Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Cooper Webb and Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin. Martin, who entered the race with a 19-point lead on Musquin in the championship, started outside the top 10 and crossed the line to complete the opening lap in 16th.

With a clear track ahead of him, Craig quickly opened a margin of over five seconds on the field but crashed out of the lead on Lap 2 when he tucked his front end and fell over. That mistake allowed Webb to take control of the moto, with Musquin second and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawsaki’s Arnaud Tonus taking over third in his first start of the season. Craig returned to action in fourth.

2015 Washougal 250 MX Results | Webb Upsets Point Standings
KTM’s Marvin Musquin

The top three riders sat within a few seconds of one another for the majority of the moto, but Webb and Musquin soon pulled ahead in what became a thrilling showdown for the win. As the leaders encountered lapped traffic, Musquin closed in on Webb’s rear fender and was able to make an aggressive pass for the lead on Lap 10. Webb then removed his goggles, enabling him to continue the fight for the position. Musquin was forced to remove his goggles as well after losing ground to Webb, with the battle reaching its pinnacle on the final lap. With less than a bike length between the top two, lapped riders forced Webb to alter his line in the slowest part of the track, almost sending him to the ground and allowing Musquin to open a small gap that he carried through to the finish. Webb was second, 2.305 seconds back, with Tonus hanging on for third. Martin managed to work his way into the top 10, finishing ninth.

The rain halted heading into the final moto, providing improved conditions. Knowing his points lead was on the line, Martin seized the opportunity to put his Yamaha up front in Moto 2 and grabbed the Motosport.com Holeshot Award ahead of Webb, FMF/Orange Brigade KTM’s Daniel Baker and Musquin. With the overall win within reach, Webb attacked Martin immediately for the lead and took control of the moto on the opening lap. Musquin asserted himself into third shortly thereafter and looked to pressure Martin for second.

Webb established nearly a three-second lead after the completion of the first lap, but Martin slowly chipped away at the deficit and less than a second separated the teammates when the moto reached its halfway point. The Yamaha duo paced one another with near identical lap times and the distance between them stabilized before Webb picked up the pace in the late stages of the moto. As soon as Webb appeared to have the upper hand Martin fought back, and when the two riders hit lapped traffic Martin took advantage of an opportunity to make a pass and snuck by at the slowest section of the track.

With just a few laps remaining Martin crashed out of the lead and lost multiple positions as he attempted to restart his Yamaha. Webb reclaimed the lead with Musquin charging hard in second. Martin resumed in fourth, but quickly passed his rookie teammate Aaron Plessinger to move into third. Webb capitalized on Martin’s late error to take the moto win by 5.063 seconds, with Musquin finishing off a good day in points in second. Martin recovered to finish third.

When the overall results were tallied Webb (2-1) and Musquin (1-2) sat tied for the overall win with identical moto scores, but Webb’s second moto triumph awarded him the tiebreaker and second straight victory. Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger earned his first career overall podium finish in third (5-4). Craig finished fourth overall (4-5), while Martin’s late crash dropped him to fifth (9-3).

“The day was good and we were able to make some good changes after practice that really helped,” said Webb. “I got a good start in the first moto and led most of it, but had a goggle issue that allowed Marvin [Musquin] to get around me. We came up short there, but got another good start in the second moto and made our way around Jeremy [Martin] early. He was able to get around me, but made a mistake that put us on top of the box. I feel like I’ve been a competitor every race and I’m proving I can win.”

Musquin’s runner-up effort gave him 15 points on Martin and now just four points separate the two riders in the 250 Class championship standings with three races remaining. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne, who finished ninth (7-11), sits third, 116 points back.

“It felt good to be myself today. The last two races have been tough with my [injured] wrist, but this week was really great and I came into Washougal with a lot of confidence,” said Musquin. “I went 1-1 here last year and I wanted to do that again today. The first moto was tough because it was easy to make mistakes, but I was able to win. In the second moto I made too many mistakes early, but we finished second and it ended up being a really good day for the championship.”

2015 Washougal 250 Motocross Results, (Moto Finish)

  1. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha (2-1)
  2. Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (1-2)
  3. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (5-4)
  4. Christian Craig, Plymouth, Minn., Honda (4-5)
  5. Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha (9-3)
  6. Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., KTM (6-8)
  7. Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM (11-6)
  8. Mitchell Oldenburg, Alvord, Texas, KTM (8-9)
  9. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna (7-11)
  10. Arnaud Tonus, Switzerland, Kawasaki (3-20)

250 Class Championship Standings

  1. Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 375
  2. Marvin Musquin, France, KTM, 371
  3. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna, 259
  4. Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki, 240
  5. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 233
  6. Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., KTM, 233
  7. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha, 203
  8. Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM, 181
  9. Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki, 178
  10. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha, 174
  11. Matt Bisceglia, Tualatin, Ore., Honda, 174

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