2019 E. Rutherford Results: Webb Wins; Crashes Galore
In a 23-lap race where four of the top five riders crashed, Cooper Webb rode virtually error-free to take the win at MetLife Stadium in E. Rutherford, New Jersey. Joining Webb on the podium was Zach Osborne and Eli Tomac. Marvin Musquin finished in P5, just ahead of Ken Roczen, and both were mathematically eliminated from the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship battle for the title. Webb takes a 23-point lead over Tomac going into the final round at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas next week.
An under-the-weather Cooper Webb exceeded expectations by taking an unlikely win on the tricky MetLife Stadium track. Although he grabbed the holeshot, Webb (Red Bull KTM) never really looked like the likely winner. Tomac dogged Webb early, and Tomac took the lead on lap 3. Webb held off Osborne for P2, with Webb inheriting the lead on lap 9 when Tomac went down in the whoops. Osborne continued to hound Webb and passed Webb on lap 15. However, Webb was again gifted the lead when Osborne blew a corner, slipped his front wheel between Tuff Blocks and had to back-up to rejoin the race. From there, Webb was never challenged for the lead. Webb extends his series lead to 23 points going into Las Vegas. If Webb finishes in P20 or better at Sam Boyd Stadium, he is the 2019 Monster Energy Supercross Champion.Cooper Webb
Just as he did in 2017, Tomac threw his championship chances away at MetLife Stadium. In 2017, Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) crashed and stalled his motorcycle in the Main Event, handing over the series lead to eventual champion Ryan Dungey. This year, Tomac suffered identical crashes in the whoops on laps 9 and 20. The first cost Tomac the lead, and the other ended his charge to regain the lead. Tomac was clearly the fastest rider out there, though he also crashed while leading his Heat. With all of his mistakes, Tomac dropped five points farther back in the standings, and needs to win in Las Vegas. If Tomac does not win at Sam Boyd Stadium, the championship goes to Webb. Even if Tomac does win in Las Vegas, he’ll need Webb to finish in P21 in the Main or worse to take the title.Eli Tomac crashes in whoops
Marvin Musquin looked great in his Heat, but his Main Event podium chances and championship hopes were ended in the first corner. Musquin (Red Bull KTM) went down in the first corner after clipping the rear wheel of Justin Bogle. That put Musquin in P18 at the end of the opening lap. Musquin did an admirable job of working through the pack, moving into the top 10 by lap 7. From there, he went by Cole Seely, Justin Brayton, and Justin Hill on the next lap, and then past Joey Savatgy for P6 on the following lap. Well behind Ken Roczen, it took until the final lap for Musquin to pass Roczen for P5. It’s not enough to keep Musquin in contention for the title, as he leaves MetLife Stadium 31 points behind Webb with only 26 points on offer at the final race.Marvin Musquin down in first corner
Zach Osborne grabbed his first-ever 450SX podium, and led a lap two-thirds of the way into the Main Event. Osborne (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing) grabbed a podium-position start and never dropped out of the top 3 the entire Main event. From lap 3 to lap 14, Osborne tailed Webb. As Osborne looked faster, it caused fans to speculate if Osborne was under team orders to not pass Webb—the same company that owns KTM owns Husqvarna. On lap 15, Osborne put that speculation to rest as he fairly aggressively passed Webb for the lead. That lead was short-lived, as Osborne blew a corner and went into the Tuff Blocks. Although he didn’t fall down, Osborne was forced to back-up and was passed by Blake Baggett in the process. Osborne quickly repassed Baggett for P2, though Osborn was now far behind Webb.Zach Osborne blows a corner
It was a relatively quiet race for Blake Baggett, and a podium beckoned. Running in P4 for the eight opening laps, Baggett (Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/WPS/KTM) was in the mix up front. Tomac’s lap 9 crash moved Baggett into a podium spot, and Baggett moved up to P2 on lap 16 when Osborne blew a turn. However, a lap later Osborne battled back, parked Baggett in a turn, and regained the last podium position. This also allowed a charging Tomac to close the gap on Baggett and pass him on the same lap. Baggett stuck with P4 for the rest of the Main Event, running a fairly lonely race. Going into Las Vegas, Baggett has P5 nailed down in the standings. Baggett could take P4 in the Monster Energy Supercross Championship Series in Las Vegas, though it would require a Baggett win and Roczen failing to make the Main Event.
Ken Roczen continues to underwhelm. One of the pre-season favorites for the title, Roczen (Team Honda HRC) has had undisclosed health issues for the last month. Roczen is on a 10-8-7-6 run since a podium at round 12 in Seattle. Roczen started in P9 and moved his way up to the top 5 by lap 9. Roczen held onto P5 from lap 9 until the final lap when Musquin got by. Musquin was 3.442 seconds faster than Roczen on the last two laps, putting Roczen a full two seconds behind Musquin at the checkers.
There’s a programming change for the final round in Las Vegas. The race from Sam Boyd Stadium will be shown live on Saturday, May 4, at 10 p.m. ET on USA Network, rather than NBCSN, per numerous graphics shown during the E. Rutherford coverage. NBC Sports Gold paid subscribers will also be able to stream the final round live, as well as qualifying at 1 p.m. ET. As always we have updated our Supercross Cable and Streaming Television Schedule.
Photography by Rich Shepherd, et al.
2019 E. Rutherford Supercross Results, MetLife Stadium
Cooper Webb (KTM)
Zach Osborne (Husqvarna)
Eli Tomac (Kawasaki)
Blake Baggett (KTM)
Marvin Musquin (KTM)
Ken Roczen (Honda)
Joey Savatgy (Kawasaki)
Josh Grant (Yamaha)
Cole Seely (Honda)
Justin Hill (Suzuki)
Tyler Bowers (Kawasaki)
Kyle Chisholm (Suzuki)
Justin Brayton (Honda)
Ryan Breece (Yamaha)
Ben Lamay (Honda)
Henry Miller (KTM)
Justin Starling (Husqvarna)
Chris Blose (Husqvarna)
Alex Ray (Suzuki)
Theodore Pauli (Kawasaki)
Carlen Gardner (Honda)
Justin Bogle (KTM)
2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Standings (after 16 of 17 rounds)
