Yamaha teammates Cooper Webb (17) and Jeremy Martin (1) battle it out in the second moto. Photography by Hoppenworld.com
The race for the 250 outdoor title got tighter again. Even though Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Cooper Webb claimed the win, Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin gained valuable points on championship leader Jeremy Martin, who had a tough day in the Washougal mud.
As a light rain continued to fall, GEICO Honda’s Christian Craig shot out to an early lead in the first moto and opened up a commanding lead in just a few laps. Unfortunately for him, Craig fell in the mud on the third lap and dropped to fourth, handing the lead to Webb, second to Musquin and third to Arnaud Tonus, who was making his outdoor debut on the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki.
Martin, meanwhile, was mired in the pack after getting off to a 13th-place start.
Webb and Musquin soon engaged in a heated battle for the moto win, the two went at it lap after lap. Musquin took control of the lead on the 11th lap, but Webb hung right with him til the end. With steam billowing from his bike, Webb finished just two seconds behind Musquin, with Tonus taking third.
Craig hung on to fourth, while Webb’s teammate Aaron Plessinger rounded out the top five.
Martin, meanwhile, took the checkered flag in ninth, give away big points to Musquin.
Martin was out to reclaim those points in the second moto after grabbing the holeshot, and settling into the lead ahead of Musquin and Webb.
Webb was on fire, though. He wasted no time getting around Musquin and soon slipped passed his teammate, Martin, for the lead.
Martin, however, wasn’t about to give up so easily and fought back. He eventually made a great pass on Webb to retake the lead. Martin kicked it into overdrive and opened up a small gap on Webb and appeared to have the moto win in the bag, but two laps from the end, Martin bobbled and both Webb and Musquin got by him.
Webb went on to take the win just five seconds ahead of Musquin, with Martin finishing a distant third.
With three rounds left, the 250 title is still very much up for grabs between Martin and Musquin, who took a big chunk out of Martin’s points lead. Going into the race, Martin enjoyed a 19-point advantage over Musquin, now it’s just four points.
Webb took the overall win with a 2-1, while Musquin was awarded second overall with a 1-2. Plessinger finished out the day on the podium after going 5-4. Craig went 4-5 for fourth, while Martin rounded out the top five with a 9-3.
“The day was good and we were able to make some good changes after practice that really helped,” said Webb who missed a few rounds earlier in the season with an injury. “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.”
“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 who has been bothered by the wrist which he injured earlier in the series. “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.”
RESULTS
250 NATIONAL
1. Cooper Webb (Yam) 2-1
2. Marvin Musquin (KTM) 1-2
3. Aaron Plessinger (Yam) 3-4
4. Christian Craig (Hon) 4-5
5. Jeremy Martin (Yam) 9-3
6. Jessy Nelson (KTM) 6-8
7. Shane McElrath (KTM) 11-6
8. Mitchell Oldenburg (KTM) 8-9
9. Zach Osborne (Hus) 7-11
10. Arnaud Tonus (Kaw) 3-20
