Malcolm Stewart wins his first AMA East SX title and Cooper Webb repeats as AMA West SX champ at a muddy Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.
GEICO Honda’s Malcolm Stewart and Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Cooper Webb wrapped up championship titles in their respective Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series regions on an uncharacteristically swampy night at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Saturday night.
Although neither man won the Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Shootout, a unique race on the 250SX schedule that combines both regions for one main event, their titles were still on the line, and Stewart was able to land his first career AMA professional championship with a third-place finish, behind Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Zach Osborne. Webb’s title battle was far more dramatic, as a crash early in the main event left him deep in the field while main title rival Savatgy ran out front. Webb had to pass his way into a position that would net enough points to preserve his lead if Savatgy won the race. An 11th place finish sealed Webb’s second consecutive Monster Energy AMA 250SX West title by a single point.
Heavy rains had swept through the area during the day, turning the Boyd Stadium track into a total quagmire and causing AMA officials to shorten the main event from 15 laps to 12 laps. The start would be crucial, as the mixed-up lines and deep holes in the track made it difficult to ride a clean lap, let alone make a pass.
Savatgy put the pressure on Webb in the West title battle by pulling the holeshot followed by Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teammate Chris Alldredge and Stewart when the gate fell. Yamaha riders Webb, Alex Martin and Aaron Plessinger ran in the next three spots, and for a moment it appeared as though a true shootout would take place among the top runners from both the Eastern and Western regions. But that effectively went out the window when Webb slipped and went down on the opening lap, putting his chances for a repeat West title jeopardy. Teammate and Eastern region competitor Jeremy Martin also crashed and got stuck in the mud, ruining his chances for a race win. Then, Plessinger pulled into the pits on lap two with bike issues, practically ending his hopes for the East title unless Stewart ran into problems.
That set up a nail-biter for the Yamaha camp as Savatgy showed surprising speed in the muck. After an early miscue that allowed CycleTrader Rock River Yamaha’s Colt Nichols to take the lead briefly on lap two, Savatgy found a rhythm, retook the lead and went on to win the race by 6.8 seconds. Osborne, who ran 11th after the first lap, passed his way through the field and getting by Stewart just two laps from the finish. Plessinger also gave it his best effort and put on the charge of the race, coming from 19th place to fourth place, just ahead of Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Gannon Audette. All that was left to see was where Webb would finish and whether it would be enough.
Webb, who was struggling with a broken scaphoid, struggled mightily as the track conditions deteriorated, and when Plessinger passed him on lap five, he dropped to 12th place, effectively knotting the points battle if the finishing order stood. Webb would still take the title by virtue of more wins, but he could not afford to lose another position on the track. He ultimately gained a spot instead, and that was more than enough to cement the 250SX West title over Savatgy by one point
Meanwhile, there was already a massive celebration going on in the Stewart camp as the Floridian was bear-hugged by his brother, James, along with family and friends after landing the 250SX East title.
“Man, I am so speechless right now,” an emotional Stewart said. “That was the hardest 12 laps I’ve ever had to do in my entire life. I’m just speechless. I can’t thank the GEICO Honda team enough [and] my mom and dad. What I went through—me and my brother—this year, it has been an up-and-down season for both of us. You know I felt half of this championship [goes] directly to him.”
Stewart also thanked the Las Vegas fans and announced to them that he would be stepping up to the 450cc class in 2017.
“Hopefully we can get that ball rolling,” he said.
Webb was far more reserved, although the weight of his accomplishment certainly was not lost on him.
“It was definitely not easy, but you know we fought for it, and that’s why we’re up here,” Webb said. “All the hard work in the season has definitely paid off. I wasn’t going to let injury set me back. It wasn’t looking good there for a second, and I knew what I had to do. I’m just stoked to get it done. I can’t thank my whole Yamalube Star Racing Yamaha team enough. We had an up-and-down year with stuff happening, but it all works out in the end.”
Webb’s championship overshadowed what was clearly a superior performance by Savatgy under atrocious conditions. The Kawasaki rider was disappointed at missing out on the West championship, but he is expected to be a factor in the upcoming Lucas Oil 250cc Pro Motocross Championship, which gets underway in two weeks.
“My mechanic was letting me know [the championship situation] on the pitboard, and for a while there we were good,”
Savatgy said. “Hat’s off to Cooper [Webb]. He did what he had to do, and I know what it’s like to go through what he is going through. You can’t take anything away from the guy. He is obviously a back-to-back champion for a reason. He’s a bad dude on a dirtbike. But to end the series like this is unbelievable. I did everything that I could do. I’m a little upset right now. It’s kind of sinking in that we were that close, and we could’ve eliminated a few mistakes earlier in the year. It’s unfortunate, but to end the year like this, I am beyond pumped. We had a solid 12 laps, and we came home with the win. And we’re in Vegas, so we’ll go have a little bit of fun tonight before we get serious for outdoors, and we’ll come out swingin’ for outdoors.”
2016 Monster Energy AMA 250SX East Supercross Series
2016 Monster Energy AMA 250SX West Supercross Series
Sam Boyd Stadium
Las Vegas, Nevada
Results: May 7, 2016 (Round 9 of 9)
Dave Coombs Sr. East/West Shootout
1. Joey Savatgy-Kaw
2. Zach Osborne-Hus
3. Malcolm Stewart-Hon
4. Aaron Plessinger-Yam
5. Gannon Audette-Kaw
6. Colt Nichols-Yam
7. Tyler Bowers-Kaw
8. Christian Craig-Hon
9. Luke Renzland-Yam
10. Martin Davalos-Hus
11. Cooper Webb-Yam
12. Mitchell Oldenburg-KTM
13. Chris Alldredge-Kaw
14. Cedric Soubeyras-Kaw
15. Jeremy Martin-Yam
16. Rj Hampshire-Hon
17. Shane Mcelrath-KTM
18. Alex Martin-Yam
19. James Decotis-Hon
20. Ryan Breece-Yam
21. Jordon Smith-Hon
22. Chase Marquier-Hon
2016 Monster Energy AMA 250SX East Supercross Series Points Standings (after 9 of 9 rounds)
1. Malcolm Stewart-180/2 wins
2. Aaron Plessinger-164/1 win
3. Jeremy Martin-147/2 wins
4. Martin Davalos-141/2 wins
5. Tyler Bowers-122
6. Gannon Audette-121
7. Shane McElrath-113
8. RJ Hampshire-104
9. Anthony Rodriguez-78
10. Matt Bisceglia-68
2016 Monster Energy AMA 250SX West Supercross Series Points Standings (after 9 of 9 rounds)
1. Cooper Webb-180/5 wins
2. Joey Savatgy-179/3 wins
3. Christian Craig-160/1 win
4. Zach Osborne-154
5. Colt Nichols-147
6. Mitchell Oldenburg-122
7. Jimmy Decotis-111
8. Kyle Peters-100
9. Jordon Smith-78
Alex Martin-78
Kyle Cunningham-78
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