- 2 days ago
2026 Supercross Round 10 Birmingham 450 Heat 1
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00:00Yes, transitioning to that 450 part of the program, including the point leader, Hunter Lawrence, who was the fastest in
00:08the final qualifying session today.
00:10Tomac is fastest overall that time, came out of the first qualifying session.
00:14So picking up right where he left off for that win at Indy.
00:19Cooper Webb in this heat race as well.
00:22Yeah, you always wonder, dude, these guys can carry that momentum off, you know, during the break.
00:27Yeah.
00:28See, it shows once you get in that role, it actually benefits you if you come in there with a
00:32win.
00:33So nonetheless, we're going to find out.
00:34And this guy changed it up.
00:36He went back to North Carolina to the old JGR track.
00:41That's still there, run by some Australian off-road racers.
00:44He's changed it up, did some whoops, put in some serious work.
00:48Cooper Webb, he's not giving up on this championship at all.
00:51There's your brother Malcolm.
00:52Got to figure he's getting stronger every week after starting the year, a little bit banged up.
00:56And there is Marchbanks over there on the right, on the 36th, the monster of Kawasaki.
01:01Fifth gate picking this group for Marchbanks.
01:03Holding down the Kawasaki fork right now.
01:06George Smith right here.
01:09Yeah.
01:09See him.
01:10Yeah.
01:11Getting those laps in, getting better and better.
01:13Yeah.
01:13You mentioned holding down the fork for Kawasaki.
01:15Thought maybe Chase Sexton would get back to action this weekend.
01:18I believe he did start riding this week, but not racing here in Birmingham.
01:21Perhaps the number four will be back for Detroit.
01:24We'll know in seven days' time, I'm sure.
01:27Fly racing 30-second card is up.
01:294.50 is about to rip.
01:32Cooper Webb on the search for momentum.
01:34He looked feisty, early laps in qualifying.
01:38But Hunter Lawrence is the one they're all chasing right now, that point leader.
01:47All right, it's getting nervous time.
01:49It's been a while since these riders have been on the track.
01:52How has it changed?
01:53How will it go?
01:554.50, he won.
01:56Let's go.
02:05Oh, Webb had it.
02:07Drifts wide.
02:08Just able to hold Hunter Lawrence at bay.
02:11Yeah, that was really close to what Hunter Lawrence did right there.
02:14He tried sliding in behind Cooper Webb.
02:16Luckily, Cooper Webb slid.
02:18Otherwise, Hunter Lawrence would have went down.
02:19He tried to get up the inside.
02:20But the out front, last guy you probably want out front is the number one right now for
02:25your Hunter Lawrence.
02:26You want to get out here, smooth sailings, and then you got my brother behind you.
02:29See what happens.
02:31And as I said, search for momentum is on for the champ.
02:34And it's a good way to do it.
02:35Get out front of the point leader in the heat.
02:38And both Cooper Webb and Ken Rockson, the riders fourth and third of the series, said
02:42they are not giving up on this championship.
02:45Could start right here.
02:46Yeah, absolutely.
02:47I mean, when you got that number one is Cooper Webb being a three-time champion.
02:51Giving up is not even in your DNA.
02:52Hey, this has been a tough year for his standards.
02:55But you never know if that script can flip.
02:57Go back a couple years ago when he was in this same title slot.
03:01And he ended up going down with a couple of races.
03:03So he's always going to give it all.
03:05Will.
03:06Yeah, Jason, he's been giving it his all.
03:08You talked about him being in North Carolina there last week.
03:11That was with our very own part of the broadcast team there, Justin Brayton.
03:15Work practice, yes.
03:16But I was told by JB that it was honestly a lot of all-track stuff.
03:19What I was mostly interested in asking them is where was the motivation level?
03:24And I got told very, very high.
03:27They said he was there prepared to work.
03:29He worked hard all week.
03:30And most interestingly, when he returned to the farm there in Florida afterwards, Rich Simmons, the team manager, said to
03:37me, everybody was like, wow, look at him.
03:39They said the difference in where he was, just in his head mentally and on track, was incredible.
03:44He told me there's absolutely no settle in Cooper Webb.
03:48And he's here to battle through the rest of the rounds.
03:52We're seeing it, Will.
03:53No doubt about it.
03:53Holding more.
03:54Except maybe even stretching it a little bit now.
03:56Yeah, in every lap, Cooper holds on to this position.
03:59I mean, you got to remember, Hunter Lawrence is the points leader.
04:01So Cooper can hold him off.
04:03He has a number one for a reason.
04:04He knows how to win these things.
04:05But just that confidence.
04:07At this level, it really, it's upstairs.
04:09I mean, Cooper, yeah, he's going to work on it, do all those things.
04:12But really, for his mind to believe that he's making improvements and it's showing on the racetrack.
04:16It's been showing all day.
04:19Shout out to the Aus Ranch.
04:20That's what they call the old Joe Gibbs Racing Track these days.
04:23That's where Webb did his work.
04:24Shout out, yeah, to Justin Brayton to Race Day Live for working with him.
04:28And now Hunter trying to bear down from second place.
04:32Stewart still third.
04:33Craig fourth.
04:34Transfer battle.
04:35You got Harlan on the 78 making the move on Meshi.
04:40And Jordan Smith on the triumph number 20.
04:43He's in ninth.
04:45Yeah, Jordan's in his body.
04:46He wants to try to move forward.
04:47But make for him.
04:49Just wait for this to open up.
04:50It's a few mistakes.
04:52It looks like Meshi makes that mistake.
04:54And that split lane.
04:55Let's see if Jordan has a nice run behind him.
04:57But, man, he gets off that corner.
05:00Scott.
05:01Pretty good.
05:02Yeah, pretty good.
05:03I go back to Daytona watching him.
05:05And he has some...
05:06Scott has some great lines there.
05:08He was able to make that transfer.
05:10But George Smith had a little different plan on this time.
05:13Meshi has a full-time job.
05:14The air filter company, Twin Air.
05:17He has a college degree.
05:18He applied for a sponsorship.
05:20Put on the racing resume that he has a degree.
05:22And they said, would you like a job also?
05:25And he does not ride between races.
05:26He trains in the off-season on weekends.
05:29He says the only time he's on the bike is full race mode.
05:32And he says maybe that's an advantage in some way.
05:35Well, whatever he's doing, he's working out more of it.
05:37He's making these main events.
05:39But this problem, he's got Justin Hill.
05:41It was really quick today coming up.
05:43That's going to be a hard ask to keep him up on it.
05:45We know how talented Justin is.
05:47And as I say that, now they're going to that split lane.
05:49Let's see what happens at the end.
05:51And it's his ninth.
05:52Last transfer spot.
05:53Here comes Hill.
05:55Not at all.
05:56No, Justin messed up that outside corner.
05:59And he didn't get the run.
06:00But now you're starting to see Hunter Lawrence close in on Cooper Webb.
06:04I actually think this might be a good part for Hunter because I don't think he's necessarily
06:07he's worried about Cooper, but he's not worried about him in the sense of the championship.
06:10He can almost use his heat race to see where he can make these times up.
06:14You're watching the champion in front of you to see if these split lanes go outside if Cooper
06:18goes in and vice versa.
06:19Really start testing the racetrack maybe for later on in his main event and then try to
06:23make that pass towards the end of this race.
06:25Hunter's sending it now, JT.
06:27Well, Hunter Lawrence trying to make a move here.
06:30And, you know, to Will's point, Cooper's still trying to make improvements throughout
06:34the season.
06:34But if you look at the body of work, it seems like he's just been a little bit touch off
06:39on pace.
06:40And you see Hunter able to close up accordingly.
06:42Even the race he won in Houston, he kind of manufactured a win.
06:46He didn't win any of the individual races in the Triple Crown.
06:49And that's kind of been the story of the season.
06:52Really good, podium capable, but just a touch off of the pace of the guys like Hunter Lawrence,
06:57Ken Rockson, and Eli Tomek.
06:59And I think that's been the big difference in 2026, is he hasn't been able to win with
07:04outright speed.
07:05And if he wants to claw back into this championship, he's going to have to find a little bit more
07:08pace.
07:09Yeah, I agree with you, JT.
07:11And that's the hard part for Cooper, is that he's been so close to be able to be in these
07:15situations.
07:15But when he watches his heat race, he's going to see what I see.
07:19Hunter Lawrence is just sitting behind him, you know, pretty relaxed.
07:22He can close in whenever he feels like it.
07:24And Cooper's really trying.
07:25And that's, I guess, hard as you're a champion like Cooper to really deal with that.
07:28But he won't give it up.
07:31Into the whoops, and with a little bit of lap traffic to deal with, that's Corey Karsten.
07:38They clear him.
07:40Oh, Hunter is right there.
07:42Yeah, Hunter was good.
07:43He was kind of hoping that Cooper would go to the outside, then he would have dove on the
07:46inside there.
07:47But Cooper didn't, because that lap rider, he's got two laps left.
07:51Yes, they did not stop the clock.
07:55There were about nine seconds left when they got there.
07:58So it's still two to go.
08:01Oh, boy.
08:03See how to split lane.
08:04Cooper decides to go to the outside first.
08:06Hunter goes around at inside.
08:08Now, if he can get a run, Cooper's going to close in and he's going to be ahead.
08:11But if he can get a nice run, he should have been able to close that gap.
08:14But Cooper got in that and out really quickly.
08:19That's why I hear the crowd, as these two go at it.
08:24Oh.
08:27Hunter from the inside, still a good run in the whoops.
08:33See if Hunter does on that inside right there.
08:37Almost.
08:38Oh, it's tough.
08:39Can't play any tricks on Webb.
08:41Here it is.
08:41White flag coming up.
08:43Last lap, Webb versus Lawrence.
08:48Hunter, not quite enough.
08:51It's a good run from both these guys.
08:53But I don't think Hunter's going to try to do anything to hit Cooper Webb in this heat race.
08:58Oh, they're both in the same section of the split line now.
09:04And look at this.
09:05Malcolm Stewart has closed the gap.
09:07He's right there from third.
09:12Hunter's been a little bit quicker in the whoop section.
09:15And if Cooper leaves that outside open before that mechanic center, you're going to see the 96 dive on the
09:19inside.
09:19But look at that run.
09:20Cooper was able to get.
09:22Yes.
09:23Crushed the whoops in this last lap.
09:25Hunter's going to go triple-double.
09:26He's got to use a totally different line.
09:28It's not enough.
09:32One last shot at it for the 96.
09:36Cooper Webb wins the heat.
09:38Great racing.
09:39Yeah, great racing.
09:40For sure.
09:41Cooper Webb's got eyes in the back of his head.
09:43He knew that pass was going to come if he left that door.
09:45Great race.
09:46Man, they both changed lines completely on that last lap.
09:49That's two of the craftiest out there showing you how it's done.
09:54Honestly, shout out to Malcolm.
09:56Got right back in it.
09:57Yeah, sounds good.
09:58So great between all three.
10:00Cooper Webb, like Will said, the motivation is high.
10:05And he just proved it right there.
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