Just seven days after he said it was a, ‘nail in the coffin,’ for his title defence, Cooper Webb came away with the overall in Houston after three consistent finishes (4-2-3) in an intense triple crown.This time he was the one not making the mistakes to hold a vibrant Ken Roczen off late to clinch the win. Webb was 24 points down on points leader, Eli Tomac, coming into Houston, now it is down to 17 and the title hope is back.
Webb said: “Today, I said it was a lot of tunnel vision, not much fun, not much smiles. And it is hard, you know, like I said, there’s a lot of pressure for me to perform and for me to go out there and win. And I invite that pressure, but it is, like I said, when you feel like you’re doing everything right, you’re training hard, you’re having good weeks, and then the results aren’t coming, and there’s pressure from everyone.So the media, the fans, the team, everyone expects you to win. So I took it pretty hard, and I’m my own hardest critic.
“So, you know, a lot of sleepless nights, if I’m honest, a lot of why the hell am I still doing this? You know, you get those kind of thoughts going.And so to do that and, you know, just reward yourself, right? Like I said on the broadcast, but my wife really has kept me level-headed and helped me a lot this week, just to be like, you know what? Like, it is what it is. If it ain’t your year, it ain’t your year. So tonight was just a huge spark to get that confidence of like, hey, it still can be my year, and let’s do this thing.”
On still racing Roczen and Tomac for wins, with all three being in their 30s, Webb said: “It’s awesome, man, and I think, like you said, I’ve been pretty public about it, but I think our group is one of the best groups probably to ever do it. I really do believe that.You look at the record books, and all the wins we’ve accumulated, and we’re still here, and like you said, able to win, and it’s inspiring, right?
“I think everyone knows this is a younger man’s sport, and so, obviously, Eli’s done it. Kenny’s done it myself. They’re a little older than me, but still, like, I’m now 30, so it is inspiring, and just, it’s a confidence booster to say that I’ve raced the best guys throughout my whole career, and there’s young guys that are obviously deserving and gonna probably come in and win a lot of championships, but for the time being, it’s cool for us to kind of stick together and still be at the top of the sport, and, I mean, us three will be battling for this championship just like we were 10 years ago.”
