The 2023 EnduroCross campaigned kicked off with FactoryONE Sherco riders Cody Webb and Cooper Abbott finishing P2 and P7 respectively. The large crowd at the Angel of the Winds arena was treated to an action-packed night of racing.
The night kicked off with an expert-class moto, where the top six in class would advance to the pro class. This was followed by the qualifying hot laps from the top 10 pros from the 2022 season to determine gate pick for Moto 1. Abbott qualified P4 and Webb would be one better with a P3.
The first moto didn’t go as planned for either Sherco rider. Abbott was near the front at the first turn but was pushed into a log, which caused him to crash. This would put him dead last. Webb was P8 at the first turn but was making his way forward quickly. When battling with Taddy Blazusiak for third, he made a mistake on the smaller tire stack and went down, putting him back in P8. He would only gain one position by the time the checkered flag waived. Abbott moved up to P10.
The reverse gate Moto 2 would have Abbott grabbing the hole shot. Webb wasn’t so fortunate, as he was second-to-last at the first turn. Abbott led for the first half of the moto before relinquishing the lead to moto winner Jonny Walker. Webb rode mistake-free and made his way forward in rather short order. At the checkers, it would be Webb with a P2 finish. Abbott finished P6.
A shot at the podium meant Webb would have to finish one better than Rockstar Husqvarna’s Ryder Leblond and two better than FMF KTM’s Trystan Hart. At the drop of the gate, he would again have a mid-pack start, but he was ahead of Leblond and Hart. Webb was led by Walker and Colton Haaker. He knew he didn’t have to finish ahead of either to get his podium result, so he rode very smart. The cards fell his way, as he finished just ahead of Leblond and four better than Hart, giving him P2 on the night. Abbott had a good moto, finishing P5 and giving him a P7 on the night.
