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Current Monster Energy AMA Supercross champion Cooper Webb has pulled out of this weekend’s Monster Energy Cup in Las Vegas.

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider released a statement confirming his withdrawal, explaining a lack of seat time since returning from a knee injury sustained in the Lucas Oil Pro AMA Motocross Championship is the reason he’ll sit on the sidelines this Saturday night.

“I will not be racing MEC this weekend,” Webb commented. “With only three days of riding on the 450 so far, KTM and I decided it would be best to skip this race and focus on preparation and testing for 2020 SX.”

Webb, who raced Red Bull Straight Rhythm on a two-stroke earlier this month, is the second high-profile rider to withdraw from the Monster Energy Cup after 2018 supercross champion Jason Anderson (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Racing) elected to miss the event.

Webb’s teammate Marvin Musquin also confirmed he won’t on the start line, however he wasn’t initially slated to contest the one-off race.

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Husqvarna has outlined the new management that will take over from JM Racing in the MX2 World Championship, confirming the Nestaan-MX will run the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team from 2020.

Owned by Kay Hennekens, Nestaan-MX has been involved in motocross world championship competition for many years and will operate from a new workshop in Lommel, Belgium.

Overseeing the operational, sporting and developmental aspects of the team, while actively assisting with the professional development of all team riders.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing will field three riders in 2020, continuing with Thomas Kjer Olsen and Australian Jed Beaton in the MX2 category. Representing the team in the EMX250 series will be Kay de Wolf, who placed sixth in the 2019 EMX 125 championship.

“We are extremely proud of our Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing teams, which ensure Husqvarna Motorcycles enjoy a strong and successful position within the FIM Motocross World Championship,” said Husqvarna’s motorsport manager Diego Clement.

“Partnering with Nestaan-MX, as we do with IceOne Racing in MXGP, gives our MX2 program an exciting new operational and managerial platform as we move into 2020 and beyond. With experienced people within the team, and a very clear drive to achieve success, we look forward to developing this new relationship with Nestaan-MX.

“Our goal is clear – to see the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MX2 team continue to enjoy racing success at the highest level.”

Team owner Hennekens added: “It is a huge honour for Nestaan-MX to manage and run Husqvarna Motorcycles’ official MX2 World Championship team. Our absolute goal is to provide the support and structure our riders need to perform at their best, while showcasing Husqvarna Motorcycles and our team partners in a professional, engaging and positive way.

“We have fantastic staff, all experienced, committed and 100 percent focused on racing. As team manager Rasmus is young and highly motivated and understands what’s needed to succeed in modern day grand prix motocross. 2020 will be an exciting season for Nestaan-MX and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing.”

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Kyle Webster admits representing Team Australia at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations (MXoN) last month hindered his preparations for the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship, the SX2 challenger earning 10th at Brisbane’s season-opener.

The Western Australian received the call-up for MXoN in just his initial days of being on a supercross track this season, prompting him to put testing on hold in favour of preparing for the Assen event.

Despite arriving home days out of Brisbane’s first round, the Penrite Pirelli CRF Honda Racing rider still lined up for the opening stop of the series, transferring directly to the main events, where he posted a DNF-10 scorecard.

“The whole MXoN experience was amazing, but it did mean my build up for the supercross championship was limited and I only had a few days of supercross training before we lined up in Brisbane,” Webster explained.

“I really struggled with how small and tight track the track was at Brisbane, so now we’ll just move on and I’m excited to put in a solid week of riding, and I cannot wait for the next round at Adelaide.”

The Australian Supercross Championship visit Port Adelaide this Saturday for round two of the series.

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Penrite Honda Racing’s Brett Metcalfe has described his race two crash at Brisbane’s supercross opener as ‘indoor racing at its finest’ after the South Australian was pushed wide over a berm, ultimately denying him of a podium following a commanding P2 result in main event one.

The former international immediately picked up the form that took him to runner-up honours in the 2018 championship, and was on target to reach the podium before going down in the early stages of the final encounter. His 2-5 results saw him equal for third, although credited fourth on countback.

The tight nature of Brisbane Entertainment Centre delivered a number of on-track clashes throughout the night as expected, however Metcalfe’s incident has only fuelled his motivation ahead of a home round in Port Adelaide this weekend.

“I qualified well, heat race went good and I had a good start, which was important to get through to the main events,” Metcalfe explained to MotoOnline.com.au. “We missed a little on our set-up going in, so we’ll work on that and improve for the rest of the rounds.

“In the last main event, it was indoor racing at its finest – I got put over a berm and went down. I had to charge from last – it happens. I’m definitely motivated, and I’m pretty angry [laughs].”

The Australian Supercross Championship heads to South Australia this weekend, the same venue Metcalfe heroically won at last year.

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Serco Yamaha’s Aaron Tanti saw his podium drought come to an end at the first round of the Australian Supercross Championship in Brisbane, the New South Welshman appearing on the rostrum for the first time since Murray Bridge’s fifth round of the Pirelli MX Nationals in May.

Tanti consistently fell shy of the podium throughout the second half of the MX Nationals, leaving the title contender extremely frustrated with a string of fourth place results.

Earning second on Saturday night with a 2-3 scorecard, Tanti expressed relief to land on the box in the very first round of supercross.

“It feels good to get back up on the podium again,” said Tanti. “In the MX Nationals I finished fourth more times than I can remember. so it was good to reset for supercross and then come out strong at the opening round and get on the box.

“My day was pretty smooth all round as I was able to qualify in third, was in the top three for my heat race and then finished 2-3 in the main events, so it was a really consistent night for me and my starts allowed me to be up the front every time.

“Anything can happen on a tight track like this but I’m happy to finish second tonight and look forward to getting on the bigger circuits in the coming rounds.”

Port Adelaide will host round two of the Australian Supercross Championship this weekend on a traditional sized circuit.

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Dual MX2 champion Wilson Todd has revealed he re-cracked a rib ahead of the night show at Brisbane’s opening round of the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship.

It’s understood Todd initially injured his rib and shoulder in the weeks leading up to Brisbane, however a crash during practice on Saturday saw the DPH Motorsport Husqvarna rider re-injure himself before having to transfer to the main event via the B main.

Todd, who confirmed to MotoOnline.com.au in August that he’s already signed a deal in the MX2 World Championship for 2020, pieced together a 6-8 scorecard for seventh in the SX2 category.

“Even though I was still sore, I was confident I could race against these guys and do well, and I still feel that way,” Todd explained. “The results on paper don’t look that strong, but I dropped the bike in practice and re-cracked my rib and I raced through the pain.

“With only a few days until we head to Adelaide for round two, it’s not ideal. But if anything, I’m even more confident that I have what it takes, and I’ll be doing everything I can to be ready for next Saturday.”

The Australian Supercross Championship heads to Port Adelaide this weekend for round two, where a traditional format will take place on a full-size circuit.

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Penrite Honda Racing’s Chris Blose drew upon his arenacross experience on Saturday night at Brisbane Entertainment Centre for round one of the 2019 Australian Supercross Championship, when he was forced to recover from a costly first turn pile-up in the opening SX2 main event.

The tight confines of the venue delivered a number of on-track clashes, with the start proving even more important than ever.

Blose had to come back from near last in main event one after tangling with Jay Wilson (Yamalube Yamaha Racing) in the first turn, remounting before slicing his way through the field for P4.

He returned strongly in the second and final main, pressing on to finish second behind compatriot Jacob Hayes (Serco Yamaha), granting him the final step on the podium.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Blose stated. “A rider ran in way too hot and caused a pile-up – I was along for the ride. I got up as quickly as I could and charged back to fourth.

“This is not what I came here to do. It’s a short championship so every point is valuable – I want to win! I will take away the positives – the bike was strong and we are fast so I’ll use that more to my advantage in Adelaide this coming weekend.”

Blose is a title favourite in the SX2 category, and his third place finish has established a strong base for his campaign to the crown in 2019. The Australian Supercross Championship heads to Port Adelaide this Saturday for round two.

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Luke Clout says the ‘real racing can begin’ now that Brisbane’s indoor has been completed, the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy rider opening up his 2019 Australian Supercross Championship campaign with a podium result.

The tight confines of Brisbane Entertainment Centre, which saw just 10 start gates available for the double-header main event format, offered up aggressive and close racing, placing a stronger emphasis on starts to escape the carnage and earn a respectable result.

Clout, a heat race winner, was able to piece together a 4-3 scorecard for third on the night, however as the series heads into four consecutive full-size supercross circuits, the title contender is confident of unleashing his full capabilities.

“You go into the opening round of the championship looking for a positive and safe start, and that’s exactly what we did,” Clout explained. “We are in the hunt and things are looking good, but I also believe I can be better and now we are out of the tight nature of indoors, the real racing can begin.

“Racing indoors can throw up lots of things but we were able to handle them and now we have full-sized tracks at the remaining four rounds where we have time and space to make the racing better, and I can’t wait to get to Adelaide this weekend.”

A one-week turnaround will see the Australian Supercross Championship back in action this Saturday night at Port Adelaide in South Australia.