Breaking: Cooper Webb Steps in for Chance Hymas as Team USA’s MX2 Rider at MXoN
Breaking news coming in late this evening from the AMA and Team Honda HRC Progressive that Team USA MX2 rider Chance Hymas will need knee surgery on his left knee next week. This year, Hymas was Team USA's pick to represent the MX2 class at the Motocross of Nations. With Hymas unable to compete at MXON, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing and 2x 450SX Supercross Champion Cooper Webb have volunteered to fill the spot and drop down to the 250 class for the event.
The last time Cooper raced the MXON was in 2016 as the MXGP Class rider in Italy, with overall 3rd place at the event that year.
Chance has been dealing with a nagging ACL injury since the start of the 2024 season, re-aggravating it at the SuperMotocross Playoff 1 in Charlotte. The plan was to heal the injury and race for Team USA at the MXON. Since then, the team and Hymas concluded that the knee should be fixed immediately to be set for the 2025 250SX Monster Energy Supercross East series.
Here is the press release from the American Motorcyclist Association on Team USA:
"Due to unforeseen circumstances, Chance Hymas of Team Honda HRC Progressive will be unable to compete at the 2024 FIM Motocross of Nations, which is slated to run Oct. 4-6 at Matterley Basin in Winchester, U.K.
Filling in for the young rider is two-time AMA Supercross 450SX Champion Cooper Webb of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing. The 28-year-old racer has captured 25 career AMA Supercross 450SX wins, ranking 10th all-time in wins at the highest level of the sport.
“I would like to thank Chance Hymas and Team Honda HRC Progressive for their support of Team USA,” AMA Director of Racing Mike Pelletier said. “We wish Chance a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back racing in 2025. We appreciate Cooper Webb and the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team for stepping up and answering the call to help Team USA.”
This marks Webb’s first appearance at the FIM Motocross of Nations since 2016, where he led the United States to a runner-up finish as team captain. This year, Webb will represent Team USA in the MX2 Class.
“I’m so excited to be headed to MXON. Obviously, a fire drill situation and decision but I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity,” Webb said. “[I] was asked to ride a 250 so I spun some laps on Haiden Deegan’s bike and remembered how good the YZ250F is. I haven’t raced it since 2016 but felt right at home with the few laps I did. I will be all in on 250 prep after Vegas SMX and excited for the opportunity to represent my country.”"
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Here is the press release from Team Honda HRC Progressive:
Procedure will force Hymas to miss the Motocross of Nations
Goal is to return to racing in time for the ’25 AMA 250SX East series
"TORRANCE, Calif. (September 18, 2024) – Team Honda HRC Progressive announced today that Chance Hymas will undergo surgery on his left knee on September 24 in Nashville, Tennessee. As a result, the Idaho native will be forced to sit out the Motocross of Nations.
The procedure comes a little over a year after Hymas last underwent an operation on the same joint. The Idaho native then reinjured his ACL during training just before the 2024 season got underway, but he has been able to perform at a high level for much of this year. During the AMA Pro Motocross series, Hymas scored the first overall victory of his professional career and tallied a total of four podium overall results and an additional four top-five overall finishes.
Unfortunately, Hymas aggravated the injury during the opening SuperMotocross round in Charlotte, North Carolina, on September 7. With the goal of retaining his spot on Team USA for the October 6 Motocross of Nations at Matterley Basin in England, he pulled out of the remainder of the SMX series, but after further consultation, Hymas and his team have decided it is more prudent to have the injury repaired as soon as possible. Even though there was high confidence that, after two weeks off, he would be able to perform at a high level, the possibility of reaggravating the injury and adversely affecting Team USA’s result was also a consideration. Luckily, Star Yamaha and Cooper Webb have stepped up and volunteered to take Chance’s spot for the event, with Webb dropping down to a 250 from his usual 450. Meanwhile, Hymas will focus on returning to action in time for the 2025 AMA Supercross 250 East series.
“I’m absolutely gutted,” Hymas said. “I have waited for the opportunity to represent my country at MXoN since I was a kid. I was proud and excited to wear the Red, White and Blue. I was doing everything in my power to be ready for MXoN, but I’ve been battling issues with my knee this entire season. The team and myself decided the stakes are too high to take chances at the MXoN, and I need to get my knee fixed for the future. My sole focus now is getting back to top form and being prepared to compete for championships in 2025. I want to say thank you to Cooper for stepping up and taking my place. I’ll be rooting for him and Team USA from back home. THANK YOU!”
“We’re really, really gutted for Chance, as he has gone through more than his fair share of bad luck in the past year and a half,” said Lars Lindstrom, Manager of the Honda HRC Progressive team. “We know how important this event was to him and the team. Chance has proven that he has the speed to be competitive, and I know that when he’s at full health, he’ll be tough to beat. Although we were excited to support him at the Motocross of Nations, we’re grateful to Star Yamaha and Cooper Webb for stepping up for Team USA. We wish them well. We’re pulling for Chance to have a smooth operation, a productive recovery, and a successful 2025.”"
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