Seth Rarick gave us his opinion on what happened with Cooper Webb last year
Former privateer Seth Rarick is one of Cooper Webb’s good friends and worked with him last year in a variety of roles. We asked him on Monday night what he thinks went wrong with Webb’s 2017 season one in which he was expected to challenge for wins every week.
Seth Rarick- “Now that 2017 is over, it’s kind of funny looking back. At the time, I didn’t realize it. I don’t think anyone realized it. Everything that could go wrong was going wrong. It was almost a recipe for disaster. Basically it was a full year from Des Nations 2016 until the GP this year, nothing went right. Nothing. Yeah sure, there were a few flashes of brilliance. If you would have told me last December – because he did end up podiuming a race, indoors and out. It was like for how off he was during the week, that was actually really good. I don’t mean to say that in a bad day. It was just I think a combination of he had a lot of pressure. A lot of that he puts on himself. He wants to win worse than anybody. That kid’s desire to win is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. When he doesn’t win, it is not a fun ride home. He’s got a crazy desire to succeed. Last year just nothing was going right. That Des Nations loss, I think people forgot about that but that really, really affected him badly. He took that harder than I think anyone would have. That affected him going forward.
Supercross testing last year wasn’t going particularly well. Obviously, the first couple races didn’t go good. The third round he got a fourth, which to me that was like a win, considering how everything was going. I’m like, okay, maybe the train is going to get back on the tracks. Any time any sort of momentum got rolling… In Minneapolis he hurt his shoulder. Again, that injury was worse than anyone knows. That really affected him. He came back too early. I think it was Detroit. The race didn’t go well and then boom, confidence knocked back down. All supercross season everyone was like, no, outdoors we’re going to turn it around. Everything’s going to be better. Then Hangtown wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. Then it just was fighting. Glen Helen was bottom of the barrel.
To answer your question, I don’t think there was one thing that went wrong. It was a combination. I don’t want to speak for him, but I think there were some personal deals going on. Mentally obviously he wasn’t where he needed to be. I don’t think he was particularly happy with everything, on the track or off the track. Then also all of us, because it’s a group effort, I think sometimes maybe I can be responsible or Swanny (Gareth Swanepoel) can be responsible.
Anyone in our group is responsible for affecting his mood as well. It got to a point where all of us, we were just over it. Let’s get this season over. So I’ll definitely take some responsibility. I don’t think any of our priorities were completely in line with where we needed to be at the time. So, once the season was over, it was almost fitting that the GP ended with an injury. What else can go wrong? But I’ll tell you what, since then, that was beginning of September and then it was a waiting game to see if he even needed surgery. Even that, nothing with the injury was going right, but he finally got the surgery.
I have to say since he’s gotten the surgery he’s been a different person. 100% different person. He’s focused. You can see it in his eyes. He’s got the hunger back. He’s got that desire that he had his whole career, up until last year. It’s going to be a really, really good year for him. I can tell you just from a five-minute conversation, you don’t even have to watch him ride, just a five-minute conversation with him, he’s a different person. He’s much more relaxed, much happier in his personal life. I think this year for anyone out there who’s on the fantasy thing, I think he’s going to be good. He’s back to his old ways. He’s been great. This whole off-season he’s been like a different person. He’s been very, very positive. I think everything is going to start to come together for him. I don’t want to speak for him, but just from being around him and on a friendship level it’s been awesome. It’s been very nice to see. I think he’s grown up more, too. He’s grown up more in the past year than he did in the first 20. So, I think it will be a good year.”
