Canada hosts somewhat lacklustre WSX opener – Report/Results

2024 FIM World Supercross Championship

The opening round of the 2024 World Supercross Championship was staged in Vancouver over the weekend, with 16 riders from six different countries contesting the SX1 (450) and SX2 (250) classes on what looked like a sub-par track surface.

Without the likes of exciting youngsters such as the Lawrence brothers or Haiden Deegan, and not one single KTM, Husqvarna, GASGAS, or Triumph rider on the permanent entry list, it certainly looks, sounds and feels like a distinctly second-rate series in comparison to America’s Monster Energy Supercross.

Going into the season opener, it was fair to say that Eli Tomac was the firm 450 class favourite lining up for CDR Yamaha, and the American proved that form guide true. 

Defending champ Ken Roczen showed early on, though, that he was going to take it up to Tomac with the German winning Superpole and the opening race of the night.

In the 250 ranks, 2023 champ Max Anstie was making his debut with Monster Energy Star Yamaha, but taking top honours in the opening round was Shane McElrath, riding for the Firepower Honda squad that Anstie recently parted ways with.

WSX Superpole

Ken Roczen took the first five-points of the season with the quickest time in Superpole ahead of Eli Tomac and Joey Savatgy while Luke Clout made a promising start in fourth.

WSX Superpole Results

WSX Race One

Vince Friese took the holeshot ahead of Ken Roczen. Matt Moss got a great start but a wide line into the opening turn cost him position and Eli Tomac moved up to third.   

Luke Clout had some problems early on with signage banners caught up in his front wheel that resulted in the Australian failing to finish.

Tomac and Roczen squeezed past Friese on lap two as Joey Savatgy took the battle up for Friese for third place.

Roczen and Tomac traded fastest laps, the American outright quickest but the German with track position and Tomac was unable to find a way through.

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Savatgy had way too much speed for Friese and pulled away from his countryman to secure third.

Tomac’s quickest lap a 53.416, half-a-second quicker than Roczen’s best, and 1.4-seconds better than Savatgy’s best. The rest of the field more than two-seconds slower than Tomac.

Matt Moss the highest finishing Australian in sixth place.

WSX Race One Results

WSX Race Two

Eli Tomac got the holeshot ahead of Dean Wilson, Vince Friese and Matt Moss. Roczen was just outside the top ten early on. Wilson went down late on the opening lap.

Joey Savatgy again displayed good speed, working his way quickly up to second place but a mistake in the whoops cost him some a handful of those hard earned positions.

Ken Roczen inherited second place from Savatgy but by this halfway stage of the race Tomac led by 17-seconds.

Roczen then went down on lap six, rejoining well outside the top ten.

Luke Clout had worked his way up to fifth place, while Savatgy had clawed his way back up to second ahead of Colt Nichols and Mitch Oldenburg, and those riders took the chequered flag in those positions,

Tomac again carding the fastest lap of the race on his way to a victory margin of 22-seconds. Only Savatgy got within 1.2-seconds of Tomac’s marker. The rest of the field were more than two-seconds slower than Tomac.

WSX Race Two Results

WSX Race Three

Eli Tomac got into turn one in front but Ken Roczen and Vince Friese sneaked past him in the middle of the turn to push Tomac back to third.

Roczen escaped to a clear 2.5-second lead on the opening lap and looked to have it under control. However, Tomac steadily reeled the German in and took the lead as they started lap five then pulled away with ease. Stretching his lead over Roczen to more than ten-seconds by the chequered flag.

Joey Savatgy completing the podium ahead of Colt Nichols and Dean Wilson.

Luke Clout had gone down at turn one when the race got underway. After working his way forward to challenge Matt Moss for tenth position Clout went down again on the challenging track.

Roczen the only rider to lap within a second of Tomac in that bout, the rest of the field more than two-seconds a lap slower.

WSX Race Three Results

SuperFinal

The final contest of the night was the 12-lap Super Final which saw the top eight from the 450 class going head to head with the top eight 250 riders.

Eli Tomac pulled the pin from gate drop to sprint away from the field, leading by over three-seconds by the end of the opening lap.

Tomac was never headed on his way to a 16-second victory over Ken Roczen.

Colt Nichols rounded out the podium ahead of Vince Friese and Joey Savatgy.

Shane McElrath the first 250 machine home in sixth.

SuperFinal Results

WSX Standings

SX2 Superpole Results

SX2 Race One

Max Anstie was never headed in the opening 250 bout, taking the win by five-seconds after eight laps of the indoor layout.

Aussie teenager Ryder Kingsford took a brilliant second place for CDR Yamaha ahead of Canadian Cole Thompson (Firepower Honda).

SX2 Race One Result

SX2 Race Two

It was a quick turnaround for SX2 competitors as they were soon back around to the gates for the second contest of the night.

Kyle Chisholm scored the holeshot by a nose over Shane McElrath but not for long as McElrath hit the front.

Max Anstie steadily worked his way through the field and got the better of Chisholm for second place on lap two, but by that juncture McElrath had already built a four-second lead.

Anstie reeled McElrath in and challenged for the lead on the penultimate lap only to have a slide that lost him much of the ground that he had made on McElrath which meant the Brit had to settle for second.

Chisholm steadily lost positions as the race wore on, slipping to seventh by the chequered flag.

Third place went to Coty Schock ahead of Cole Thompson and Enzo Lopes.

Kaleb Barham was the highest finishing Australian in tenth as Kingsford couldn’t match the pace he showed in race one.

SX2 Race Two Results

SX2 Race Three

Shane McElrath escaped to an early lead in the third 250 bout. Max Anstie was well outside the top ten early on after a lap one crash. Ryder Kingsford an early faller and lost a lot of time caught up in a tough block cover.

McElrath was never headed on his way to 1.8-second victory over Enzo Lopes. Cole Thompson rounded out the podium a further three-seconds back.

Kyle Chisholm a distant fourth ahead of Kaleb Barham.

Coty Shock finished sixth after a crash cost the Rick Ware Racing rider plenty of time. Shock recorded the fastest lap of the race and was in a podium position before his crash, ruing what could have been.

Defending champ Max Anstie finished ninth after struggling through his race without a lens in his goggles. Another crash on lap eight stunted his charge.

SX2 Race Three Results

SX2 Standings