Well, that was quick. What’s been dubbed as a “pilot season” for the new FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX) will conclude this weekend in Melbourne, Australia’s Marvel Stadium. The series just started two weeks ago in Wales! Such is life as a startup series, which promises more races in 2023. Still, #1 plates will be handed out this weekend Down Under, so we will get you up to speed on what to watch.
(And if you want to watch, check out Fox Sports 1 on Sunday at 9 a.m. Eastern/6 a.m. Pacific.
The World Supercross Championship is built around a private team franchise ownership model. It’s been tough sledding getting any of the traditional factory teams from the U.S. to participate, so instead the series is embracing private team ownership from the likes of MotoConcepts Racing (Mike Genova) and Rick Ware Racing, Honda Genuine Honda Racing (Yarrive Konsky) and others. There are ten total teams (view the full rider rosters), but Eli Tomac got money to race as a wild card in Wales on his own Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing bike. He swept all three races in one night, but since he is not associated with one of those teams racing the full series, he is not eligible to race again, his points do not count in the series, and he won’t be in Australia (wild card riders can only race one round). So that makes Ken Roczen (racing for Australian-owned Honda Genuine Honda Racing, AKA Firepower Parts Honda Racing in the U.S.) the de facto points leader heading into the weekend, because Roczen was second overall to Tomac in Wales.
Vince Friese rode very great in Wales, third overall behind Roczen, which makes him second in points. It quickly became apparent that the format of these races (three shorter mains), works well for Vince because he’s such a good starter. Vince’s SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts Honda teammate Justin Brayton is third in points. Vince is down three points on Roczen and Brayton is down eight. If there’s some chaos in this format—let’s say Roczen gets into a first-turn crash on one of the three starts—there’s a chance Friese or Brayton could unseat him and steal the title.
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Look, we know it’s kinda’ hard to hype Roczen v. Friese as a title bout, but you have to look at the small sample size here. The entire season takes place over just two nights, so that leaves the door open for the unexpected. It is worth noting, though, that championship points are paid per race, not for the overall. It’s kind of like you’re looking at three races in Wales and three races in Australia. This would help Roczen make points back up if he has an error. Or, Roczen, without comp from Tomac, could just roll this weekend.
Brayton does have plenty of experience down under, as he’s a multi-time Australian Supercross Champion and won the last race held at Marvel Stadium, the AUS-X Open in 2019. He will be pulling double duty this weekend, because on Friday night the stadium hosts a round of the Australian Supercross Championship (which is still going). Yes, this weekend will semi-sorta feel like a double header, with an Australian Supercross Championship race on Friday and then the World Supercross Australian Grand Prix on Saturday. Only Saturday pays points for the World Championship, though.
If you want some proof that the three-short-races format can breed chaos, just look at the 250 (SX2) class in Wales. Somehow, someway, Rick Ware Racing’s Shane McElrath won the overall with 4-3-5 scores! That’s because SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts Honda’s Mitch Oldenburg went 1-19-1 (after an early crash in race two) and Genuine Honda’s Max Anstie went 11-1-10. So, you never know, although you’d think these boys are a little more adjusted to the program after doing it in Wales.
A few other notes: Veterans Chad Reed and Josh Grant were both racing for the revived MDK Motorsports team in Wales, but both went down hard. On the same jump! Grant had a chain break and Reed’s engine cut out, so it really wasn’t their fault, but now they’re on the mend and can’t race in Australia. The teams in this series are required to fill spots, so Australian replacement riders Joel Wightman and Jackson Richardson will race for MDK Motorsports in Melbourne. Reed, for sure, would have been a crowd favorite if he could have lined up on Saturday. And with Justin Starling banged up, the Pipes Motorsport Group (AKA the Twisted Tea/HEP Motorsports Suzuki team in the U.S.) called upon Alex Ray as a fill-in for this weekend.
Also, there will be some more wild cards in action this weekend, including South Australian KTM veteran Brett Metcalfe who you surely remember from his long career in the U.S. Metty is still fast!
As mentioned, the series promises more races in 2023, but for now six points-paying gate drops over two events will suffice for a ’22 championship. Will Roczen emerge with the crown? We’ll see.
Main image Courtesy of WSX Championship
