The first round of the six-round FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX) takes place this weekend with the British GP at Villa Park in Birmingham, England. Check out this guide on the full list of teams and rider rosters, TV broadcast info, and a refresher on the format.
Teams/Riders
Ken Roczen is the new face of the WSX championship. In early May, Roczen signed a three-year supercross-only deal to race AMA Supercross and the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) playoffs in the fall along with the WSX championship overseas. He said racing an AMA Pro Motocross Championship event or two is not out of the cards—especially when it comes to stacking qualifying points for the SMX playoff rounds—but he hopes a switch to mostly supercross-only will elongate his professional racing career. Now, two weeks after showing up at the High Point National and leading laps, eventually getting second overall, Roczen will be lining up in Birmingham for the first round of WSX. Roczen, who won the inaugural two round series in 2022, will be defending his title aboard a Pipes Motorsports Group (PMG) Suzuki. Riders like Joey Savatgy, Colt Nichols, Justin Brayton, Cole Seely, Dean Wilson, Josh and Justin Hill, and more will be there to try and challenge Roczen for the 2023 WSX (450cc) title.
As far as the SX2 Class (250cc), Shane McElrath is returning to the Rick Ware Racing (RWR) team as he will run a #1, competing against Max Anstie, Kyle Peters, Chris Blose, Justin Bogle, Mitchell Oldenburg, Mike Alessi, Cullin Park, Enzo Lopes, and more.
The 10-team, 40-rider rosters were finalized June 6, via a press release from WSX promoters SX Global. However, one adjustment has been made to the field: Josh Cartwright is a fill-in rider for the ClubMX Yamaha squad. Cole Thompson suffered a herniation disc in his back, giving Cartwright a spot on the team for the opening round.
Thompson posted the following:
“Update‼️Around 2 weeks ago I started experiencing pain in my lower back, & throughout my right leg. The pain progressively worsened & everyday life became difficult. MRI results showed a disc herniation with a compressed right S1 nerve root. Now understanding the problem, I can begin to recover & back doing what I love. It’s frustrating not being able to ride but living in constant pain takes a toll on the body. I’m just ready to start feeling better & be 100% again.”
Cartwright was riding team owner Brandon Haas’ #290 YZ450F in the picture and confirmed he will be #519 on the starting gate.
“THANK YOU SO MUCH to @clubmx for this amazing opportunity to race the first round of WSX in the UK!”
Read the entire list of riders and teams below:
Rick Ware Racing | Class | Country | Bike |
Joey Savatgy | WSX | USA | Kawasaki |
Colt Nichols | WSX | USA | Kawasaki |
Shane McElrath | SX2 | USA | Yamaha |
Henry Miller | SX2 | USA | Yamaha |
Honda NILS | Class | Country | Bike |
Jordi Tixier | WSX | France | Honda |
Kevin Moranz | WSX | USA | Honda |
Chris Blose | SX2 | USA | Honda |
Kyle Peters | SX2 | USA | Honda |
Team GSM | Class | Country | Bike |
Gregory Aranda | WSX | France | Yamaha |
Thomas Ramette | WSX | France | Yamaha |
Maxime Desprey | SX2 | France | Yamaha |
Jace Owen | SX2 | USA | Yamaha |
Firepower Froth Honda | Class | Country | Bike |
Dean Wilson | WSX | Scotland | Honda |
Justin Brayton | WSX | USA | Honda |
Firepower Polyflor Honda | Class | Country | Bike |
Max Anstie | SX2 | England | Honda |
Gage Linville | SX2 | USA | Honda |
MDK Motorsports SX | Class | Country | Bike |
Cade Clason | WSX | USA | KTM |
Anthony Rodriguez | WSX | Venezuela | KTM |
Justin Bogle | SX2 | USA | KTM |
Max Miller | SX2 | USA | KTM |
MotoConcepts | Class | Country | Bike |
Cole Seely | WSX | USA | Honda |
Vince Friese | WSX | USA | Honda |
Michael Alessi | SX2 | USA | Honda |
Mitchell Oldenburg | SX2 | USA | Honda |
PMG | Class | Country | Bike |
Ken Roczen | WSX | German | Suzuki |
Kyle Chisholm | WSX | USA | Suzuki |
Cullin Park | SX2 | USA | Suzuki |
Hunter Yoder | SX2 | USA | Suzuki |
BUD Racing | Class | Country | Bike |
Justin Hill | WSX | USA | Kawasaki |
Cédric Soubeyras | WSX | France | Kawasaki |
Anthony Bourdon | SX2 | France | Kawasaki |
Adrien Escoffier | SX2 | France | Kawasaki |
Club MX FXR | Class | Country | Bike |
Matt Moss | WSX | Australia | Yamaha |
Josh Cartwright - Fill in | WSX | USA | Yamaha |
Cole Thompson - injured | WSX | Canada | Yamaha |
Luke Neese | SX2 | USA | Yamaha |
Enzo Lopes | SX2 | Brazil | Yamaha |
Craig Dack Racing | Class | Country | Bike |
Grant Harlan | WSX | USA | Yamaha |
Josh Hill | WSX | USA | Yamaha |
Aaron Tanti | SX2 | Australia | Yamaha |
Luke Clout | SX2 | Australia | Yamaha |
TV Broadcast
The first race in Birmingham on July 1 can be live streamed at https://www.wsx.tv/ for anyone outside of the U.S.
As for U.S. viewers, WSX has an exclusive, multi-year agreement with Fox Sports. In the U.S., the replay of the first round will take place on FS1 on Sunday at 2 and 4 p.m. EDT and on FS2 on Sunday at 8 p.m. EDT and Monday morning at 7 and 9 a.m. EDT.
Here's everything you need to know about watching Round 1 live on DAZN, courtesy of www.dazn.com:
Date: Saturday July 1
Start time: 9 a.m. ET / 4 p.m. BST / 5 p.m. CET
The event starts at 9 a.m. ET / 4 p.m. BST / 5 p.m. CET.
The card will stream live on DAZN in over 200 countries across the globe (excluding Brazil, USA, Caribbean, Australia, UK, Republic of Ireland & France). You can sign up for a subscription here.
However if you are in Argentina, Chile and Colombia you must download the DAZN app from the Apple App Store or Android Google Play store and then sign up from there, rather than via web browser.
Format Refresher
The following information is from a press release from SX Global in August 2022, which introduced the WSX format. Read about the format and/or watch the video below for a visual explanation.
Qualifying Session
- WSX and SX2 fields will each be split into two separate timed qualifying sessions, with individual lap times determining the order for each class’ heat races. Each qualifying session will last 10 minutes, with final laps run to completion once the 10-minute session expires.
Heat Races
- WSX class heat races will determine the order for the Super Pole – a time-trial format exclusive to the WSX class that will determine the order of its Main Event round. The top five finishers in each of the two WSX heat races will earn a spot in the 10-rider Super Pole. The sixth to 11thplace finishers in each heat will fill spots 11-22 in the gate pick order for the main event, with the faster overall heat taking precedent and gate picks alternating between the remaining riders.
- For the SX2 class, in the same manner as with traditional supercross formats, heat races will determine the order for the main event. Collectively, the faster overall heat will take precedent, with gate pick choice for the Main Event alternating between the finishing order of the two SX2 heats.
Superpole
- Exclusive to the WSX class, the Super Pole round will feature 10 riders - the top-five finishers from the two WSX heat races. Featuring an individual time-trial format, lap times from the Super Pole round will determine the gate pick order of the top 10 for the WSX Main Event races.
Main Events
- Each WSX Championship round will see riders contest three ‘back-to-back' Main Event races for each class, with only a short 5-minute break between each. The combined individual results determining the winner and podium spots for each Championship Round.
Championship Points
- FIM World Supercross Championship points will be awarded for each of the three Main Event races. Points will follow the traditional supercross format of 25, 22 and 20, 18 and 16 points respectively for first through fifth place, with the remaining 17 riders earning from 15 points to 1 point, depending on where they finish. It total, a maximum of 75 FIM World Championship Points are up for grabs at each WSX Championship round.
- In addition to the Main Event races, the fastest SX2 qualifier and the winner of the WSX Superpole will be awarded one additional Championship point.
Practice Sessions
- As with traditional supercross event formats, practice sessions will take place during afternoons for the enjoyment of fans who arrive earlier and want to enjoy as much action as possible.
British GP WSX Track Map Revealed
Check out the track layout for the opening round, courtesy of GoPro.
Full 2023 Schedule
With the cancellation of the France GP (originally schedule for late July), there will be a long break between the first and second round. Round one’s British GP will take place July 1, then the round-two Singapore GP set for September 30 following a 91-day break between rounds. Then, the final four rounds will take place in a little over a month’s span from mid-October to the end of November. The full schedule is below.
FIM World Supercross Championship Schedule
2023 WSX Schedule
- WSXBritish GP Saturday, July 1
- WSXAbu Dhabi GP Saturday, November 4
- WSXAustralian GP Friday, November 24