Before riders even descended on the United Arab Emirates for the first-ever FIM World Supercross (WSX) event in Abu Dhabi, they knew two things: Passing would be very difficult on a tight track. Also, the event advertised a “double stacked” starting gate, which means two rows of gates inside the Etihad Arena.
The tight track and double-row start meant gate selection would be more critical than ever, which put extra pressure on heat race results, which determine gate pick. And that reality came true, as WSX series leaders Ken Roczen (WSX 450) and Shane McElrath (SX2 250) flubbed their starts in their heats, found it tough to move forward on the tight track, and ran out of time to salvage good finishes. This left them with back-row starts for the three races that determine the overall and championship points (WSX operates with a three-race format, with all three races counting toward the overall, and all three paying championship points). Neither Roczen nor McElrath were able to score a podium finish overall, which led them to relinquish the points leads with just one race (but three scores) remaining in 2023 WSX Championship. Meanwhile, Joey Savatgy and Max Anstie nailed their starts and used that to their advantage to cinch up the overalls, and take the points leads in their classes (Savatgy, WSX 450 and Anstie in SX2 250).
For Anstie, it was about more than just starts, as he also rode impeccably well all night on his Fire Power Floth Honda, and if he didn’t get the start he was able to make the few quick passes he needed to get the lead and control it from there. Rick Ware Racing Mobil 1’s Savatgy was still quite hard on himself despite the win, as he usually is, saying “I mean, to be honest, both round one and two, I haven't been that good. But thankfully I got off the gate pretty well and I put myself in a good spot. I knew tonight was gonna be super important for that, obviously, round one was important, but not as important as tonight. Both rounds I have been, in my opinion, I've been a little subpar for me.”
Roczen rode valiantly to come back through traffic, and somehow, on a track that offered so little passing, found himself in position to battle for the first race win of the night, until he crashed on the last lap while in second behind Vince Friese. That was an even bigger set back than the second-row start, as Roczen ended up with a hurt foot and a 14th-place finish. He was two turns away from finishing that race in second.
Friese, meanwhile, was already defining the racing on the tight track. Dean Wilson was all over Vince battling for the lead early, then finally got around, but left the door open, and Friese knew what to do from there. He slammed Dean to the ground to retake the lead, and then rode a wide bike to keep Roczen at bay to take the win. Later, Friese would be penalized two spots for “dangerous riding.”
Dean took that pass on the chin, saying he thought he had enough of a gap to not have to protect the inside. Arenacross-style tracks have created block passes like that for decades, and Wilson didn’t protect. The other shenanigans, though, were on Vince. There was cross jumping and brake checking, the stuff that drives riders nuts, and also stuff that is much more dangerous than even block passes in corners. Roczen had to try to figure out how to pass Friese while also weighing the risk-reward of possible mid-air entanglement with cross jumping, or Friese tagging his front wheel in a corner. The cross jumping is harder to detect than the block pass on Wilson that went viral on social media. Throughout the night there were mistakes and incidents by other riders that actually started because of Friese cross jumping, or getting on the brakes, or cutting someone off, that later led to a crash from someone else while Friese got away. These are small, subtle things that you really only know about based on what the riders who were experiencing it first-hand have to say. The racers know when someone purposely turns in front of them on the take off of a jump, even if it’s only a few inches to the left or right, or on the brakes for a fraction of a second.
There were many close calls, like Roczen having to take a leg off in mid-air to try to adjust when Friese went from right to left over a jump. Or when the riders had to roll a section of jumps, Friese looked back at Wilson twice to make sure he could block him as they rolled the section, and eventually started to turn right entering a left-hand turn to further stop him. To pass Vince was an exercise in frustration, because everyone had weighed the risk and reward. Go after him and possibly win, but also possibly lose much more if you both end up on the ground in a heap. Further, the two 180-degree corners on the track were opened way, way, up, making it almost impossible to protect the inside.
“The one thing that maybe I wish I would have spoken up sooner during the day was the finish line didn't have any Tuff Blox on the landing,” said Savatgy. “So, like, it didn't matter how tight you wanted to go, the guy behind you could go tighter. I mean, to the point where you could drive off the side of the bridge, you know? And so, in hindsight I should have said something when I noticed it like, “Hey, this is gonna be an issue,” because that was some of the reason why I didn't protect the inside, because no matter how far inside I went, I knew he [Friese] was gonna go further inside.”
Savatgy was battling Friese hard in the third and final race, a pack stacked up behind him because Friese was protecting every line in every corner, which is the slower way around the track. Savatgy tried a block pass in a corner. Friese went off the track and then rejoined in front of Savatgy again. He was later penalized two spots for that, but even with two two-position penalties, Friese ended up third overall. Wilson was second, lamenting he had a rare chance to score a win over Roczen based on Roczen’s start position, but it got away from him with that Friese block pass. Most of the racing centered around the attempts to pass Friese, a dynamite starter who controlled things from the front the whole night. Further, in this series Friese has a real shot at race wins, a title, and money. This track perfectly rewarded his starts and style, and unless the penalties become so severe that they completely ruin his chances for a result, there’s no reason for him to stop. Further, the Abu Dhabi race was the perfect storm, as this was a first-time event with first-time event teething problems. The crowd was definitely excited and into seeing supercross for the first time. That was good as a first-time event. But a lot of the track equipment broke, which meant the final angles of the berms, whoops and other obstacles weren’t ideal (WSX CEO Adam Bailey explained this on his recent Fly Racing/Racer X podcast with Steve Matthes). A few small tweaks might have created more variance and passing, but as it was, the track was perfect for someone like Friese to hold up the field.
“Yeah, I mean, I think if you put a bunch of money on the line like we have here and put us on an arenacross track, I think that's the way it's gonna go, at least for me that's how I make a living,” said Friese. “I'm not here to just ride around and have fun. I'm here to make some money and pay my bills.”
The rest of the riders would say that cross jumping and brake checking go beyond just racing hard or trying to make money. In the end, Friese was penalized in two of the three races, but presumably only for the Wilson slam and the track cut while battling Savatgy. Again, the smaller things are harder to detect but just as impactful. That's not all. Last year Friese offered Grant Harlan money to take out Justin Brayton and try to improve his chances of winning the title in the final round. Harlan declined, Friese was not penalized. Friese then crashed into Brayton in the first turn of that race himself, ultimately ending both of their championship hopes, and they were on the same team. Friese has taken on quite a role in this championship, and he lived up to the pre-race billing as "supercross super villain."
However, there's a thin line between building characters and entertainment and maintaining order. WSX CEO Bailey recognizes the series can't let the Friese story overshadow everything else.
"I mean, I appreciate as a promoter and marketer that someone is willing to be the villain," said Bailey in a podcast with Steve Matthes. "But similarly, I think he went too far if every single rider and every single person is saying it. I don't enforce the rules. We engage the FIM for that. From my personal opiion, I had less of an issue with him slamming in a corner than hearing he was jumping across in rhythms or looking over and that kind of stuff. If people are feeling unsafe, I don't want that."
Bailey said in a statement:
“As we grow this new FIM World Supercross Championship, racing and the integrity, must be paramount, as is rider safety. As the promoters of the championship, we want to see hard racing that provides an incredible spectacle for fans and spectators; however, we rely on the FIM and their officials, to implement and enforce the rules to ensure both integrity and safety are always maintained.”
Also, as a reminder, it’s the FIM that sets the penalties, not Bailey and the WSX Series.
In the SX2 division, Anstie rode brilliantly to pull a big points lead. Blose was much improved over the first round, citing more testing time on his bike. And Frenchman Maxime Desprey looked great and might have battled Anstie for the win, but a crash in one race set him back to ninth. He came back second in the third race to salvage the podium. McElrath simply couldn’t slice through traffic like Roczen did in the 450s, and he was mired in the pack. He ended up ninth overall and now sits 32 points behind Anstie. It’s not as dire as it sounds, though, because each race pays championship points separately. The finale in Australia will offer three races for McElrath to try to make up points and dig out this title. For now, Anstie is looking good.
“Yeah, it's great to have the red plate and I don't know, coming into this, having the British national anthem playing and Jamie Dobb rubbed it in quite a few times that he was the last British World Champion,” said Anstie. “And I don't really care whether it's MXGP or this, I want one of those gold FIM medals. In MXGP and MX2, I got a third place one. And man, I never thought I'd be back on a 250, now I'm here with this opportunity.”
These challenges faced by defending champions added another layer of intrigue to an already action-packed and unforgettable night of Supercross racing in Abu Dhabi. The WSX Abu Dhabi GP proved that in this sport, every rider, regardless of their achievements, must continually prove their mettle on the track, making for a captivating and unpredictable championship.
The WSX Abu Dhabi GP marked a historic moment in the world of Supercross, as it introduced the FIM World Supercross Championship to a new global audience. The event’s unforgettable moments, unexpected turns of fortune, and the outstanding performances by these talented athletes solidified its place as a highlight in the world of motorsport. Fans can’t wait to see what the future holds for the World Supercross Championship as it continues to captivate audiences around the world.
With the WSX Abu Dhabi GP now in the books, all eyes turn toward the final round, the WSX Boost Mobile Australian GP at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. Joey Savatgy and Max Anstie, the championship leaders and contenders alike will be gearing up for a climactic showdown in Australia. Marvel Stadium promises to be the stage for an epic battle that will determine who will be crowned the champion in both the WSX and SX2 classes. Single Day, Two Day, Family and Group tickets available.
WSX 2023 Boost Mobile Australian Grand Prix tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster.