The World Supercross series kicked off this weekend in Vancouver, Canada, and after two years of some good, some bad, there are new owners of the series and they’re going to try to get this thing off the ground. There’s a place for WSX in my opinion, and that’s the place where it used to be in the late ‘90s. Is there a worldwide audience that wants to see some big names race supercross? Absolutely, in my opinion, but they’ve got to stick it in the fall when the USA season is over. The previous owners didn’t do that and it caused some rifts and hurt the series in general. The new owners have no intention of running up against the USA season, so this year it’s a four-race series (three cities) and next year they have plans to expand it. But all in the fall, and all in exotic places where they can get some government funding to help out.
I wasn’t one to ever look down at this series. I did some of the old series’ with a couple different riders (there was a WSX in Pasadena once!) and hey, there’s nothing bad with riders and teams making money, right? And as I said, I’ve been to enough SX races around the world (Bulgaria, France, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, Germany, etc.) to know that these riders have fans all over the world. I wish the WSX series nothing but the best of luck in getting this up and running. Also, every rider and team in the USA right now needs to send Adam Bailey and the other old owners a thank you card because without them coming in two years ago with all the money for teams and riders, there’s zero chance the SMX money would be as good as it is, in my opinion. The USA promoters were very scared that more teams and riders were going to head over there so they definitely ramped up the money here. So, the WSX created a win/win for the sport.
The AMA series last came to Vancouver when there was that whole “World SX” thing (which was enacted to stop the AMA from awarding another promoter the SX rights, long story) and the series went to Europe for a couple of years, then Toronto and Vancouver for a couple of years. And the last time we went to Vancouver, attendance wasn’t great. In fact, it was so bad that a then higher-up at the promoters jokingly blamed me for the lack of fans, saying I didn’t communicate enough with my fellow Canadians! Anyway, it’s hard to be precise but I think there were more people this year than back then. I’d say 15-20K poutine-loving Canucks were in BC Place. Not too bad! The series also got subsidized from the local provincial government as well.
Things I like about the WSX
Just that there IS a World SX series. More to talk about, more to watch, and more racing when there usually is none. Bravo!
The teams get money. We pay the teams now for SMX, which is good, but WSX also has a team purse which is awesome.
The Superpole is always a hit and is a good way to start the night off. Same as Paris SX, it’s interesting to watch and sort of a good way for fans to get into it.
A hot chick being a DJ all night? I mean, why not? DJ KO better watch out.
A Superfinal combining the top eight 250 and 450 riders into one race? Sure, why not!?
Things I didn’t like about the WSX
This didn’t affect me but the riders were saying there wasn’t enough time between gate drops (the format was SX2 [250 class], SX2, WSX [450 class], WSX, SX2, WSX, Superfinal), and that affected the race. Why they wouldn’t run SX2, WSX, etc., and give the riders more time to rest and therefore more time to have a better race? Look for them to fix that.
I’m not sold on the cardboard tuff blocks. Still. I mean in some ways they’re better than the deathtraps we have in AMA SX, but they’re too easily moved around out there.
I’m not sure every single race should count the same for the night’s overall. That’s a big price to pay for a first turn crash. There seems to be, approximately, 694 points up for grabs in one night.
Speaking of that, the scoring app they use had no overalls so none of us knew what was going on. I emailed the PR guy to ask and never got a response to where I could find the overalls. I saw them on WSX social but still have no idea where they were posted. The riders themselves didn’t know a lot of things in regards to formats and scoring, so communication could’ve been a lot better.
The WSX guys seem pretty determined to basically be their own media and didn’t really seem to care about other outlets’ photographer spots or myself being there, in terms of communication. Hey, whatever, it doesn’t matter and they’re free to do what they want, it’s just a bit different for me from other races and series’ I’ve covered over the years.
I liked the Superpole but they ran that before the anthem/fireworks/opening ceremonies. That was, uhhhhh, weird. Like ‘Hey everyone, here’s Eli Tomac and now, we do the whole opening ceremonies.
Speaking of Tomac, he was the man this weekend in Vancouver. Ken Roczen and him had another one of their lifelong duels going on in the first main and Kenny was able to get him but after that, Roczen ran into start difficulties and Tomac cruised home with the rest of the wins. He looked great out there and seemed in control of a track that proved to be really rough as it broke down. More than one rider told me it was basically the same as Indianapolis out there. Riders were hooking left and right down the rhythms with no regard to safety. Brutal track in that way but ET3, yeah, no problems for him. His wheelie down the whoops was accidental the first time but after that, he used it to his advantage.
Tomac used a Dunlop AT82 tire in Vancouver which, for a guy who ran a scoop tire just about everywhere (Dallas SMX!), this was a weird choice, especially considering this Vancouver track was sandy. The tire’s been used by many other guys but for ET, I think this was his first time. So much scoop/non-scoop talk but it’ll be interesting to see if Eli keeps this up. People I talk to say it has to do with the height of this tire versus the scoop and we know Tomac is very particular about the sag and ride height of the Yamaha.
Tomac got great starts all night and “people” I know told me you could hear the air release for the gate drop mechanism. Also,Tomac started two over from the box every time. Now, Dean Wilson was next to box and theoretically could also hear it, and while he got good starts, Tomac’s were better. Also on the other side of the box? Vince Friese, who also got great starts (but he’s a good starter, as we know). I’m not saying Eli could hear the air but one rider I spoke to said he himself did hear it and it helped him so I’m not NOT saying Tomac could hear the air releasing and then dumped the clutch. What I am saying is maybe the WSX guys should look at this closer for round two.
Loved seeing the Roczen/Tomac battle out there (aided by Vince Friese) in the first main event. It’s always great when these two hook up, as it’s like a ballerina (Roczen) battling a gorilla (Tomac). One guy is trying to use brute force over the other one, who’s using a perfect riding style.
Roczen rode a great race to get into second from seventh in the second main and with Eli gone, it was going to set up a battle royale for the third main and the overall (or not, if the Superfinal counted, which no one knew), but then Roczen hit a rock, tipped over, and that was it for him. He never really got back to where he was in the first main and rode it out for second overall. Afterward Roczen admitted that he isn’t on Tomac’s level right now, the track was brutal for him, and in typical Roczen fashion, was pretty levelheaded about the whole thing. Seeing Roczen on a Suzuki, in Fox, with red backgrounds and #1 on the bike did bring out some Ryan Dungey-vibes also, BTW.
Look, we know the series is paying Roczen and Tomac some pretty good start money to race these four rounds (I wonder if they’re even eligible to collect purse money?) and good on them. You do have to wonder how much each guy, with an eye on Anaheim 1 coming up, pushes it out there. They both want to win, sure, but the checks cash either way and they do have more important races to win.
Joey Savatgy admitted after the race that he would’ve liked to have been closer to the top two guys but yeah, with limited time on the new Honda, he’ll take third overall. Without a fall in, I think, main two, late, he would’ve been the clear third place guy on the night. He’s got a weird deal going on where he’s on the 2025 CRF with a 2025 shock and 2024 forks that aren’t valved as a set. He’ll figure that out in the coming weeks and get better on the Firepower Honda. I hope Savatgy, as much as we like giving each other shit, doesn’t read this, but he’s a really talented rider. He’s got some bad breaks in racing when it comes to rides and he’s gotten injured a bit too much, but if he’s right and comfortable on the bike, he’s really good. Also, he’s a 450 guy now. Stamp it. Speaking of Firepower Honda, they’ll have a new title sponsor and new gear next year so stay tuned.
Colt Nichols has had an up-and-down time since he jumped on the HEP Suzuki but the downs came more in motocross. Supercross, well that went pretty well for Colt, considering he was an LCQ guy in SMX. And Vancouver went well also, where it seemed like he, Savatgy and Friese were seemingly locked in duels every time out. Because of the weirdness of the apps/scoring/etc., Nichols thought he got third overall at the end of the night and went over to the podium even before they told him he actually got fourth OA
The Vince Friese “thing” is back for WSX again. Vince is embracing the whole wrestling “heel” persona because really, what choice does he have? I know the riders don’t like racing him but he gets good starts and fights for his spot. Not always fairly, but the thing I think that riders don’t like (besides the obvious dirty moves, which I didn’t see this weekend) is what I witnessed this weekend. He’ll take himself out of the race line and lose time in order to stuff a rider that’s going to get by him. And all that does is allow the guy behind both of them to get closer or make the pass. He doesn’t subscribe to the ‘Hey you’re faster, pass me and I’ll tuck behind you and maybe get you back if you make a mistake or I’ll learn some lines,’ theory a lot of other guys do. So I get that it’s frustrating and also, he’s not able to go the speed of the two top guys so when he’s in front, the guys have to sort of wait and see if he clears a section to make sure he doesn’t accidently take them out. I saw that with Tomac and Roczen this weekend. It’s like dealing with a porcupine (which I made that joke to Tomac and he seemed to like it). You’re not quite sure how to get it out of the way.
But hey, Friese almost won this thing two years ago and he got fourth last year. He’s making money, he’s a factor in the races, and I suppose the other riders are just gonna have to deal with it.
In the 250’s, it was defending 2023 250 champ and now wildcard Max Anstie (just doing one round) who was the heavy favorite to take the win after being fastest in practice, winning Superpole, winning the first SX2 main AND coming from the back to almost win SX2 main two, but alas, he crashed himself back in the SX3 main (one time on the concrete!) and the Superfinal to just end up on the box. Anstie was just taking the cash and doing some SX testing for himself out there on the Star Yamaha so, it’s like, whatever, but as he mentioned to me afterward, the SX test tracks have been very hard-packed back east so it’s good for him to learn some things on his bike.
In the end, Shane McElrath, who blew the start in SX2 main one when he said the gate dropped so quickly he wasn’t even ready, quickly got back on pace in the rest of the races and was the top 250 rider in the Superfinal as well. He’s a past WSX champion so he’s certainly down with the format, etc. He looked really good and I was sort of wondering what happened in the first main but that explains it.
Shane’s on Firepower Honda right now and in case you're keeping track at home, that's SEVEN different bikes for Shane McElrath since 2022!
2022 | Rockstar Husky 450
2022 | Privateer Yamaha 450
2023 | HEP Suzuki 450
2023 | RWR Yamaha 450 (SMX)
2023 | RWR Yamaha 250 (WSX)
2024 | HEP Suzuki 450
2024 | Madd Parts Kawi 450
2024 | FirePower Honda 250
Remember Enzo Lopes? The Brazilian has had a nerve issue in his shoulder/arm now and never raced for Star Yamaha this year like he had planned. He’s back home in Brazil and raced the MXoN for his country on a 450, which went well. He told me that his issue, which hurts his grip strength, is worse with SX but he decided to sign up with Rick Ware Racing and give the indoor stuff a try again. And you know what? He was pretty good, actually! He got better as the night went on, ended up fourth overall on the night, and still looked smooth and fast. Are his WSX results enough for him to get back onto the radar of USA teams?
Kyle Chisholm didn’t want to race 250s for Pipes Suzuki in WSX, but if you know Chiz, you know he loves two things—racing a dirt bike and money. So he had no real choice, as the team had Nichols and some guy named Roczen racing 450s, and that was all that was left. So Chiz, who would probably race Sunshine Speedway if they had $1000 pro purse, dropped down to the little bike. And because Chiz is always Chiz, he got good starts on the RMZ (perhaps aided by him hearing the air release, perhaps not), didn’t make mistakes, and ended up sixth overall! Because that’s what Chiz does.
A few other random thoughts about WSX
I know nothing about the Aussie kid, Ryder Kingsford, but he had some speed for sure. He also had some crashes, but he’s yet another kid from down under who looks to have some real speed.
Rick Ware was explaining to me that the Arby’s sponsorship on his bikes traces back to the parent company that owns Arby’s and Sonic Drive-In. A few other things are sponsors of Rick’s NASCAR, drag race, and flat track teams, so it was decided the SX team would run Arby’s for this weekend.
Noah Viney doesn’t look ready for SX at all on the MCR team. He was one of two Canadians racing out there and although he got good starts, it went south from there.
Gregory Aranda, man! He was there and man, back in the day the Frenchman would give the very best American riders at Bercy/Lille/Paris fits on those smaller tracks. He’s still out there collecting some money racing his dirt bike.
I thought Ryan Breece would be better. He’s a good starter and usually can lay down some heaters, but I never really noticed him all weekend. Maybe just an off-weekend for the AX guy?
Cedric Soubeyras went down in the very first practice session and I think dislocated his hip. He knew it was bad right away as he laid there on the track. I think he’ll be spending some time up in Vancouver in the hospital before he can get back on the road to recovery. Sucks, Soubs is good people.
Thanks for reading OBS from Vancouver! Great to be back in the homeland and get some Hawkins Cheezies even. You can email me at matthes@racerxonline.com if you want to chat about this or anything else.