Ryan Nitzen | November 26, 2024
The 2024 FIM World Supercross Championship’s Australian GP occurred over a doubleheader weekend at HBF Park in Perth. The Australian sands proved advantageous for both Eli Tomac and Shane McElrath, who excelled in their respective categories, with Tomac dominating the WSX 450cc class and McElrath securing a solid victory in the SX2 250cc class.
The FIM World Supercross Championship took place in Perth, Australia, for rounds two and three.
WSX 450
For Tomac, the weekend started uncharacteristically as the eight-time AMA Supercross and Motocross Champion did not find himself on top after Saturday’s SuperPole. Rather, fans saw the two-time WSX vice-champion Joey Savatgy claim the fastest qualifying time.
The opening moto saw Tomac start back in fourth before eventually finding his rhythm and making his way to the front. The Yamaha rider pushed past the early leaders and found his way to the lead by the halfway point before going on to take the win in race one.
Roczen suffered a poor start but moved his way to second at the checkers. Tomac’s win in race one set the tone for the night as the veteran dominated all of the remaining races, leading every lap of race two and the SuperFinal, clinching victory in all four motos on Saturday. After the final checkered flag on Saturday night, Tomac remained undefeated in his WSX career.
Eli Tomac dominated the weekend, winning seven of the eight races.
The two-time champion and reigning number-one of Roczen held on for second overall on Saturday night. 2-3-2-2 finishes showed consistency for the Suzuki rider, but he was ultimately no match for the points leader Tomac. After a poor qualifying position, Roczen was forced to climb his way through the field for any chance at a podium finish.
Savatgy started the night strong by setting the fastest lap in SuperPole but a slow start in race one saw him finish off the podium in fourth. His best result came in race two with a second-place finish before taking third in race three and fourth in the night’s final race, the combined SuperFinal.
Dean Wilson landed on the podium for the first time this year in the SuperFinal.
Colt Nichols was involved in a multi-rider incident during race one that forced the PMG rider to withdraw for the remainder of the weekend due to injury. He was transported to the Perth Royal Hospital for medical checks. He later said on social media, “Feeling beat up today but nothing crazy, so rest up and see what the next few days brings us.”
An odd incident in Saturday’s final involving Vince Friese and Matt Moss also happened. For an unknown reason, Friese was allowed to line up for the main event despite not having qualified, while Moss wasn’t allowed to race despite having qualified. The next day, the sanctioning body of WSX said in a statement: “As the sanctioning body of WSX, the FIM last night made a decision in relation to a race process error which occurred prior to Saturday’s 2024 WSX Australian GP SuperFinal. Vince Friese (MotoConcepts Racing) was mistakenly included in the SuperFinal lineup instead of Matt Moss (CDR Yamaha Supported by Star Racing). Such error was not due to the fault of any rider, team or WSX. In accordance with FIM protocol, the FIM has since confirmed that the relevant race results still stand as completed despite this error.”
Joey Savatgy was the only other rider to beat Tomac.
Sunday’s day race program saw more of the same with Tomac winning all but one session during round three. The CDR/Star Racing Yamaha rider took off early in race one, claiming the holeshot and the opening victory to further his win streak. Savatgy again gave chase and closed the gap to less than a second but couldn’t manage a pass for the lead. Roczen landed on the podium in third after falling victim to Savatgy early in the moto.
Race two saw the best battle of the season. Both Tomac and Roczen found themselves shuffled back after a hectic first turn, giving the lead to the FirePower Honda duo of Savatgy and Wilson. With Savatgy out front, Roczen and Tomac duked it out for the final spots on the podium. The two rivals eventually made their way around Wilson and crossed the line, with Roczen second and Tomac third. Savatgy’s win in race two ultimately put an end to Tomac’s reign.
Tomac fired back in the third moto and claimed a dominant win. He got back to his winning ways and crossed the line by five seconds over Savatgy. Roczen rebounded to third after dropping back to sixth near the halfway mark.
The SuperFinal was again all Tomac as he led the finale from start to finish. The points leader nearly swept the entire weekend, winning seven out of eight motos during the doubleheader. Savatgy and Roczen again rounded out the box in the combined WSX/SX2 race, taking second and third overall for the night. Tomac continues to lead the points going into the series finale in Abu Dhabi.
“It’s been a very memorable weekend—I only missed out on the win in one moto,” said Tomac. “It was awesome for us to win seven out of eight races and then win SuperPole on Sunday. Perth was a very interesting track, with soil we don’t race on normally, so that was challenging all weekend, and then just another great weekend on points. I’ve built up a solid lead. I was happy with the motorcycle all weekend, and then my starts were awesome in all of the races.”
“I have mixed feelings,” said Roczen. “My starts are still not great, and I have to say, and this is not an excuse by any means, but I struggled with this dirt, big time—it’s just not my favorite at all. I’m also on new suspension, so I just felt a little bit unfamiliar, but I tried as hard as I could. The most important thing is that we’re healthy and we tried everything we can to do the best, and now we have 10 days now to reset, come back in Abu Dhabi and try to win there.”
“I’m happy,” said Savatgy. “My starts were better on Sunday and to be honest, it’s just been an intense weekend with a lot of racing. It was very hot on Sunday as well. In the final moto, I knew I could finish behind Ken and still get second overall, and the track was gnarly, so I just mailed it in. I’m ready for a day off to rest and recover for Abu Dhabi.”
Points leader Shane McElrath leads the way in the SX2 (250cc) division.
SX2
In the SX2 250cc class, Shane McElrath was nearly as dominant as Tomac, turning in two near-perfect performances across both days. The FirePower Honda rider rode at the top of his game, securing overall wins on both Saturday and Sunday. McElrath’s consistency proved key throughout the weekend, winning three of four races on each night.
Saturday night’s round two started with a thrilling first moto between McElrath and Coty Schock. Schock managed to clinch his first career win with McElrath hot on his heels. The two battled again in race two and gapped the field in the process. A late-race crash for Schock saw him fall to fifth and spoil his chance at the night’s overall victory. This crash also allowed McElrath to easily take the win in race two. The Honda rider, and current points leader went unchallenged in race three and claimed the overall win in the process with 2-1-1-1 finishes. Enzo Lopes never finished off the box during Saturday night, which earned him second overall thanks to his consistent 3-2-3-2 results. Schock still took third on night one with 1-5-2-3 scores.
On Sunday, McElrath continued his strong form and dominated in the first and second motos. He topped the SuperPole and claimed the overall victory after a strong showing in the combined SuperFinal. Despite Schock’s resurgence in the final SX2 race where he cruised to victory, McElrath remained the rider to beat with 1-1-2-1 results. Schock’s performance proved to be the breakout ride of his WSX season, improving on his third place from night one and taking second on night two. He sits second in points, 57 markers back from McElrath. Lopes again proved to be a contender during round three. The Brazilian rider strung together third overall, flip-flopping spots with teammate Schock throughout the weekend. Lopes remains a strong contender for the runner-up position in the championship, trailing Schock by just two points in the standings.
Coty Schock won the first main of his career and proved to be McElrath’s toughest opponent.
“I’m really happy with my weekend,” said McElrath. “It’s been a heavy weekend of riding; the track was very technical, it was changing throughout the races. It was really hot, and it was tough having the back-to-back races. The temperatures went down on Sunday afternoon and in the evening, which helped the track and helped my body out, but praise the Lord, this has been a good weekend. It’s been hard, but we always keep fighting. I stayed present, continued executing, and I’m happy with how I did that.”
“I wouldn’t say Sunday was any better than Saturday, but in terms of the result, it was better,” Schock said. “I’m happy with my riding, and just trying to minimize those little mistakes is part of racing. Shane has done his time, and it’s showing now, and I know that one day I’ll get there. Right now, I’m just paying my dues. The fans this weekend have been awesome. I didn’t even know that I had fans in Australia.”
“I’m a bit disappointed about Sunday because I’m on the podium, but I missed the third moto,” said Lopes. “I think I could have had the win in GP race three, because it was the only good start I had over the weekend. I’m disappointed, but I’m happy. I’m healthy, got two overall podiums, and I’m third in points, so there’s a lot to be proud of. I’m excited for the next race in Abu Dhabi. For the finale, I want to get my starts down, and I want to focus on my technique, but I felt like this weekend was good. I felt like I was the fastest rider in SX2, but I just couldn’t get my starts right. Shane was better.” CN
Tomac enjoys a semi-comfortable points lead over Ken Roczen going into the final round in Abu Dhabi.
WSX
Race 1
- Eli Tomac (Yam)
- Ken Roczen (Suz)
- Joey Savatgy (Hon)
Race 2
- Eli Tomac (Yam)
- Joey Savatgy (Hon)
- Ken Roczen (Suz)
SX2
Race 1
- Shane McElrath (Hon)
- Enzo Lopes (Yam)
- Coty Schock (Yam)
Race 2
- Shane McElrath (Hon)
- Coty Schock (Yam)
- Enzo Lopes (Yam)
