Cycle News Staff | December 10, 2024
The final round of the World Supercross Championship (WSX) took place midweek, December 4, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Both points leaders, Eli Tomac and Shane McElrath, entered the midweek finale with sizable points leads. Defending WSX Champion Ken Roczen ended the season with a bang by taking the Grand Prix victory, while McElrath claimed victory in the SX2 division.
Ken Roczen won the GP overall in Abu Dhabi.
WSX
Vince Friese started the night with a win in the opening WSX (450cc) class. The MotoConcepts team rider holeshotted the ultra-short start straight and held the top spot for most of the race before an attack from Fire Power Honda’s Joey Savatgy. After Savatgy fell on lap five, Friese controlled the final few laps despite increased pressure from Roczen and Tomac. Both the number-three and number-one suffered their share of struggles in race one but rebounded for an exciting final lap. This win marked Friese’s second career WSX victory.
Roczen bounced back with a win in race two. A good start allowed him to take over the lead after Savatgy fell again on lap one. This put Roczen and Tomac first and second as they checked out from the rest of the field. The two heavyweights ran away and finished nearly 10 seconds ahead of Friese on the 40-second track.
Eli Tomac finished second overall but clinched the WSX title.
Roczen again fired first with the early lead in race three. The PMG Suzuki rider looked to end the series on a high note as he led wire-to-wire over Tomac and Savatgy. Savatgy again gave up the second position after jumping off track before crossing the line in third. With the course being hard to pass on, Roczen was able to control the lead and add another win to his night.
The night’s Super Final main saw both WSX and SX2 riders combined for one last exciting gate drop. By starting the race, Tomac effectively clinched the 2024 WSX Championship, but he wasn’t done yet. The Yamaha rider dominated the 12-lap main event and rode into victory lane as the new World Champion. Roczen crossed second in the Super Final and claimed the night’s overall win with 2-1-1-2 finishes. The two-time champion of the series earned second in the 2024 season and sees him transfer the number-one plate to Tomac.
“I’ve just been improving from the injuries over the past two summers,” Tomac said. “This was so fun going to new races and new places and having some great racing tonight. Ken and Joey were riding so well, and I’m glad I was able to sneak in one win there at the end.”
Shane McElrath swept the night in the 250 division and claimed his second SX2 Championship.
SX2
Points leader Shane McElrath continued his championship tear in Abu Dhabi. The Fire Power Honda rider went wire-to-wire in the opening race and kicked off the night with a win. He did more of the same in race two, taking the checkers and the championship crown with two races still left in the night.
The final SX2 race again saw McElrath ride away from the field and sweep the night with 1-1-1 finishes. The newly crowned champ started third in the combined Super Final and went on to finish fourth, still the highest-placing SX2 rider. This gave McElrath the night’s overall win ahead of Fire Power Honda teammate Cole Thompson and Team GSM Yamaha’s Maxime Desprey. CN
WSX
- Ken Roczen (Suz)
- Eli Tomac (Yam)
- Joey Savatgy (Hon)
- Vince Friese (Hon)
- Ryan Breece (Hon)
SX2
- Shane McElrath (Hon)
- Cole Thompson (Hon)
- Maxime Desprey (Yam)
- Coty Schock (Yam)
- Cullin Park (Hon)
