The pilot season of the FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX) came to a spectacular end in Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium with four world champions crowned.
German rider Ken Roczen was crowned the new WSX champion after finishing second in a dramatic WSX Australian Grand Prix last night. The WSX title ends a championship drought that’s lasted several years for the Genuine Honda rider.
“I would do it over and over again; I’ve had such an amazing experience. It’s been a tough ride the last few years — that’s why I did this. I don’t regret it,” said Roczen. “I’ve had so much fun here. I love coming to Australia, and I can’t wait to come back again. Finally getting a title again, especially the first one for my team, is nothing short of amazing.”
American Joey Savatgy won last night’s WSX race with Roczen second and American Justin Brayton in third.
In SX2, American Shane McElrath was crowned world champion after winning the WSX Australian Grand Prix by edging out Genuine Honda’s Max Anstie and Craig Dack Racing’s Aaron Tanti. The world championship is the first mayor title for McElrath, who rides for the Rick Ware Racing team.
“A win is a win. It’s never easy. These guys made it tough. We had minimal prep time, but the Rick Ware Racing literally never stopped working,” said McElrath. “To come out on top, and to really get better every single time on the track, that’s really what we worked for. Praise God we’re here. Number one baby. I am proud of this team and what they’ve done in a few short weeks. Glory to God.”
MotoConcepts won the Teams Championship, and Honda took home the Manufacturer’s Championship after strong performances from its riders in Cardiff and Melbourne.
SX Global President Tony Cochrane AM, who pioneered the Australian V8 Supercar championship and is the Chairman of the Gold Coast Suns AFL team said, “Fans across the world were hungry to see supercross racing. We knew there was a global market out there for supercross. You need the courage of your convictions to take these things on. We really believe in the product of world supercross. We really do believe there is a global audience out there. These athletes are so talented, we really believe the world wants to see that. We’re prepared to put that to the test. You’re going to see, in my humble belief, this championship grow enormously in the next two to four years.”
More than 50,000 fans filled Marvel Stadium over two action packed nights for the WSX Australian Grand Prix and Australian Supercross Championship (AUSX). The stadium was transformed with more than 6,000 tons of dirt, creating the ultimate supercross track. The 850 plus truckloads of dirt were supported by more than 5,000 railway sleepers and almost 2,000 steel prop supports in the lower-level carpark.
Genuine Honda’s Justin Brayton won the premier WSX class during Friday night’s AUSX racing with Craig Dack Racing’s Aaron Tanti in second and Genuine Honda’s Dean Wilson in third. In the SX2 class, Genuine Honda’s Max Anstie rode to a dominate win over Serco Yamaha’s Cole Thompson with KTM’s Nathan Crawford in third. The weekend’s supercross racing was supported by leading Australian recording artists Peking Duk and Bliss N Eso.
