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RACE REPORT

2024 WSX Vancouver | Race Report and Photos

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Tomac and McElrath Victorious in Canada

By Bogdan DeBerg

Photos by swap

The 2024 WSX World Supercross Championship Series got underway last weekend in Vancouver, Canada’s BC Place Stadium and Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Eli Tomac and Firepower Honda’s Shane McElrath made it an all-American sweep. 

Vince Friese holeshot the first WSX moto.

WSX 1

Vince Friese secured the first 450 holeshot of the night, but a pair of Supercross titans in Roczen and Tomac lurked close behind. Never one to shy away from robust defensive riding, Friese held off Roczen who had to slow to avoid contact, allowing Tomac to slip through into second.

Tomac then made his attempt to get around Friese and after one unsuccessful move, made it stick. Roczen wasn’t going to take that lying down and cut underneath the pair of them to take the lead. After the halfway point, Tomac closed onto Roczen’s back wheel using much tighter lines, but eventually the German won out ahead of Tomac and Savatgy in third.

Eli Tomac was quick off the line all night long.

WSX 2

For the second headline race of the night, Tomac claimed the holeshot with Dean Wilson in second and Matt Moss in third. The big surprise was Roczen in 11th after a sluggish getaway.

After a promising start, Wilson crashed out, elevating Savatgy into second, but he dropped back soon after. Friese and Oldenburg occupied second and third as the resurgent Roczen’s comeback continued getting past them both in one corner.

Friese and Savatgy went into combat over second, but Oldenburg lurked behind and contact resulted in Friese crashing out. A rare mistake from Roczen – who’d climbed back from 11th to second – dropped the reigning champion all the way back down to 11th. Tomac eventually won by a whopping 22 seconds over Savatgy and Nichols.

Friese and Tomac lead the way.

WSX 3

A lengthy 12-lap race awaited the 450 riders and initially, it looked to be Tomac who held the advantage at Turn 1, but Friese then edged ahead before Roczen ducked underneath the pair of them. Making quick work of Friese, Tomac secured second and set about chasing after the #1 bike.

Yet more aggressive riding from Friese held off Savatgy, but the Fire Power Honda rider eventually passed, by which point he’d lost seven seconds to Tomac and Roczen. The leading pair, meanwhile, battled it out for the race lead and Tomac eventually finished ahead of Roczen and Savatgy.

Tomac leads em all.

SuperFinal

Seizing the advantage with the final holeshot of the night, Tomac exited Turn 1 of the first-ever mixed class SuperFinal ahead of Friese and Roczen. Wary of more tactics from Friese, Roczen made a point of getting past as quickly as possible over the whoops.

Try as he might, Roczen was unable to make any inroads into Tomac’s advantage, who extended his gap to a mammoth 16 seconds. Such was his advantage that he was able to run for the final half a lap and cross the line with a flat rear tyre. Roczen followed him home in second while Nichols muscled past Friese to finish third on the road.

On the overall podium, there was little disputing who the top step belonged to; Tomac took victory ahead of Roczen and Savatgy, setting up a tantalising title fight prospect as WSX heads to Perth for its first-ever double-header. 

“It was a fantastic evening of racing. Kenny rode well in the first two races, and we were battling out there,” said Tomac. “I found my rhythm in the last couple of races, and everything just clicked. The energy from the Vancouver crowd was incredible, and I’m looking forward to the next round in Perth.”

Max Anstie led every inch of the first SX2 race.

SX2 1

Race 1 was not only the first of the night, but of the 2024 WSX season and of three SX2 races at the Canadian GP. The holeshot belonged to Anstie, who had the remarkable 19-year-old Kingsford and Thompson in tow. Schock slotted into fourth and Lopes into fifth while McElrath languished down in 10th.

Kingsford clung to the back of Anstie’s coattails in the early laps but dropped back as the race progressed, while Kyle Chisholm and Cullin Park went into battle on Lap 5, the latter snatching sixth place.

By the chequered flag, McElrath had vaulted up to seventh, but it was Anstie who took the first victory of the night ahead of Kingsford and Thompson.

Kyle Chisholm with a Suzuki holeshot!

SX2 2

It was Chisholm’s holeshot in Race 2, but McElrath got himself alongside and the pair went handlebar-to-handlebar for the first few corners before he deftly took the lead. Further back, Anstie slotted into fourth but quickly passed Viney for third.

On Lap 2, Anstie overhauled Chisholm to move into second, while Schock was on the move and followed Anstie through to third. The Brit then set about bridging the four-second gap to McElrath, but as he got close he spun up his rear wheel on corner exit and dropped back. Eventually, it was McElrath who sealed the victory ahead of Anstie and Schock.

McElrath and Chisholm lead the way.

SX2 3

In the first 12-lap contest of the night, McElrath headed the field out of Turn 1 while Chisholm got another great start in second and Anstie slotted into third. It wouldn’t last though, as the Brit fell off on the rhythm section of Lap 1. With Chisholm also dropping back, that allowed Lopes into second and Schock not far behind in third.

Rick Ware Racing team-mates Schock and Lopes then went into combat for second, a battle Schock won but crashed out of shortly after, elevating Canadian home favourite Thompson up to third.

The fallen front runners of Anstie and Schock then fought over eighth, but Anstie would fall yet again, dropping even further back. Both riders would recover well though, with Schock crossing the line in sixth and Anstie in ninth. Further forward, McElrath took his second win of the night ahead of Lopes and Thompson.

Anstie and McElrath mixed it up with the 450s.

SuperFinal

Amidst the chaos of a mixed class start, it was Anstie who emerged at the head of the SX2 runners at the start of WSX’s first SuperFinal. McElrath was close behind though, and piled the pressure on the reigning champion early on, but he had to quickly switch focus to fend off his Fire Power Honda team-mate Thompson behind.

Five laps into the 12-lap race, Anstie crashed out of the lead handing the SX2 victory to McElrath, second to Enzo Lopes and third to Schock who kicked off his rookie campaign with an admirable performance.

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Donn Maeda

Donn Maeda is a 30-year veteran in moto-journalism, having worked at Cycle News and Dirt Rider before launching MXracer Magazine and TransWorld Motocross Magazine. Maeda is the Editor-In-Chief at Swapmoto Live and you can catch him on a dirt bike or in the saddle of a mountain bike on most days.

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