Tomac and McElrath score WSX doubles in Australia
By Team TMX on 25th Nov 24
News Supercross International Supercross
Eli Tomac and Shane McElrath extended their leads in the FIM World Supercross Championship with a commanding performance at the 2024 WSX Australian GP, sweeping the victories in the WSX 450cc and SX2 250cc classes. Held at HBF Park in Perth, the double-header event saw Tomac and McElrath dominate the competition, securing near-perfect weekends by winning nearly every session across both Saturday and Sunday.
In the WSX 450cc class, Tomac’s weekend didn’t start off smoothly. After two-time WSX vice champion Joey Savatgy claimed SuperPole on Saturday, Tomac initially struggled, particularly in the first moto, where he appeared to be lacking pace. However, the eight-time AMA Motocross and Supercross champion mounted a strong comeback, winning GP Race 1 on Saturday and then leading every lap in the subsequent motos to secure victories in GP Race 2 and the SuperFinal. Sunday saw Tomac’s dominance continue, although Savatgy managed to outpace him in a thrilling GP Race 2. Despite that, Tomac's consistent performances across all races gave him his third overall WSX victory of the season, with a 1-3-1-1 scorecard on Sunday.
Tomac shared his thoughts after the event. “It’s been a very memorable weekend – I only missed out on the win in one moto. 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’ve had a great stay here in Perth, and I’m excited to go to Abu Dhabi which is a new place for me, another new culture, and I’m excited to see it and showcase some supercross.”
In the battle for second, Savatgy and Ken Roczen were Tomac’s closest rivals. Roczen, the two-time defending WSX Champion, finished second on Saturday but had a more challenging Sunday, settling for third overall after struggling with starts and making costly mistakes. His 2-3-2-2 record on Saturday and 3-2-3-2 finish on Sunday put him second in the WSX standings, trailing Tomac by 46 points with 257 points. Savatgy, who was the only rider besides Tomac to win a session, secured second overall on Sunday, narrowing the gap to Roczen in the standings.
Savatgy reflected on the weekend. “I’m happy. 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.”
In SX2, Shane McElrath was equally dominant. The Fire Power Honda rider swept the overall victories on both Saturday and Sunday, coming agonizingly close to a perfect clean sweep in both rounds. On Saturday, McElrath faced stiff competition from Coty Schock but ultimately secured the win after Schock’s costly mistakes, including a spectacular crash in GP Race 2. McElrath’s consistency, along with strong performances from teammates Enzo Lopes and Schock, gave him the edge in both rounds.
On Sunday, McElrath continued his dominance, winning GP Races 1 and 2, but was dethroned in GP Race 3 by Schock. However, McElrath clinched the overall victory by taking the SuperFinal. His consistent performance helped extend his lead in the SX2 standings, with McElrath sitting on 293 points, a solid 57 points ahead of Schock, who has 236 points.
McElrath expressed his satisfaction with the weekend. "I’m really happy with my weekend. 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. It gave me strength. I’m really excited for Abu Dhabi, we’re looking good on points and I want to keep winning and doing my job.”
Schock, who won GP Race 3 on Sunday, finished second overall and is looking forward to the challenge of Abu Dhabi. Lopes, despite a setback in GP Race 3, took third overall and remains in the hunt, just two points behind Schock in the SX2 standings.
Lopes commented. "I’m a bit disappointed about Sunday because I’m on the podium, but I missed the third moto. I think I could have had the win in GP Race 3, 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 really excited for the next race in Abu Dhabi. I’m flying out early so I can enjoy a bit of time there. 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.”
The 2024 FIM World Supercross Championship will conclude with the WSX Abu Dhabi GP at Etihad Arena on December 4, where world champions will be crowned.
