Webb and Anstie strike first as World Supercross roars into life in Calgary
By Team TMX on 9th Aug 26
The 2026 FIM World Supercross Championship burst into life in dramatic style as Cooper Webb and Britain’s Max Anstie claimed opening-round honours at a storm-hit Canadian GP in Calgary.
A packed McMahon Stadium crowd were treated to a slick evening of bar-to-bar action as the globe-trotting, six-round series fired into gear – although the weather had the final say as a flash storm forced an early halt to the decisive SX1 main event.
With conditions deteriorating rapidly, officials pulled the plug in the interests of safety, leaving the overall results to be decided on the completed races – but that did little to dampen what had already been a cracking night of racing.
In SX1, Cooper Webb wasted no time laying down a marker on his first full campaign in the series, delivering a composed and calculated performance to secure the overall for Rick Ware Racing. Second in the opening sprint before firing back to win the next, Webb’s consistency proved enough to take top honours when the curtailed final brought proceedings to a close.
Justin Hill had earlier set the tone by topping practice and qualifying before storming to victory in Sprint Race 1, while Dean Wilson capitalised on the chaos to secure second overall, with Hill completing the podium.
“It was sick – honestly, it was beautiful to get the win,” said Webb. “It was pretty gnarly out there and then the weather came in, but I was feeling good all night.”
If Webb made his intentions clear in SX1, Max Anstie did exactly the same in SX2 – only more emphatically.
The defending champion enjoyed a dream debut for Rick Ware Racing, completing a clean sweep of all three races to leave Calgary with maximum points and early control of the title chase.
It didn’t come easy, though. Electric-powered Stark machinery proved the surprise package of the night, with Brian Hsu and Michael Hicks repeatedly grabbing the holeshots and dictating the early laps. Their explosive starts and straight-line speed made them a genuine threat throughout, marking one of the standout storylines from the opener.
But Anstie kept his cool. Picking his moments and managing the tricky, evolving track conditions to perfection, the Brit reeled them in time and again to take both sprint wins before sealing the deal in the main event.
“It was tough,” admitted Anstie. “The track was gnarly and honestly the Starks were probably the biggest challenge. They were gone off the start and it wasn’t easy to make time back, but the whole Rick Ware crew have been incredible getting this together.”
Behind him, Hicks secured a landmark second overall for Stark – the brand’s first World Supercross podium – while Cameron McAdoo impressed on his series debut to round out the top three.
With one round in the books, Webb and Anstie head the early standings as the championship now looks ahead to round two in Birmingham on October 10 – where, if Calgary is anything to go by, more fireworks are guaranteed.
