Tomac wins opening night of Perth WSX double-header

2024 FIM World Supercross Championship
Round Two – Perth

The opening round of the 2024 World Supercross Championship was staged in Vancouver, and on Canadian soil, Eli Tomac firmly stamped his authority.

WSX reconvened overnight for round two in the most isolated city in the world, Perth, Western Australia. It was a warm Saturday night of competition that unfolded a massive 15,000 kilometres from the season opener.

Perth has been starved of top-level motorcycle competition, both on the dirt and on tarmac, for several years. That drought saw 12,000 spectators flock to HBF Park. A good turnout for a city with a population of just over 2.3 million.

Sandrgopers is the colloquial term for Western Australians, and thus, it was fitting that the racing in Perth was on a sand track, complete with a huge finish line jump.

Despite a very different track in a very different part of the world, the outcome was much the same. The 23-year-old Coloradan dominated once again. Winning all three WSX contests and the combined SX1/SX2 Super Final, Tomac pulled away from the field to clear and decisive wins in all races.

The only blot on Tomac’s copybook was a second place to Joey Savatgy in the Superpole session that spoiled what otherwise would have been a perfect score for the CDR Yamaha Star Racing rider.  Tomac heads into Sunday’s third round with a 33-point lead over Ken Roczen.

Joey Savatgy completed the round podium only three-points behind Roczen.  Along with Tomac, the trio were clearly a step above the rest of the competition when it came to outright speed. With Eli perhaps even another step above in a class of his own. That leaves us salivating at the prospect of a fit and in-form Tomac ready to take it to the Lawrence brothers when the AMA Supercross season gets underway on January 11 with Anaheim One.

The top finishing Australian in Perth was Luke Clout. The 30-year-old was on the podium in race one after getting the better of Savatgy, finished fourth in the second and third contests, and then fifth in the Super Final to claim a strong fourth place for the round. The 72-point haul promoted the Rick Ware Racing Kawasaki backed rider to seventh overall in the WSX Championship standings.

Countryman Matt Moss was inside the top ten across all the WSX races but, due to what appears to be a procedural error from organisers, was not on the gate for the Super Final. A mistake that cost the 36-year-old a chance to add to his points tally.

It will be an even warmer Sunday evening for round three with temperatures nudging towards the century in the old scale. On complete of the Perth double header WSX then heads to Abu Dhabi’s palacial Yas Island for the finale on December 4 at Etihad Arena.

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WSX Race One

SX Wildcard rider, Kyle Webster, won the holeshot in GP Race 1 with Vince Friese, Luke Clout, and Tomac chasing the Aussie from the first lap onwards. SuperPole winner, Savatgy, meanwhile had a sluggish start in seventh, with Roczen just ahead in sixth.

While Webster held his own at the front, Tomac – who had an uncharacteristically slow getaway – rallied his efforts and quickly sliced his way through the pack to take the lead at mid-race distance.

The American opened a six-second advantage to claim victory at the flag, with Roczen claiming second after battling forward late in the race. Clout finished third to claim his first GP Race podium in the premier WSX 450cc class, with Savatgy and Fire Power Honda team-mate, Dean Wilson, completing the top five.

WSX Race One Results

WSX Race Two

Tomac cruised to a dominant victory in GP Race 2 after winning the holeshot and taking the lead at the first opportunity. The eight-time AMA Motocross and Supercross champion was unchallenged throughout, although the battle for the runner-up spot was fierce.

GP Race 1 podium finisher, Clout, was Tomac’s closest contender before being overtaken by Savatgy on lap three, and while battling Roczen, came off his Rick Ware Racing bike when exiting the rhythm section.

With Roczen in the podium places, the German chased after Savatgy but was unable to overtake while Tomac, 10 seconds ahead, took his fifth win of the 2024 season. Clout recovered from his earlier fall to fourth while Oldenburg completed the top five.

WSX Race Two Results

WSX Race Three

In GP Race 3, Tomac resumed his offensive of the night by winning the holeshot for a second moto in a row, with Clout trailing the American once again on the first lap.

While Clout held his own in second, the battle for third raged behind him, with Friese, Savatgy, and Roczen scrapping it out at HBF Park.

When Savatgy and Roczen both overtook the MotoConcepts Racing rider and breezed past Clout on lap four, their fight was for second place, and with a diving move on the final lap, it was Roczen who came out on top.

The PMG rider finished as the runner-up behind Tomac who was four seconds up the track, with Savatgy in third. Clout was able to hold on to finish fourth, while Aranda completed the top five, converting his pace earlier in the evening into results.

WSX Race Three Results

SuperFinal

In the FIM World Supercross Championship’s multi-class SuperFinal, the top eight riders from both the WSX and SX2 classes faced off, with Tomac, Savatgy, Roczen, Clout, Wilson, Oldenburg, Colt Nichols, and Matt Moss representing the 450cc grid.

After being untouchable in every race prior, it was Tomac who won the holeshot although a quick start for Ken Roczen but the WSX points leader under immediate pressure.

While the PMG Suzuki rider harried his title rival, a mistake on lap four cost Roczen dearly, and allowed the Tomac to streak ahead and claim the victory, executing a perfect evening after going 1-1-1-1.

Following the mistake, Roczen was forced into a quick recovery but held on for second place, with Dean Wilson claiming his first individual race podium of the 2024 season in third. Savatgy was fourth, while Clout completed the top five.

SuperFinal Results

WSX Round Points

1. Eli Tomac 103
2. Ken Roczen 86
3. Joey Savatgy 83
4. Luke Clout 72
5. Dean Wilson 63
6. Mitch Oldenburg 53
7. Colt Nichols 53
8. Vince Friese 46
9. Matt Moss 37
10. Greg Aranda 36

WSX Standings

1. Eli Tomac 203
2. Ken Roczen 170
3. Joey Savatgy 162
4. Colt Nichols 127
5. Mitch Oldenburg 114
6. Vince Friese 111
7. Luke Clout 100
8. Dean Wilson 92
9. Greg Aranda 90
10. Matt Moss 89

SX2

SX2 Race One

In GP Race 1, SX2 rookie Coty Schock secured the first WSX GP Race win of his career by holding off a hard-charging McElrath in the first moto of the night.

Schock held third after the gate drop, with Thompson winning the holeshot and Wildcard rider, Kayden Minear – a Perth local – holding second. Schock battled hard to rise to the front and cleared Thompson for the lead on lap four before facing pressure from behind in the form of McElrath.

The battle was fierce but Schock held on, with McElrath finishing as the runner-up. Lopes, meanwhile, completed the top three for Rick Ware Racing, with Thompson fading to fourth. Desprey completed the top five.

SX2 Race One Results

SX2 Race Two

It was McElrath vs Schock for a second time in SX2 GP Race 2, with the pair battling lap after after lap after rising to the front of the field by securing a good getaway at the gate drop.

Over the course of the race, Schock held a narrow advantage over the chasing North Carolinian rider, although a costly crash for Schock in the rhythm section handed the lead to McElrath.

With Schock down in fifth, and his closest challengers more than four seconds away, McElrath cruised to a comfortable victory, with Lopes taking second and Thompson third.

SX2 Race Two Results

SX2 Race Three

McElrath won the holeshot in GP Race 3, held the lead throughout, and charged to an unchallenged victory of almost five seconds, with Schock recovering from his crash earlier in the night to take home second.

The battle for third was hard fought between Lopes, Desprey, and Thompson, although after exchanging positions lap after lap, it was Lopes who came out on top to take the final step of the podium in the third moto of the night.

Thompson successfully overtake Desprey on the final lap, leaving the French Team GSM rider to complete the top five.

SX2 Race Three Results

SX2 Round Points

1. Shane McElrath 102
2. Enzo Lopes 85
3. Coty Schock 83
4. Cole Thompson 77
5. Cullin Park 62
6. Maxime Desprey 58
7. Kyle Chisholm 54
8. Kayden Minear 52
9. Ryder Kingsford 33
10. Noah Viney 32

SX2 Standings

1. Shane McElrath 191
2. Enzo Lopes 161
3. Coty Schock 157
4. Cole Thompson 156
5. Kyle Chisholm 113
6. Cullin Park 97
7. Maxime Desprey 92
8. Ryder Kingsford 85
9. Max Anstie 79
10. Calvin Fonvieille 61