Ken Roczen claims WSX title in Melbourne thriller
The inaugrual Australian WSX Grand Prix turned out to be more dramatic than anyone anticipatedKen Roczen has been crowned World Supercross Champion after a drama-filled night at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium.
The German-born superstar was the headline act at the second and final round of the inaugural WSX Championship series, but proceedings didn’t go exactly as he had planned.
Riding for the Yarrive Konsky-led Honda Genuine team, Roczen arrived in Australia as the overwhelming favourite to claim the title. He looked unstoppable during the heat races and dominated the first leg of the three-race final. But things quickly unravelled from there.
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About halfway through the second final, the Honda gun suddenly surrendered his lead and pulled off the track. It was quickly established that he had suffered a flat tyre, throwing his championship hopes into disarray.
While the math was complicated, commentators soon revealed that Roczen had to beat Justin Brayton (Motoconcepts) and Vince Friese (Motoconcepts) in the third and final race to win the title.
As the gate dropped for the final race, a large group of riders got tangled up and went down. All three title contenders were caught up, but Roczen was the only one to stay on two wheels.
Roczen quickly slotted in behind race leader Joey Savatgy (Rick Ware Racing), but with Friese on the charge from the back of the pack, Roczen either had to finish first, or beat Friese by two places to win the championship.
As the laps ticked down, Roczen appeared to be in cruising mode and made no in-roads to catching Savatgy. Friese managed to work his way up to fifth but ran out of time, handing Roczen the title.
The German rider admitted afterwards that he “saw the title hopes fizzling away” following the flat tyre. “I just tried to stay calm and handed the bike off to my mechanic,” he said. “Then Chad told me that there was a four-point difference, and there was a chance for me to still get it. In the end, I did what I had to do to get it done.”
The SX2 class was a less stressful affair, with Shane McElrath (Rick Ware Racing) riding consistently to claim the round overall and the championship.
Max Anstie (Honda Genuine) was second for the round and the championship, while home-town hero Aaron Tanti (CDR Yamaha) was a popular third in the round. Chris Blose (Bud Racing) finished third in the title race.
The WSX Championship is expected to grow to nine or 10 rounds in 2023, although it is unclear which riders will be returning for season two.
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