It’s felt like forever since we’ve been able to say this but Australian supercross is officially back, baby, thanks to the 2024 Fox Australian Supercross Championship. With big crowds, more rounds, full-sized tracks in full-sized stadiums, and battles both on and off the track, the return of the AUSX Open and the first appearance of the Lawrence brothers since at least 2019, this year’s AUSX championship was a veritable smorgasbord for starved race fans.

After last year’s three-round championship, expectations of an epic 2024 Fox Australian Supercross Championship weren’t exactly sky high. Sure, 2023 delivered decent action and an interesting variety of venues, from Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, but it was simply too short.

But promoter AME was simply setting a foundation to begin building a new AUSX empire upon. This year’s championship was expanded to five rounds, including a welcome double-header opener at Redcliffe, Brisbane. It was the first time Queensland had hosted a round of AUSX since pre-Covid days, and the fans turned out in droves to support the two-day event, setting the scene for a ripper series.

This year’s championship also visited the picturesque oceanside WIN Stadium at Wollongong, held a round alongside the huge Adelaide 500 Supercars race, then wrapped up with the biggest supercross race in Australian history, with more than 43,000 fans packing Marvel Stadium for the return of the AUSX Open and a chance to see Hunter and Jett Lawrence race against Cooper Webb and a host of AUSX regulars.

It was the first time Hunter had raced in Australia since winning the MX Rookies at the 2015 MX Nationals, and the first time since 2019 for Jett when he made his professional debut at the same AUSX Open.

On track, this year’s championship also delivered plenty of spice. With the sole intention of trying to clean-sweep every podium spot in the two premier classes, Yarrive Konsky’s Honda Racing pits housed no less than nine racers – defending champ Dean Wilson, championship hopeful Joey Savatgy and Australian Aaron Tanti lined up for SX1; 2022 WSX champion Shane McElrath, current MX2 ProMX champ Brodie Connolly, Canada’s Cole Thompson and Australia’s Alex Larwood and Noah Ferguson were in SX2; and Jake Cannon was in SX3.

However, with that much talent under one roof, it wouldn’t – and didn’t – take much for tensions to quickly erupt, especially after Thompson took down both McElrath and Connolly in a bone-headed move at Redcliffe.

Even in the SX1 class, Wilson and Savatgy traded words after Redcliffe as the two had rubbed plastic multiple times.

The tensions were ironed out – on the surface at least – before the third round at Wollongong, as the Honda riders ran riot. In a remarkable feat, Honda would ultimately stand on the top step of the SX1 and SX2 podiums at every single round.

SX1

This year’s SX1 championship was always likely to boil down to a two-horse race between Wilson and Savatgy. While the script broadly went to plan, there were plenty of nuances that no one could’ve ever predicted.

The Scottish-born Wilson got his title defence off to a perfect start by opening the series with a W at Redcliffe, but as it’d turn out, that was the last time he tasted the winner’s champagne as Savatgy went on a three-round winning spree.

Victories at Redcliffe 2, Wollongong and Adelaide gave him a nine-point lead heading into the AUSX Open, but there the wheels came close to falling off, when he picked up a flat tyre in the last of the three finals and finished fourth overall for the night.

Wilson had his own battles: after clashing with arch rival Vince Friese the weekend before at the World Supercross Championship in Perth, Wilson turned up with a torn labrum (shoulder) and had to battle through the pain all night.

The AUSX Open win belonged to Hunter Lawrence after Webb and Jett crashed out in the second of the three finals, while Wilson battled to third overall and Savatgy fourth.

That P4 result was still enough for Savatgy to win this year’s championship and end his rough year of team dramas and injuries on a high note.

After the dust had settled, here’s what Joey Savatgy had to say…

ADB: Joey, congrats on the win, man. That’s got to feel good, even though you picked up that flat tyre in the last race of the season. How were you feeling and what were you thinking during that race, trying to circulate with a flat tyre while Deano was out front?

JS: I went from a pretty high night of having the chance to win the whole AUSX Open, to not even knowing if I’d win the championship. With two laps to go a flagger gave me the thumbs-up and let me know I was good, but I wasn’t sure if I could believe him. My mechanic was stressing and he couldn’t figure the math out, and every time I’d come around I’d be like “am I alright” and he’d just tell me to keep going.

It was stressful and much more than I wanted it to be, but I was proud of the effort I put in. We came here with the big goal to win the championship and the side-goal was to win the AUSX Open in front of a huge crowd. While we didn’t achieve the side-goal, I’m pumped to win this title.

ADB: It’s been a great battle between you and Dean all year. How have you found it, especially being Honda teammates and having a lot of history racing each other?

JS: Deano and I are almost neighbours – we don’t live far away from each other back in Florida and I have a lot of respect for him. He’s accomplished a lot of good things in his career and he’s one of the older ones, but still knows how to throw down.

He kept me honest all year, and as a racer I enjoy being able to go to the races over here and battle with somebody of his calibre.

We have the respect for each other where we don’t have to worry about incidents like we had in Perth, where he was taken out by Vince Friese. You never want to see a teammate and friend get hurt, but I came here to do my job the best I could and I was able to do that.

ADB: This whole deal with Yarrive came together quite last-minute. How have you found the experience racing here in Australia?

JS: It’s been enjoyable, for sure. One thing about coming down here is it’s always been very positive and the interaction with the fans, and the reception they give you, is always so welcoming. That makes my job a lot easier.

As far as the deal went, yeah it came together at the last minute, but I’m glad I did it.

ADB: Your career has deviated from the standard career path over the past couple of years, but do you see yourself as being part of the AUSX calendar now? How does this rank for you as an achievement?

JS: Yeah, if you’d told me six years ago that this is where I’d be, I’m not sure I would’ve believed you. This wasn’t the game plan, but sometimes you’ve got to take it in stride and some things don’t go according to plan.

But for me personally, I’ve just learned to enjoy the fact that I’m able to go and race. The AUSX doesn’t use the traditional format that I’m used to back home, but to be able to sharpen up on some things and be better on the opening laps, I think this is all good building blocks for the 2025 AMA Supercross.

I’d love to come back and keep doing this. It’s on the list for next year at least for sure.

ADB: What’s your take on the general level of racers in Australia and have you seen an improvement since you were last here?

JS: Luke Clout has stepped up a lot this year. Coming into a new series you never know what to expect, but from raw speed, between him and Dean in qualifying and Super Pole, it’s usually one of those two knocking me off the top.

It’s really cool to see the sport growing so well outside of the States. Even from when Gavin Faith was here 10 years ago, the level has risen, the abilities of the riders has increased and the tracks have got bigger and there’re more consequences to making mistakes.

It’s clear that the series is growing and the amount of effort being put into the series is also increasing. They’ve made strides in the right direction and it’s been cool to see the environment as a whole be elevated, even in the little details. Us riders, we see it and can nod our head and appreciate that stuff.

 SX2

After a slow start to the 2024 Fox Australian Supercross Championship, the race to the SX2 crown was all about one guy, Shane McElrath. The charismatic American grew stronger as each race passed, and after Redcliffe 1, he didn’t drop a single race or round.

While he might’ve only finished P7 at the opening round, Honda still claimed the win at the hands of Noah Ferguson, who surprised many with his supercross speed during those first gate drops.

As McElrath romped to win after win from that point on, the real battle began between his teammates Connolly and Thompson, who went at it all season. For the Kiwi Connolly, AUSX was his first-ever supercross championship, but he quickly established himself as a fast-starter and someone who would refuse to give up.

Meanwhile, Thompson has plenty of supercross experience and showed a real knack for being able to slice his way through the pack, pile the pressure on the front-runners, and get himself into a perfect spot to capitalise on any errors from the leader.

The scrap between the two went all the way to the AUSX Open, where Connolly, who’d held down second for most of the season, came up short with a P5 result, while Thompson finished the year with a runner-up spot and pipped his teammate for second in the points chase.

The year belonged to McElrath though, who again showed everyone a clean set of heels at Marvel Stadium, capping off an almost perfect championship for him.

Here’s what Shane McElrath had to say after the confetti stopped raining down…

ADB: Huge congratulations on what’s been a great season for you. How does it feel?

SM: It feels great and it’s been such a good opportunity. It was a big win, both mentally and physically. I’m really thankful for Yarrive – he’s a real wear-you-heart-on-your-sleeve kind of guy and I’m the same way. I’m happy to get this win for him and the whole team.

ADB: You started the season a bit rough with a seventh at Redcliffe 1. Was that the result of it being a last-minute decision to race here and trying to get used to riding the 250 again after a season of 450s in the US?

SM: It wasn’t about coming in unprepared, it was more about coming in not completely focused. The level of the riders here is really good, and I should be able to win, but I still had to do my job. I didn’t do that very well at the first round and it put me in my place really quick. It was a big slap in the rear.

ADB: It’s been no secret there was a big of tension in the Honda truck between the riders this year. Does that take the mind off racing or help focus you?

SM: It’s done a bit of both. We all want to win and that’s where it came from. We’re one of the biggest teams in Australia, and I didn’t know that was going to be the case until I got here. When they started naming off guys, I’m like “okay, okay, there are nine riders on the team. How many in the 250 class?” and they’re like “five” (laughs). It’s definitely been different! At the end of the day, we show up at the track and we have a job to do. It’s been tough to manage that at times, but we needed to keep trying to push that stuff aside.

ADB: When you arrived here, were you taken aback with the size of the team, the sport and series in general, and just the really high level that Yarrive’s team operates at?

SM: 100%. I’d just finished up a long season in the US when Yarrive approached me, and I was worn out. I initially said ‘no’, but I had a good chat with Justin Brayton and he really encouraged me.

Something our sport isn’t good at is teaching us riders how to be business-minded and think long term. I’m 30 years old now and I do this because I love it, but I’m not going to race and lose money doing so.

I’ll admit it was a scary decision and it wasn’t something we thought we’d do, but being here, getting to know Yarrive, this team is first class. It’s changed my mindset and long term, I want to work with the guys here as they make you want to work hard and do well. They’re there to support you 100%, and it’s not very often you get all those moving parts working together so well in your career. It’s a really good spot for me.

At this point in my career, we’re definitely piecing things together and that’s where it’s like JB told me – once you drop the pride of having to race in America, you can make it work everywhere else. I’m having a blast learning that right now.

ADB: So would the ideal scenario be to stay with this team in the US? Is that even an option?

SM: We’re trying to make it an option and it’s somewhere I’d really love to be.

I really believe I can be good on the 450, but I haven’t been in a good spot to make that happen. I’m trying to claw my way back and trying to beat the factory riders, but it’s really hard when you’re on a lot lesser equipment.

I see how the program works here and how putting things together, so it gives me a lot of confidence in the equipment. There’s a lot of things to figure out, but yeah, I’d love to make something happen with this team in the future.

RESULTS 2024 FOX AUSX CHAMPIONSHIP

SX1

1. Joey Savatgy (Honda Racing) 115

2. Dean Wilson (Honda Racing) 109

3. Luke Clout (Empire Kawasaki) 96

4. Jed Beaton (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy) 92

5. Aaron Tanti (Honda Racing) 79

 

SX2

1. Shane McElrath (Honda Racing) 113

2. Cole Thompson (Honda Racing) 96

3. Brodie Connolly (Honda Racing) 94

4. Kayden Minear (KTM Racing Team) 80

5. Reid Taylor (Empire Kawasaki) 72

 

SX3

1. Seth Burchell (WBR Yamaha) 102

2. Jake Cannon (Honda Racing) 98

3, Koby Hantis (WBR Yamaha) 91

4, Kayd Kingsford (WBR Yamaha) 80

5. Ky Woods (GasGas) 73