Epic Cape Town Finale goes down to the wire as Anderson and Savatgy trade blows to the last lap
Cape Town served up the kind of pressure-cooker finale World Supercross has been promising since the series began, and it was Jason Anderson who kept his nerve when it mattered most. In front of more than 20,000 fans at the first-ever World Supercross South African GP, the Pipes Motorsport rider delivered a flawless 1-1-1 scorecard on the hard-pack to clinch the 2025 SX1 World Championship and his first WSX premier-class trophy.
The maths was simple heading into Saturday night: Anderson, Joey Savatgy and Christian Craig were split by a single point, setting up a three-way decider with nowhere to hide. Anderson arrived in Cape Town as both a World Supercross rookie and a fresh recruit to Pipes Motorsport, adapting quickly to Suzuki RM-Z450 machinery after a long career that’s already included the 2014 250SX title and the coveted 2018 450SX crown in the United States. Savatgy, by contrast, was the seasoned WSX campaigner, while Craig came in with something to prove – still chasing a defining SX1/450SX statement.
Sprints set up the final showdown
Anderson struck first, taking the opening Sprint win and then backing it up with fourth in Sprint two to edge two points clear of Savatgy as the night built toward the deciding third and final race. But Savatgy refused to let the story drift away. The Quad Lock Honda rider was unstoppable in Sprint two, charging from sixth to second and ensuring the championship would go down to the finals.
Cape Town’s crowd turned the finale into a cauldron, and the racing matched it. Savatgy led early in Race 3 as Anderson hunted him down, the Suzuki looking loose, ragged and on the edge – classic Anderson, fast and uncompromising when the fight gets physical. The two traded positions and clipped the circuit centimetres from disaster as the lead changed hands in a tense, elbows-out duel.
With four laps remaining, Anderson looked to have finally done enough, but Savatgy produced one last strike – an audacious lunge into the penultimate corner that didn’t stick. Anderson held firm to the chequered flag, completing the clean sweep and sealing both the round and the championship.
“Man, that’s racing!” said Anderson. “Joey kept me on my toes. Two 8s [minutes] and a 12: that’s a lot of intense racing. I’m pretty exhausted but I just want to thank the team. It’s cool to win this for Suzuki and for Pipes Motorsports and all my guys. I’m excited.”
Savatgy, second overall on the night and second in the championship, was left to replay the final exchange – and the opportunities earlier in the season that made it so tight.
“We had an amazing crowd; it was definitely the loudest this year,” Savatgy reacted. “I’m glad we got to put on a show. It’s unfortunate … but I tried my best. I should have picked a better point to make a strike. The fact that we were as close as we were on a track that was not my favourite … I’m happy. We were good tonight but not quite good enough. I gave it everything. Some mistakes earlier in the championship hurt us, but the speed was there, three Super Poles and multiple fastest laps show that. We just need to execute better and adapt quicker. Congratulations to Jason and his team. This one truly went down to the wire.”
Craig’s heartbreak, Nichols’ late lift
Craig’s night never found rhythm, and in a three-race shootout there was no time to recover from chaos. He crashed in the first Sprint and then went down again on lap one of Sprint two, forced to come from the back and salvaging ninth. He did manage redemption when it counted most in Race 3 with a hard-earned third, but the damage had already been done.
Even with that late ride, Craig was denied the Cape Town podium by Colt Nichols, who pieced together the stronger overall scorecard to claim third on the final podium of the season. For Craig, the bigger takeaway was championship context: fourth overall on the night, but still third overall for the year.
“These last two rounds didn’t go to plan, and the mistakes were costly,” Craig said. “But the speed is there, and I have a great team around me. We’ll debrief, learn from this, and come back stronger. I’ll be back to fight for this championship.”
Stark flashes, Honda seals teams glory
Behind the title fight, Cape Town also delivered a glimpse at where WSX’s technology storyline could head next. Jorge Zaragoza and Vince Friese launched out front in Sprint two, running 2-3 aboard the Stark VARG as Zaragoza banked a significant first top-three for the team. Friese’s night turned on an ‘energy tolerance’ penalty that dropped him to P10, but the message was clear: when the start matters, the VARG can put itself in the conversation.
And while the rider crowns were decided at full sprint, the Teams Championship was already leaning Quad Lock Honda’s way thanks to points accumulated across both divisions all season. The Australian squad ultimately wrapped up the 2025 Teams World Championship—its fourth straight—while also finishing runner-up in both the 450 and 250 standings.
“Winning the Teams Championship again, along with three overall championship podiums and runner-up finishes in both the 450 and 250 championships, is a remarkable achievement,” Team Director Yarrive Konsky said. “There’s no hiding the disappointment of finishing second in both individual titles, but this team showed intent, consistency, and professionalism every weekend. Congratulations to Jason Anderson and Max, outstanding and deserved champions. We’ll reflect on the season, on the past 25 years of competition, and determine what’s next.”
SX2: Anstie seals the title as McElrath sweeps Cape Town
While Shane McElrath owned the Cape Town scorecard with three wins from three starts, Max Anstie’s bigger job in South Africa was to close out a championship that had been shaped as much by persistence as outright pace. Earlier this year Anstie dealt with a broken leg that was first expected to heal without surgery, only for it to become clear an operation would be required after he’d tried to ride through the pain. That backdrop only sharpened the focus when he lined up for a five-round season that crosses five continents in 35 days.
Anstie made his intentions clear immediately. At the opener in Buenos Aires he grabbed Super Pole and swept all three SX2 races, then repeated the trick in Vancouver—again fastest in qualifying and again untouchable across the motos, despite challenging conditions. On the Gold Coast he managed the round with the same control, keeping the speed where it needed to be and collecting another overall victory and another clean moto sweep even without Super Pole.
Stockholm was the first real reminder that the title wasn’t going to be handed over. With deep ruts and sticky conditions, Anstie won the first two Sprints but missed the full house when he finished third in the main race. After a fall, he chose points over risk, bringing it home rather than forcing the issue.
By the time World Supercross arrived at DHL Stadium for the first-ever South African GP, the SX2 leader only needed to be solid—and he was. Across a loose and dusty track that turned slick in sections, the #99 went 2-2-2 to rank runner-up behind McElrath on the night, and those points were enough to clinch the 2025 SX2 World Championship in front of a busy, noisy Cape Town crowd.
The opening Sprint set the tone: Anstie shadowed McElrath home in P2, which was all he needed to start the celebrations. But the round win stayed firmly out of reach because McElrath was difficult to dislodge, nailing three clean starts and setting a pace that kept Anstie in chase mode. The Brit applied pressure again in Sprint two and was still within a second in Race 3 before a small slip on the final lap ended any last chance of a late move.
“We persevered and it was an uphill battle,” said McElrath, immediately after his first overall triumph of the season. “We learned a lot this year as a team and [me] also personally. The fans here in South Africa have been a real treat and I’m proud to hear the American anthem. We’re excited to end-up on top tonight.”
For Anstie, the title also carried the weight of a season-long standard. Anstie, SX2 champion in 2023, added another gold medal to his collection after a typically resolute term of consistency and high standards. Max earned 11 race victories in a row, was ever-present in podium ceremonies and bagged his second FIM title as a consequence.
“Pretty awesome! it’s been a great season and so cool to be able to visit all these countries and be a part of this world championship,” he said. “I cannot give it up enough to my wife and little son and the whole Star Yamaha crew back in America. The bike never missed a beat and, of course, Serge and all the guys at the GSM team here. It’s awesome to make this whole collaboration work. Supercross felt like such a dream … and it took me so long to get to the top. I’m in a solid spot in my career.”
Behind the top two, the final podium place became its own late twist. Enzo Lopes held provisional third going into Race 3, but Coty Schock’s ride to third on-track—behind McElrath and Anstie—was enough to put the Rick Ware Racing rider onto the box on the night and also deliver the bronze medal for the season.
“There are a lot of things I should feel happy about but the last weekends have not gone my way,” he said. “3rd on the night, 3rd for the season though: I felt we made progress on the bike and it showed.”
WSX South Africa GP (Cape Town) – Round Results
SX1
- Jason Anderson — 45 pts (10 | 10 | 25)
- Joey Savatgy — 40 pts (9 | 9 | 22)
- Colt Nichols — 31 pts (8 | 5 | 18)
- Christian Craig — 29 pts (6 | 3 | 20)
- Luke Clout — 27 pts (7 | 7 | 13)
- Devin Simonson — 24 pts (5 | 4 | 15)
- Henry Miller — 23 pts (3 | 6 | 14)
- Austin Politelli — 18 pts (0 | 2 | 16)
- Jorge Zaragoza — 18 pts (1 | 8 | 9)
- Ryan Breece — 15 pts (4 | 0 | 11)
SX2
- Shane McElrath — 45 pts (10 | 10 | 25)
- Max Anstie — 40 pts (9 | 9 | 22)
- Coty Schock — 33 pts (6 | 7 | 20)
- Cullin Park — 29 pts (8 | 5 | 16)
- Kyle Peters — 25 pts (5 | 6 | 14)
- Michael Hicks — 23 pts (2 | 3 | 18)
- Cole Thompson — 22 pts (3 | 4 | 15)
- Enzo Lopes — 22 pts (7 | 8 | 7)
- Kelana Humphrey — 14 pts (1 | 2 | 11)
- Kyle Chisholm — 13 pts (0 | 0 | 13)
2025 WSX Championship Final Standings
SX1
- Jason Anderson — 171 pts
- Joey Savatgy — 166 pts
- Christian Craig — 154 pts
- Ken Roczen — 122 pts
- Henry Miller — 88 pts
- Austin Politelli — 80 pts
- Ryan Breece — 74 pts
- Devin Simonson — 70 pts
- Jordi Tixier — 65 pts
- Jorge Zaragoza — 61 pts
- Colt Nichols — 53 pts
- Vince Friese — 49 pts
- Greg Aranda — 46 pts
- Justin Hill — 37 pts
- Luke Clout — 36 pts
- Ander Valentin — 20 pts
- Matt Moss — 14 pts
SX2
- Max Anstie — 215 pts
- Shane McElrath — 176 pts
- Coty Schock — 167 pts
- Cullin Park — 144 pts
- Enzo Lopes — 136 pts
- Cole Thompson — 120 pts
- Michael Hicks — 113 pts
- Kyle Peters — 103 pts
- Maxime Desprey — 81 pts
- Robbie Wageman — 65 pts
- Kyle Chisholm — 64 pts
- Noah Viney — 41 pts
- Anthony Bourdon — 40 pts
- Kelana Humphrey — 33 pts
- Lance Kobusch — 20 pts
- Alex Larwood — 19 pts
- Wilson Todd — 10 pts
Teams
- Quad Lock Honda — 565 pts
- Pipes Motorsports — 475 pts
- Rick Ware Racing — 461 pts
- Team GSM — 407 pts
- MotoConcepts — 339 pts
- Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki — 330 pts
- Stark — 276 pts
