The second round of the FIM World Supercross Championship traveled north to Vancouver, Canada at the BC Place Stadium. Points leaders Ken Roczen and Max Anstie held their red plates going into round two and once again looked like the favorites for the night. The overshadowing news however, came from defending WSX champion Eli Tomac as he made his debut appearance with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team. Despite the new bike and team, Tomac used his veteran experience to take the overall win in SX1 while Anstie clinched another clean sweep in SX2.
Tomac looks right at home on his new KTM 450 SX-F. The reigning WSX champion returned to the gate in Vancouver with the big number-one front and center. He started the night with a win in race one after passing Jason Anderson right at the halfway mark. Tomac navigated the soft, rutty soil with ease and crossed the line first in his first gate drop aboard the KTM. Race two saw a close battle between Tomac and Roczen as the longtime rivals broke away from the rest of the field. Roczen held the advantage to the checkers and took the win with Tomac in second, his worst finish of the night. He’d bounce back nicely in the final main event of the night, going wire-to-wire for the overall victory. 1-2-1 finishes put Tomac at the top of the podium.
“This is the perfect start for us; myself, Red Bull, and KTM,” Tomac said. “I had a good battle out there; it was a treacherous track but also technical enough to make up time.”
Roczen still held on for second overall, going 3-1-2 on the night. Race two proved to be his best performance of the night as he kept Tomac at bay for the entire sprint moto. In the final main event, Roczen remained within striking distance to Tomac while running second but never got close enough to make a pass. With second overall, he maintains the points lead going into round three.
“My speed and fitness were good,” Roczen said. “I was just being an idiot. I kept on jumping the whoops when I should have kept on skimming. But it was a battle, and I was able to reel him [Tomac] in a little bit at the end, but it was good racing and I was really happy with how I raced and to get second.”
Jason Anderson landed on the podium in third. The newly-signed Suzuki rider finished on the box in just his second outing with the Pipes Motorsports Suzuki team. Anderson’s best ride came in the first race of the night where he led the first half before being passed and finishing second to Tomac. Still, his 2-3-4 results earned enough points for an overall podium, putting two Suzuki’s in the top three. Anderson is now second in the championship points, 15 behind Roczen. With Roczen only contracted to race one more round, Anderson could easily find himself in the hunt for the overall championship.
“At the beginning of the day, I was pretty far off the pace,” Anderson said. “I am still getting the hang of the motorcycle; I just wanted to keep the ball rolling.”
The two Quad Lock Honda machines of Christian Craig and Joey Savatgy finished fourth and fifth respectively.
SX2
Max Anstie continued his reign of dominance in the SX2 division. The British veteran, riding for the GSM Powered By Star Racing Yamaha team, swept every gate drop once again at round two. He set the fastest Super Pole lap followed by three untouchable main events. With another perfect score, Anstie further extends his points lead and is setting himself up to be the clear favorite for the SX2 championship. With back-to-back wins, he’s now 16 points clear of second place in the title fight. Anstie’s clean sweep added insult to injury while defending champion Shane McElrath finished eighth overall.
“It was a lot of fun, I did enough to execute it well,” Anstie said. “This week I have even felt pretty sick. I lost my voice and we have to deal with these things, but it is about executing things perfectly and I am pleased with myself because it was a difficult track. Fighting for another world title means a lot and I am looking forward to the next round in Australia.”
Coty Schock had his best ride of the season with three second place finishes in all three main events. He shined in the final gate drop of the night and stayed close to Anstie in the opening laps and looked to possibly make a run for the lead. Eventually Anstie inched away but Schock still held on for a solid second and improved on his results from one week ago. He’s now second in the SX2 championship.
“I knew Max was going to be consistent and it would be difficult to catch him and I was not close enough to make a pass,” Schock said. “But I am not a dirty rider, and neither is Max. I don’t want to have that kind of series where it is a free-for-all and you take each other out. I want to race with respect. We kept it clean but he was just too good in the whoops and I need to figure out the settings but there is definite progress today.”
Schock’s teammate Enzo Lopes finished third overall. The Brazilian rider strung together a trio of third place finishes to grab the final spot on the box. While other riders smashed and block-passed each other, Lopes kept it upright behind the two leaders and stayed out of trouble. His consistency builds on his round one results and put both of the Arby’s Rick Ware Racing bikes on the podium.
“I wanted to turn it around from Argentina and it felt like a fight, and I want to go to Australia and do well,” Lopes said. “I feel like I am still adapting [to the SX2 bike]. I think the 450 suited my style and I am used to the power. I am still adapting but the next ride should be better.”
Cullin Park and Kyle Peters rounded out the top five after exciting battles in all three main events. The World Supercross Championship continues onto Australia’s Gold Coast next weekend for round three of the 2025 season.
Results
SX1
- Eli Tomac (KTM) 1-2-1
- Ken Roczen (Suz) 3-1-2
- Jason Anderson (Suz) 2-3-4
- Christian Craig (Hon) 4-5-5
- Joey Savatgy (Hon) 6-4-6
SX2
- Max Anstie (Yam) 1-1-1
- Coty Schock (Yam) 2-2-2
- Enzo Lopes (Yam) 3-3-3
- Cullin Park (Hon) 5-4-4
- Kyle Peters (Kaw) 8-5-5
