Jason Anderson And Max Anstie Crowned 2025 WSX Champions At Cape Town Finale

The inaugural World Supercross South African GP delivered a dramatic season finale at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium, with championships decided in both premier classes under the lights.

American Jason Anderson overcame compatriots Joey Savatgy and Christian Craig, emerging from a three-way SX1 title showdown to claim his first World Supercross crown after a flawless night, while Max Anstie wrapped up his second SX2 world championship despite being beaten on the night by a dominant Shane McElrath.

Just one point separated Anderson, Savatgy, and Craig heading into the final round of the 2025 SX1 World Supercross Championship, setting the stage for a tense and unpredictable decider on Cape Town’s hard-pack circuit.

When the chequered flag fell on the third and final race, it was Anderson who stood tallest. The Pipes Motorsport Suzuki rider went 1-1-1 on the night to secure both the overall victory and his first SX1 world title, fending off relentless pressure from Savatgy in front of more than 20,000 vocal fans.

Each title contender arrived with a different narrative. Savatgy was the most experienced World Supercross campaigner of the trio, while Anderson entered the series as a rookie, adapting not only to the championship but also to new Suzuki RM-Z450 machinery with Pipes Motorsport. Craig, meanwhile, was also new to World Supercross and still establishing himself in SX1 competition.

Anderson struck first with his third win of the season in Sprint Race 1, then backed it up with fourth in Sprint Race 2 to edge out a two-point advantage over Savatgy heading into Race 3. The Quad Lock Honda rider was outstanding in the second Sprint, charging from sixth to second to keep the championship fight alive right to the final gate drop. Craig’s bif for the title took a dive after he crashed in race 2 and spent time trapped under his bike.

The final race delivered everything the occasion demanded. Savatgy led early as Anderson hunted him down, the Suzuki rider visibly loose, aggressive and on the limit. The pair swapped positions multiple times, skimming disaster with centimetres to spare as the crowd roared them on. With four laps remaining, Anderson appeared to have done enough, but Savatgy launched one last lunge into the penultimate corner, only to come up just short.

After sealing the title, Anderson summed up the intensity of the night, saying, “Man, that’s racing! Joey kept me on my toes. Two 8s 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 was gracious in defeat, reflecting on both the atmosphere and the razor-thin margins. He said the Cape Town crowd was the loudest of the season and added, “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.”

Craig’s night was far from straightforward. A crash in Sprint Race 1 was followed by another tumble on the opening lap of Sprint Race 2, forcing him to charge through the pack to ninth. He rebounded strongly with third in Race 3, but Colt Nichols did enough across the three races to claim the final podium spot overall.

Elsewhere, Jorge Zaragoza and Vince Friese both nailed starts in Sprint Race 2 to run second and third aboard the Stark VARG machines, with Zaragoza securing the team’s first-ever SX1 top-three result. Friese was later hit with an energy tolerance penalty and dropped to 10th. The Teams Championship was also decided in Cape Town, with Australia’s Quad Lock Honda securing the title thanks to consistent points accumulation across both classes.

Australian Luke Clout enjoyed a much-improved outing compared to his difficult Swedish round, finishing fifth overall. Clout said he was in podium contention until the final race but admitted he let the opportunity slip late.

SX2

In SX2, the championship outcome was more procedural, but the racing remained fiercely competitive. Series leader Max Anstie arrived in South Africa needing only solid points to secure the 2025 SX2 world title, and he delivered exactly that with three second-place finishes across the night.

Anstie ranked runner-up overall behind a faultless Shane McElrath, who controlled the event with three strong starts and commanding race pace on the loose, dusty surface. The result confirmed Anstie’s second SX2 world championship, adding to the title he claimed in 2023.

The 32-year-old Brit effectively sealed the championship with second place in the opening Sprint, riding calmly behind the outgoing champion McElrath. While Anstie applied pressure throughout the night, McElrath remained largely untouchable, particularly in Race 3, where Anstie was within a second of the Quad Lock Honda until a small slip on the final lap ended his challenge.

McElrath was thrilled to claim his first overall victory of the season, saying the team’s progress had finally paid off. He praised the South African fans and admitted the moment carried extra meaning as an American racing abroad.

“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.”

Anstie, meanwhile, added another gold medal to a season defined by consistency. He recorded 11 race wins in succession, never missed a podium, and once again proved his class on the global stage. Reflecting on the achievement, he described the season as special, thanking his family and both his American and World Supercross crews, and noting how long the journey to the top had taken.

“Pretty awesome!” he declared. “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, moments after inking the history books. “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 battle for third was decided late. Enzo Lopes held provisional third entering Race 3, but Coty Schock rode to third on the track behind McElrath and Anstie, which was enough to put the Rick Ware Racing rider onto the podium for both the night and the championship. Schock admitted recent rounds had been challenging but felt encouraged by the bike’s progress and the result.

With championships settled in both classes, the World Supercross Championship closed its 2025 season in emphatic fashion, delivering a high-pressure finale that showcased both the sport’s biggest names and its next wave of global stars on African soil.

SX1 GP Results Overall – South African GP
Pos	No	Name	Team	Bike	Race 1	Race 2	Race 3	Points
1st	21	Jason Anderson	Pipes Motorsports	Suzuki	10	10	25	45 Points
2nd	17	Joey Savatgy	Quad Lock Honda	Honda	9	9	22	40 Points
3rd	45	Colt Nichols	Pipes Motorsports	Suzuki	8	5	18	31 Points
4th	28	Christian Craig	Quad Lock Honda	Honda	6	3	20	29 Points
5th	4	Luke Clout	Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki	Kawasaki	7	7	13	27 Points
6th	88	Devin Simonson	Rick Ware Racing	Yamaha	5	4	15	24 Points
7th	29	Henry Miller	Rick Ware Racing	Yamaha	3	6	14	23 Points
8th	98	Austin Politelli	MotoConcepts	Honda	0	2	16	18 Points
9th	99	Jorge Zaragoza	Stark	Stark	1	8	9	18 Points
10th	200	Ryan Breece	MotoConcepts	Honda	4	0	11	15 Points
11th	719	Vince Friese	Stark	Stark	0	1	12	13 Points
12th	911	Jordi Tixier	Team GSM	Yamaha	2	0	10	12 Points
13th	584	Cameron Durow	Wildcard	KTM	0	0	8	8 Points

SX1 2025 WSX Standings After Round 5 of 5
Pos	No	Name	Team	Bike	Points
1st	21	Jason Anderson	Pipes Motorsports	Suzuki	171 Points
2nd	17	Joey Savatgy	Quad Lock Honda	Honda	166 Points
3rd	28	Christian Craig	Quad Lock Honda	Honda	154* Points
4th	94	Ken Roczen	Pipes Motorsports	Suzuki	122 Points
5th	29	Henry Miller	Rick Ware Racing	Yamaha	88 Points
6th	98	Austin Politelli	MotoConcepts	Honda	80 Points
7th	200	Ryan Breece	MotoConcepts	Honda	74 Points
8th	88	Devin Simonson	Rick Ware Racing	Yamaha	70 Points
9th	911	Jordi Tixier	Team GSM	Yamaha	65 Points
10th	99	Jorge Zaragoza	Stark	Stark	61 Points
11th	45	Colt Nichols	Pipes Motorsports	Suzuki	53 Points
12th	719	Vince Friese	Stark	Stark	49 Points
13th	20	Greg Aranda	Team GSM	Yamaha	46 Points
14th	46	Justin Hill	Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki	Kawasaki	37 Points
15th	4	Luke Clout	Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki	Kawasaki	36 Points
16th	319	Ander Valentin	Team GSM	Yamaha	20 Points
17th	102	Matt Moss	Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki	Kawasaki	14 Points

SX2 GP Results Overall – South African GP
Pos	No	Name	Team	Bike	Race 1	Race 2	Race 3	Points
1st	1	Shane McElrath	Quad Lock Honda	Honda	10	10	25	45 Points
2nd	99	Max Anstie	Team GSM	Yamaha	9	9	22	40 Points
3rd	69	Coty Schock	Rick Ware Racing	Yamaha	6	7	20	33 Points
4th	43	Cullin Park	MotoConcepts	Honda	8	5	16	29 Points
5th	110	Kyle Peters	Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki	Kawasaki	5	6	14	25 Points
6th	460	Michael Hicks	Stark	Stark	2	3	18	23 Points
7th	2	Cole Thompson	Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki	Kawasaki	3	4	15	22 Points
8th	16	Enzo Lopes	Rick Ware Racing	Yamaha	7	8	7	22 Points
9th	62	Kelana Humphrey	Stark	Stark	1	2	11	14 Points
10th	11	Kyle Chisholm	Pipes Motorsports	Suzuki	0	0	13	13 Points
11th	64	Robbie Wageman	Pipes Motorsports	Suzuki	0	1	12	13 Points
12th	141	Maxime Desprey	Team GSM	Yamaha	4	0	8	12 Points
13th	100	Anthony Bourdon	Quad Lock Honda	Honda	0	0	10	10 Points
14th	39	Noah Viney	MotoConcepts	Honda	0	0	0	9 Points

SX2 2025 WSX Standings After Round 5 of 5
Pos	No	Name	Team	Bike	Points
1st	99	Max Anstie	Team GSM	Yamaha	215 Points
2nd	1	Shane McElrath	Quad Lock Honda	Honda	176 Points
3rd	69	Coty Schock	Rick Ware Racing	Yamaha	167 Points
4th	43	Cullin Park	MotoConcepts	Honda	144 Points
5th	16	Enzo Lopes	Rick Ware Racing	Yamaha	136 Points
6th	2	Cole Thompson	Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki	Kawasaki	120 Points
7th	460	Michael Hicks	Stark	Stark	113 Points
8th	110	Kyle Peters	Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki	Kawasaki	103 Points
9th	141	Maxime Desprey	Team GSM	Yamaha	81 Points
10th	64	Robbie Wageman	Pipes Motorsports	Suzuki	65 Points
11th	11	Kyle Chisholm	Pipes Motorsports	Suzuki	64 Points
12th	39	Noah Viney	MotoConcepts	Honda	41 Points
13th	100	Anthony Bourdon	Quad Lock Honda	Honda	40 Points
14th	62	Kelana Humphrey	Stark	Stark	33 Points
15th	95	Lance Kobusch	Stark	Stark	20 Points
16th	5	Alex Larwood	Quad Lock Honda	Honda	19 Points
17th	20	Wilson Todd	Quad Lock Honda	Honda	10 Points

Team Championship Standings After Round 5 of 5
Pos	Nation	Team	Manufacturer	Total Points
1st	Australia	Quad Lock Honda	Honda	565 Points
2nd	USA	Pipes Motorsports	Suzuki	475 Points
3rd	USA	Rick Ware Racing	Yamaha	461 Points
4th	France	Team GSM	Yamaha	407 Points
5th	USA	MotoConcepts	Honda	339 Points
6th	France	Venum Bud Racing Kawasaki	Kawasaki	330 Points
7th	Spain	Stark	Stark	276 Points