WSX Calgary: Strong start, but Webb & Anstie win

Stark Future has kicked off the new FIM World Supercross Championship season with podium finishes, strong starts, and top positions in both classes. Michael Hicks finished the Canadian GP second overall in the SX2 class, while Brian Hsu led all three starts in his WSX debut. In SX1, Jorge Zaragoza finished second in the second sprint race, and Vince Friese collected twelve points.

Calgary's high altitude played into the hands of the electrically powered VARG. McMahon Stadium is situated approximately 1.060 meters above sea level. The electric motors were unaffected by the lower oxygen content of the air, while the combustion engines did not achieve their usual performance under these conditions.

Hsu leads after all three starts

Brian Hsu got the best start in his first WSX race, the opening sprint race. The German initially pulled away before defending champion Max Anstie closed the gap and took the lead in lap four.

Devin Simonson also overtook Hsu to finish second. Hicks held onto third place against Cameron McAdoo, while Hsu, after leading early, finished fifth.

In the second sprint, the two VARG riders were once again at the front. Hsu led ahead of Hicks, while Anstie had to close the gap on the track. The Briton gained ground, especially in the whoops. He overtook Hsu on the penultimate lap. Hicks snatched the lead from his teammate a lap later and brought Hsu home in second place.

Hicks brings Stark to second place overall

Hsu also led after the start of the Main Event. The 28-year-old thus led at least the initial stages of all three SX2 races.

Anstie prevailed once again over the twelve laps. Cameron McAdoo finished second, and Hicks came in third. With these results, the Stark driver secured second place overall behind the defending champion, while McAdoo finished third.

Hicks reached the podium with a sprained ankle. A week before Calgary, he had crashed in another race and dislocated the joint. "It's swollen and bruised, and I've been limping all week. So I didn't think tonight would go like this," Hicks said.

The American had been searching for a permanent spot in the World Supercross Championship for quite some time. "This means a lot to me. I've been trying to get a World Supercross ride, and finally Stark gave me this opportunity. I believe I can prove myself now."

Anstie has to pass the VARG three times.

Max Anstie secured the overall SX2 victory despite the starts of Hsu and Hicks. The 33-year-old won both sprint races as well as the main event, taking maximum points in his first WSX appearance for Rick Ware Racing.

The acceleration of the two VARG bikes occupied the Briton throughout the evening. “It was tough. The track was brutal – and the electric bikes. I think they were perhaps the most difficult obstacle,” said Anstie. “They were gone at the start, and on that track it was really difficult to make up the time.”

McAdoo also witnessed the starts of the electric motorcycles up close. "The electric bikes are crazy. At the start, it's truly insane. We have the altitude here, and it was pretty wild how much power they had," said the Kawasaki rider.

McAdoo finished his first World Supercross Championship race in third place overall. His Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team had given him permission to compete in Canada.

Friese leads early – Zaragoza moves into second place

Stark was also in the mix at the front in the SX1 class. In the first sprint race, Vince Friese initially took the lead, but was unable to maintain his position and finished in sixth place.

Justin Hill won the opening race. His Rick Ware Racing teammate Cooper Webb worked his way up to second place, holding off Dean Wilson. Defending champion Jason Anderson crashed out in the first lap and finished without points.

In the second sprint race, Webb reversed the order. The two-time AMA Supercross champion worked his way through the field, jumping the whoops and holding tight lines through the corners, securing the victory.

Behind him, Jorge Zaragoza brought the Stark VARG home in second place. Wilson finished third. Hill had to fight his way back after a crash in the first lap. On his way back towards the top three, he got caught between Wilson and Mitchell Harrison and dropped back to fifth. Christian Craig also crashed.

Storm stops Webb on his way to Main Event victory

Webb went into the Main Event with ten points from the first and nine from the second Sprint Race. The Rick Ware Racing driver was leading when the weather conditions over McMahon Stadium deteriorated rapidly.

Strong gusts of wind blew Tough Blocks onto the track. Initially, yellow flags were shown. As the wind continued to increase, the FIM stopped the race with a red flag. Shortly afterward, heavy rain began. Race control did not restart the main event and used the results of the two previously completed sprint races to determine the overall standings.

Webb won the Canadian GP with 19 points in his first race after joining Rick Ware Racing. The American had already participated as a wildcard in the Australian GP in 2025 and will contest the full WSX season for the first time in 2026.

“It was really good. It was nice to get the win. The conditions were pretty tough, and as you can see, the weather was already turning bad. Unfortunately, we had the red flag, but I felt really good,” Webb said before the subsequent downpour.

Wilson wins the tie against Hill.

Dean Wilson and Justin Hill each finished with 16 points after the two sprint races. Because Wilson finished ahead of Hill in the second sprint, the Honda rider took second place overall. Hill finished third.

Vince Friese finished the evening in fourth place with twelve points, securing another top finish for Stark. Mitchell Harrison followed in fifth place, also with twelve points. Zaragoza's second place in the second sprint earned him nine points and sixth place overall. Stark thus left Calgary with Hicks on the SX2 podium, and Friese and Zaragoza in fourth and sixth place respectively in SX1.

Webb's first full season in the World Supercross Championship begins in Calgary. After his wildcard appearance in Australia in 2025, the 30-year-old has committed to the entire season.