Fans inside the Cbus Super Stadium were treated to an unbelievable night of action in the SX1 class at the Australian GP.
Ken Roczen won the round on his final appearance in the World Supercross Championship for Pipes Motorsport Group. There was some fantastic racing between the best riders in the world as the sold-out crowd was drawn to their feet.
When asked about his level of consistency, he said: “It takes a lot of hardwood. We really have been working super hard.
“I’ve always been getting pretty good off the gate, but then I kind of got closed off. With this dirt, how tight the start is, it decides basically within a thousandth of a second.
“Then once you roll the entire section afterwards, I just took my time. People are cross-jumping left and right, so it was hard to just attack, but I’m pretty pumped.
Haiden Deegan, Cooper Webb, and Eli Tomac joined an all-star cast, but it was Roczen who came out on top.
He took victory in the first sprint race while he had to settle for fourth in race two, which was won by Webb.
Roczen took third in the main race, scoring enough points to take the victory in the event.
“I am really happy with my riding. I crushed the whoops and pumped to get away with the overall win.”
When asked if he was performing at his best, he added: “I believe so. Back when I was younger, I was really fast, and it’s a little bit hard to compare, but I do feel like I’m a more rounded racer at the moment, comfortable in my own skin and making smarter decisions.”
Veteran rider Christian Craig took second place on the night in what proved to be a popular result after winning the main race.
The 34-year-old earned his first win in World Supercross and still retained second place in the night, despite receiving a penalty from the stewards for not respecting waved medical flags when Astin Politelli went down.
Craig, who was docked five championship points, was delighted with the win in the main race.
He said: “It means a lot for sure. I can sit here and give you a lot of stories of why I shouldn’t be racing dirt bikes right now, but we’re here.
“I just beat some legends, some champions, and proved that I can still do this. And, man, that was so much fun.
“We’re here in a good spot. I have a good team behind me and people that want me on their team.
“So, shout out to the people that counted me out. To the people that stood close to me, this one’s for you!”
Meanwhile, Haiden Deegan, who was once coached by Craig, took third place overall after another impressive night having stepped up to the 450cc class.
Deegan, who made his international racing debut in the Round 1 in Buenos Aires, was also penalised with a five-point deduction for the same offence as Craig. But nothing was going to dampen his spirits after battling with the very best.
He said: “I’m just going to say this. I was battling Eli Tomac, and I was like a little kid. I was in shock the whole time. I was like, ‘I just passed Eli Tomac, I just passed Eli Tomac!’.
“I was tripping the whole time. (That was badass. (But anyways, good job to Christian, man. I know he’s been through a lot.
“So to see that happen, I felt like, I don’t know, a happy son! But yeah, that was good. We fought hard, and it was awesome.”
