Chasing Podiums and Breaking Ground: Vince Friese on his Second Season with Stark

The story of Stark, the all-electric entrant in the World Supercross Championship, has undergone a major transformation in the last 12 months. With a year of competition in the books and extensive off-season testing behind the team, the narrative has shifted decisively from experimental novelty to outright contention.

Reflecting on the steep learning curve of his debut season on electric machinery, Friese is candid about how far the machine and his setup have progressed. The breakthrough has been the culmination of relentless testing and mid-season refinements that finally unlocked the motorcycle’s true potential under race conditions.

“Just past halfway through last year’s season, we found some settings that really changed the way I could ride the bike, and it made me a lot more competitive,” Friese explains when we discuss Stark’s position in Canada 12 months on from the team’s debut in 2025.

“We already found even more progress in Spain about a month ago, and we have another test scheduled right after round one. This opening race is kind of a standalone event far off from the rest of the series, but by the time we get into the heart of the championship, I feel like I can be in a spot where I can contend for podiums and be really competitive.”

Building Momentum for Another Podium

That competitive spark was evident throughout his first campaign on the VARG where Friese repeatedly demonstrated front-running pace and battling inside the top five against the world’s elite supercross talent. However, turning isolated flashes of brilliance into consistent, main-event results across an entire evening remains the ultimate challenge.

“Putting it all together against this field is tough,” Friese admits. “There are really no slouches out there. Everybody lining up on that gate is a top-tier rider. We had the top fives, the great starts, and some solid rides last year. When we get all the pieces put together from start to finish, I know we can run right at the sharp end.”

Beyond the technical hurdles of developing a new bike on the fly, Friese also had to navigate the inevitable scrutiny from competitors. When an electric motorcycle first entered the arena, whispers of unfair advantages and unfamiliar power delivery rippled through the paddock. While their pace in Calgary, caused by the conventional engines struggling with altitude, Friese anticipates the skeptics to be more on-board with the electric-powered bikes.

“Now that everybody kind of knows what it is, everybody is a lot more okay with it,” says Friese. “It is weird at first. I was in that exact same spot doing Arenacross against the Starks before I rode one—you’re just so unsure. Then, after you race against them once or twice, you understand it.

“There are spots where the bike has advantages, and spots where it’s not as strong. I raced gas bikes against electrics myself and had no problem with it. The bike will keep evolving, but across the board, it feels much smoother heading into this season.”

Friese “Blown Away” by his Stark Experience

Perhaps the most surprising element of this transition is Friese’s personal conversion. As one of the most experienced and battle-tested veterans in the sport, his pedigree was built entirely on high-revving internal combustion machines and the visceral punch of two-strokes and four-strokes. Yet the sheer performance and ergonomics of the VARG won him over almost immediately.

“Honestly, the very first day I got on this bike, I was blown away,” he reflects. “I’m one of the oldest riders in the paddock, and I grew up loving two-strokes and gas bikes. But within the first five minutes on this motorcycle, I realised just how unbelievable it is. I could be totally happy riding only this bike. It’s still new, and we still have development work to do so we can win races consistently, but man, it is just so much fun to ride.”

That transition extends beyond raw lap times into the sensory experience of the track. Stripping away the thunderous exhaust noise creates an entirely different working environment for the athlete, reducing cognitive fatigue during grueling test sessions and altering communication on track.

“When we are over at the test track in Spain and it’s all Starks, it’s such a nice, quiet day,” Friese points out. “You leave the track at the end of the day just feeling better because you aren’t exhausted from hearing roaring engines for eight hours straight. It can be a little strange when my teammates and I are in a full sprint battle in near-total silence; we can almost talk to each other mid-corner.

“Out on race night, it took me a round or two to get used to hearing the other gas bikes around me without my own engine noise, but adapting to it was completely natural. The bike is intuitive and easy to ride, which makes everything else fall into place.”

With technical upgrades dialled in, paddock doubts and suspicious heightened, and his sights firmly set on podium finishes, Friese is relishing the chance of Stark upsetting the order and challenging for more podiums and that the team are no longer an experiment in the World Supercross Championship but a genuine threat.

Momentum Builds for Birmingham

The countdown is on for the British GP in Birmingham. The Alexander Stadium will host Round 2 of the Championship. The Championship is going back to supercross’s roots with international supercross stars lining up for an unforgettable night of racing action under the spotlights.

For those looking to take their race night to the next level, premium VIP hospitality tickets provide exclusive trackside vantage points, pit walks, and luxury lounge access.