The FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX) has revealed a complete list of four Wildcard riders for the upcoming WSX Australian GP across its WSX 450cc and SX2 250cc classes. Words: WSX
Taking place on 23-24 November, the 2024 WSX Australian GP will mark a historic weekend for WSX, with the series not only racing in Perth for the very first time, but also holding its first-ever double-header event.
Featuring three GP Races per class and one multi-class SuperFinal each night, a total of 14 races will take place over the weekend, making the WSX Australian GP one of the series’ most action-packed events on record.
Alongside its 28 regular full-time riders, a further four riders will race in Perth, with Kayden Minear, Kyle Webster, Nathan Crawford, and Reid Taylor joining the grid, showcasing Australian talent on home turf.
For Minear, a Perth local, the WSX Australian GP is the closest thing to a home race he can possibly experience.
The 17-year-old joins the SX2 class following a highly successful year so far in which he became the Australian ProMX MX2 vice-champion, despite being the youngest competitor in the field and recently overcoming injury.
In August, Minear also turned heads at the 2024 Scouting Moto Combine where he raced on US soil for the first time and finished second overall, winning the first moto by a dominant 14-second margin before placing fourth in the second.
Kayden Minear, SX2 Wildcard Rider, WSX Australian GP, said: “I’m super excited to make my WSX debut later this month! As a West Australian, having the chance to race in Perth, my home town, is a once in a lifetime opportunity and being able to do that not once, but twice, will make it even more special. 2024 has been very kind to me so far, and I want to carry my current form to WSX. In Vancouver we saw just how competitive the SX2 class is, but as always, my target is to fight at the pointy end.”
For Kyle Webster, the WSX Australian GP will see him return to his roots by racing in the series’ premier WSX class – the category he made his championship debut in as a Wildcard rider at the 2022 WSX Australian GP in Melbourne.
Following his one-off appearance in 2022, Webster returned to the series last year, this time in the SX2 class as a mid-season replacement for Kyle Peters at Honda NILS.
In his two GP appearances in 2023, Webster scored 39 points with a best GP Race result of fourth and best overall finish of seventh, both in Abu Dhabi.
After a competitive 2024, which saw Webster race in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, win the Australian ProMX MX1 title, and compete in the Motocross of Nations as part of the victorious Australian team, he is hoping to make an immediate impact in his Wildcard appearance.
Kyle Webster, WSX Wildcard Rider, WSX Australian GP, said: “I’m looking forward to racing WSX in 2024, especially on home ground in Australia. After racing in the series part-time last season, I feel like I have some unfinished business, and I’m excited to put my speed on show in the main 450cc class. I’m feeling good, and most importantly, I feel focused and that should give me a good edge in Perth.”
Nathan Crawford will join Webster on the WSX class grid and will return to the series for the first time since 2023 when he previously made a Wildcard appearance in Melbourne while making his debut at the same venue one year earlier.
With a best GP Race finish of eighth, Crawford has his sights set on further success this season after transitioning to 450cc competition earlier in 2024, finishing third in the Australian ProMX MX1 Championship with two wins and eight podiums.
Nathan Crawford, WSX Wildcard Rider, WSX Australian GP, said: “I’ve raced WSX twice in Australia, and from my time in Melbourne, I know just how exciting this series is and I’m excited to be back for Perth. Racing in the primary WSX class will be a big change for me, but I’ve gained a lot of experience racing 450s this year, and I’m hoping to make my mark in front of my home crowd.”
Reid Taylor, meanwhile, will line up alongside Minear in SX2 and has high hopes to add further highlights to what has been a highly promising year to date.
2024 has so far seen Taylor win the Indian Supercross Racing League’s 250cc International Championship, while the 20-year-old also tasted his first silverware in the Australian ProMX MX2 championship with podiums at Maitland and Toowoomba.
As he prepares for his WSX debut, Taylor has high hopes for the series’ inaugural weekend in Perth.
Reid Taylor, SX2 Wildcard Rider, WSX Australian GP, added: “This year has been a very exciting journey for me, and to now be racing in WSX is a dream come true. From my perspective, Perth is the best place I could make my debut in the series, and I’m looking forward to racing against some guys I know well, and some of the best SX2 riders in the world. I’ll take each race as it comes, but in WSX there isn’t much time to pause and reflect between races – sometimes, you just need to go out there, give it everything, and see where you end up.”
Image: WSX
