The grand finale of the 2023 Supercross World Championship took place in Melbourne Australia on Saturday, November 25. In front of more than 30,000 spectators, on a track conducive to fierce battles in both the 250 and 450 classes, the Bud Racing team riders played the consistency card to end their international season on a high note.
In the SX2 class, Anthony Bourdon enjoyed a solid evening, finishing 7th and 8th in the races. The good news is that Anthony proved he has the speed to be a front-runner, stepping up his game throughout the season. As is often the case, it’s his starts that are preventing him from doing better. He finished 7th overall in Australia and 8th in the final championship standings.
Fighting spirit
Adrien Escoffier, who was also handicapped by poor grid starts, gave his all to come back in 14th, 9th and 12th place in SX2. His fighting spirit in spite of a complicated start to the heats enabled him to finish 12th overall. In the championship, he finished one place better, in 11th position, despite a “blank” round in Cardiff which prevented him from entering the top 10.
In the SX1 category, Cédric Soubeyras got off to some good starts throughout the evening, finding himself in the right spot on three occasions. He had a fine evening, finishing 6th, 7th and 9th in the races, finishing not only 7th overall but also 7th in the World Championship in the 450 class.
With his pace improving session after session, Justin Hill finished 12th, 9th and 8th in his heats to finish 10th in the event. In the championship, he finished 5th in the provisional standings after Abu Dhabi, a successful gamble for Justin, who retained this 5th position after the final round. With hard work, positivity and good humour the watchwords of this end-of-season review, the Bud team thanks its partners and congratulates all its riders.
Anthony Bourdon: “I’m ending this World Supercross Championship on a high note. It’s not quite the result I’d hoped for, but it’s not bad. The speed is there. Now I’ve got to improve my starts to get to the front. Thanks to Bud Racing for believing in me in this new category. It’s a pleasure to work with a smile on my face alongside this always cheerful team.”
Adrien Escoffier: “My poor qualifying throughout the year is a huge handicap for the evening rounds. It’s a big point to work on if we’re to hope for better results. My withdrawal from the very 1st round of the championship also prevents me from finishing in the top 8. You have to learn to take the positives out of each event, and the WSX experience remains incredible, both humanly and from a sporting point of view. I’d like to thank Bud Racing for giving me this opportunity for the 2nd year in a row. It’s a real pleasure to work with this motivated team, which instils good humour. These are unforgettable moments of sharing.”
Cédric Soubeyras: “I’m pleased with my performance in the last two rounds. I finished 7th in the championship, which isn’t too bad considering the first round I missed. I’ve had a great year with the Bud Racing team and I hope to be back for another year, because I love introducing people from all over the world to my sport“.
Justin Hill: “Keeping my 5th place overall in the championship was my goal this weekend and it’s achieved. It was my first year in the WSX championship and I really enjoyed traveling the world while doing my passion and my job. I’d like to thank the Bud Racing Kawasaki team for all their hard work this season.”
