Jason Anderson shines in 24MX Supercross!!

The unstoppable Jason “El Hombre” Anderson claimed an impressive win in the very first 24MX supercross, held in Stockholm, Sweden. More than 15.000 fans saw Anderson dominating in what was his very first race for Husqvarna. He was joined on the podium by fellow Americans Mike Alessi (second) and Josh Hill (third). French supercross specialist Fabien Izoird, sixth, was the first European rider. East Coast cowboy Brody Wilson won the FMX event.

Anderson -supported by the Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory team for the occasion- pulled of the dream launch to his 450 career, in the spiritual homeland of Husqvarna. On Friday the circuit had been quite rutted, but the Brian Bradshaw designed track held up nicely on Saturday. Set inside the maginificent Tele2 Arena Anderson immediately felt at home. The qualifying heats went to Josh Hill, Mike Alessi and Shane McElrath. But the latter only won due to a hiccup from El Hombre. The efficient Anderson went on to win his semi. Holeshot king Mike Alessi did the same in his semi, beating Josh Hill. While Phil Nicoletti surprised many with his speed, former AMA Supercross winner Hill had a tough day at the office. During practice the Kawasaki rider had struggled with his suspension setup.

On paper Hill might have gone head-to-head with Anderson in the final, but the American SX champ simply checked out in the finally after powering his Husqvarna FC450 to the holeshot. In the final Alessi was plagued by a bad start yet the hungry MotoConcepts rider managed to come back strong. Alessi crossed the finish line second ahead of Hill, Nicoletti and McElrath.

The Freestyle contest ran it course in typical, gutsy one upmanship. With the best and sickest tricks saved for last. American Brody Wilson wowed the crowd with his backflip combos and his signature ‘Kiss of Death’ flip. While the level of competition was very high in general, Wilson surely made a legion of new fans during the 24MX International SX and FMX. Frenchman David Rinaldo placed himself between Wilson and fellow American James Carter.

QUOTES
Jason Anderson, winner: “That was a pretty cool race! I liked the track and the bike was working really well. Only in the heat race I made a small mistake. After I got the holeshot I tried to stay out of trouble and I was happy to take the win. To debut the Husky in Sweden in such a way and to learn something about the history of the brand was awesome. We’re in a pretty good spot right I hope to carry that over when the AMA Supercross season starts in January.”

Mike Alessi, second: “It’s kind of ironic that I got such great starts all night except in the final! That’s just how it is sometimes. But I was happy with my speed and the way I came back. Overall the trip to Sweden has been amazing! We met a lot of nice people, the fans really loved it and it was great to catch up with some European friends. Before the event we visited the öhlins factory and I did some promotional work. I would be more than happy to come back next year!”

Josh Hill, third: “It’s a shame that we struggled a bit with bike setup because I felt I could have given Jason (Anderson) a hard time here. But my suspension didn’t make it to Sweden so I had to make the best of it with borrowed equipment. I have to say that everyone did their best to help me and it was super cool to see so many Swedish supercross fans! Seeing the beautiful city of Stockholm, meeting the people and my heat win were the highlights… But I’d like to come back and win next time!”

Results 24MX Supercross Stockholm, Sweden
1. Jason Anderson, USA Husqvarna
2. Mike Alessi, USA, Suzuki
3. Josh Hill, USA Kawasaki
4. Phil Nicoletti, USA, Yamaha
5. Shane McElrath, USA KTM
6. Fabien Izoird, FRA, Suzuki
7. Jake Canada, USA, Honda
8. Jack Brunell, GBR, Kawasaki
9. Loic Rombaut, FRA, Kawasaki
10. Toni Eriksson, FIN, Husqvarna
Full results here

Results 24MX Freestyle Stockholm, Sweden
1. Brody Wilson, USA
2. David Rinaldo, FRA
3. James Carter, USA
4. Fredrik Berggren, SWE
5. Daice Suzuki, JAP
6. Thom Johansson, SWE