MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – MX Sports Pro Racing officials have unveiled the 12-round schedule for the landmark 50th Anniversary of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing.
The golden season of the world’s most prestigious off-road motorcycle racing series will kick off and conclude during the holiday weekends that signify the proverbial beginning and end of summer, starting with Memorial Day, in May, and finishing over Labor Day, in September.
“This is arguably the most significant season in the history of American motocross,” said Davey Coombs, President of MX Sports Pro Racing. “If we’ve learned anything over the past two years it’s that nothing is given, but through so much uncertainty our sport has continued to bring joy, excitement, and compelling drama to those who share in the passion for motorsports. With our 50th Anniversary upon us, we hope to begin what feels like a new era and a fresh start of sorts for the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. One that will see a return to fan-filled paddocks and the kind of up-close-and-personal atmosphere that has allowed our sport to stand alone in terms of accessibility.”
The 12-round championship will once again travel to 10 different states on its journey to crown a pair of AMA National Champions, extending the legacies of the world’s most storied venues into the series’ fifth decade. The battle for the Edison Dye and Gary Jones Cups will begin in a familiar place, on May 28, from the heart of the industry in Southern California for the Fox Raceway I National.
The first month of the season will also feature the iconic Hangtown Motocross Classic, on June 4, in Northern California, followed by the annual mile-high visit to Colorado on June 11 for the Thunder Valley National. The sport’s Father’s Day tradition at the High Point National will signify the first East Coast round on June 18 in Pennsylvania.
After the first of two breaks in action over the course of the season, the world’s fastest riders will return to the track on July 2 for one of the biggest Independence Day traditions in all of sports, the RedBud National in Michigan. The halfway point of the 2022 season will descend on the famed sands of Massachusetts’ The Wick 338 for the Southwick National, on July 9, while the second half of the championship gets underway on July 16 in Minnesota with the Spring Creek National. A second foursome of events will conclude with a return west on July 23, where the scenic Pacific Northwest is home to the Washougal National.
The championship’s final break in action will precede a four-round stretch run to end the season, beginning on Aug. 13 with New York’s legendary Unadilla National. A trip just outside the nation’s capital awaits on Aug. 20 with the Budds Creek National in Southern Maryland, followed by the penultimate round on Aug. 27 in motorsports-crazed Indiana for the Ironman National. The summer will draw to a close where it began, in Southern California, on Sept. 3 with the Fox Raceway II National.
Following a historic season in which international riders captured both the 450 Class and 250 Class titles for the first time, France’s Dylan Ferrandis and Australia’s Jett Lawrencewill lead the way into the 50th Anniversary campaign as defending champions. This charismatic duo are two leaders amongst an unprecedented depth of talent currently competing in American motocross, which sets the stage for what is poised to be a memorable summer befitting of such a landmark season.
“For five decades we’ve had the privilege of watching the world’s finest motocross talent do battle in the sport’s most coveted championship series right here on American soil,” added Coombs. “The record books of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship represents a who’s who of off-road motorcycle racing and tells the story of the pioneering legacy of the riders, manufacturers, and racetracks that helped make the United States the epicenter for both amateur and professional motocross. We cannot wait to see what the next 50 years have in store.”