With the arrival of a new year comes a new season of Monster Energy AMA Supercross racing.
On Jan. 7, the gate will drop at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., and 22 riders will launch into the unknown. Due to the recently announced partnership between MX Sports Pro Racing and Feld Motor Sports, Inc., riders are looking at an expanded, 10-month campaign through the Supercross, Pro Motocross and inaugural SuperMotocross schedules.
There are 31 dates among the three championships.
Supercross will remain a 17-round series, though the sport is planning a return to several venues that have seldom appeared on the schedule.
The first of these is NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on Feb. 4.
Though the Houston venue made history in 2021 by hosting the series’ opening round — marking the first time in 25 years that the Supercross opener was run outside California — it has been an infrequent stop for the series.
The teams will then travel to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., the following weekend for the first time since 2020. The third surprise venue is Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., which will be overrun with dirt bikes come April 29.
The only other series visit to Nashville was in 2019.
To create space for the collective SuperMotocross World Championship at the end of the year, the typical 12-round motocross season has surrendered one weekend of racing. There will be two SuperMotocross playoff rounds in September, with the final set to take place at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum on Oct. 14.
The remaining venues have yet to be announced. Only the top 20 riders in combined Supercross and Pro Motocross points will be seeded into the playoffs.
“This has been two-and-a-half years in the making,” said Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment, Inc. “Feld Motor Sports and MX Sports Pro Racing initially came together to preserve a 2020 racing season during the pandemic and soon realized we’re stronger together.”
The business impact of the partnership has been twofold. One, the series was able to sign a five-year broadcast deal with NBC Sports. All 31 events will air live on Peacock, with coverage shared among the NBC Television Network, USA Network and CNBC.
Two, competitors will see a substantial purse increase.
There has been $1.1 million added to the existing prize money, meaning there is now $10 million in winnings up for grabs over the course of the year. A guaranteed $1 million will be distributed to the 450cc class SuperMotocross champion, while $500,000 will go to the 250cc class titlist.
Beyond the money lies the pride of earning a Supercross championship — something that is felt by select few. In the 450 class, only three active riders have sipped the champagne.
Eli Tomac, Jason Anderson and Cooper Webb have had their turn at the top, while riders such as Chase Sexton and Ken Roczen are still chasing that elusive feeling.
Tomac will return to Supercross in full force as the series’ defending champion, rolling off a career-best year. The Star Racing Yamaha rider solidified his place in the history books last year when he claimed both the Supercross and Pro Motocross championships.
He also helped bring Team USA its first win in 11 years at Motocross of Nations in September and relished a victory in the opening round of the FIM World Supercross Championship the following month.
Always a title favorite, Tomac is hoping to be the first 450 rider to repeat in Supercross since Ryan Dungey earned three consecutive titles from 2015 to ’17.
However, there are plenty of riders anxious to interrupt Tomac’s streak, including Sexton. The two had a memorable rivalry in motocross during the summer, collectively earning nine of 12 overall victories.
“We won’t see what we saw in outdoors,” said Sexton, rider of the No 23 Honda HRC entry. “I wouldn’t say Supercross evens the playing field, but it makes everything tighter. We’re definitely going to see more than two guys battling for wins.”
Sexton’s eyes are on Anderson, Roczen and Webb to be top contenders.
Anderson finished runner-up in the Supercross championship last year after collecting seven wins and 10 podium finishes on his No. 21 Monster Energy Kawasaki. It was his best series finish since claiming the championship in 2018.
But after four years of watching the title fall out of reach, Anderson is eager to capitalize on his momentum from 2022 and bring Kawasaki a championship this year.
“I feel like I’ve proved that I can be a top three guy and win races still. I want to keep that level to my racing as long as I can,” Anderson said. “I think we’re in a good spot to make a run at the championship.”
The next competitor on Sexton’s radar has been his teammate during the past two seasons — Ken Roczen.
Since pulling out of last year’s Supercross season halfway through due to health issues, Roczen’s year had an air of unpredictability. He came back rejuvenated for Pro Motocross in the summer, fighting for fourth in the series, then went global with WSX in the fall and became the inaugural series champion.
However, his decision to race overseas is what led his American race team Honda HRC to pull its contract offer — news that Roczen broke on the Bubba’s World Podcast with James Stewart in September.
“This last week, it’s a funky feeling, but basically I’m a free agent,” Roczen told Stewart.
The 28-year-old had been with Honda HRC for the majority of his 450 career. As of now, Roczen has yet to sign with a team for the Supercross season, but he’s made his intentions of racing the opener at Anaheim clear.
Colt Nichols has taken Roczen’s spot at Honda HRC.
Meanwhile, Webb will chase a third title. He is already a two-time Supercross champion with the Red Bull KTM team, but his 2022 season came to a disappointing end with only three podium finishes.
After taking the summer off for some much-needed rest and recovery, Webb is back with renowned trainer Aldon Baker at the Baker’s Factory in Florida, gearing up for his seventh season of competition in the 450 class.
Known for his eye-on-the-prize mentality, it won’t come as a surprise if the orange KTM fender gets back in the mix.
Other riders expected to challenge for a race win include Red Bull KTM teammates Aaron Plessinger and Marvin Musquin, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo who is returning from injury, and 450 class rookie Christian Craig.
Time will tell who’s up for the challenge once the gate drops in Anaheim.
This story appeared in the Jan. 4 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
