MOORESVILLE, N.C. — I truly thought I’d seen the end of it.
I didn’t think I would call another Supercross race. It had been two years and I really didn’t think the opportunity would come around again as long as the U.S.-based Monster Energy AMA Supercross series remained with its current television partner.
Then, suddenly, last December out of left field, the World Supercross Championship was announced and there was hope. This will be a true world championship backed by the FIM. Just like Moto GP.
The races will be contested in the world’s biggest and most spectacular stadiums, with live TV broadcasts beaming the bar-banging action to fans all around the planet. As of this writing, the television partner in the United States hasn’t been announced, but it will be a network race fans are very familiar with, especially when it comes to Supercross.
Upon hearing about the World Supercross Championship, I immediately reached out to my longtime broadcast partner, Jeff Emig, to see if he was up for getting the band back together. I then contacted the World Supercross folks to throw our names in the ring.
Fortunately, we were already on their extremely short list of candidates. We arranged to meet with the WSX folks during the San Diego round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross championship in January. The meetings went well and we continued to talk.
It is amazing how long it can take to get some of these deals put together. Not necessarily because people can’t come to terms, but just because of the processes involved — legal documents, board meetings, etc. Then, there was the fact we are dealing with a company based in Australia. That meant we always had to consider the enormous time difference when sending emails or planning meetings or calls.
We cleared the hurdles and I will be the play-by-play voice for the World Supercross Championship. Emig will join me in the booth once again as our analyst with my good friend and colleague Kristen Beat covering the action from trackside. The talented Joseph Allen will add additional coverage from a variety of locations around the stadiums.
To add to the excitement of landing this new gig is the fact that we will travel to all of the events and call the races live from the venues.
What a thrill to travel the world to call Supercross. I had always dreamed of doing that with Formula 1 or MotoGP.
When I called F-1 on CBS, we did it from the studios in New York City. That’s a little different than being at Monaco or Monza, which were two of the races we had. Our first WSX race is Oct. 8 at the beautiful Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, in the United Kingdom. Round two is at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.
Each season more races will be added to the calendar, including events in the United States with the schedule to max out somewhere around 20 races. I can’t wait to drop the gate for that historic first round of racing as Supercross goes global for the first time and we begin the quest to crown a true Supercross world champion.
· I was recently introduced to Angela Savage at the American Flat Track Series event at the Peoria TT. Angela is the daughter of the late Swede Savage. She has written an outstanding coffee-table book about her father, titled “Savage Angel.”
Swede Savage was well known for his speed in Indy cars and Trans-Am machines, but did you know he was an outstanding motorcycle racer? It was his two-wheel skills and success that brought him the notoriety and, eventually, the opportunities to transition to four-wheel machines.
Savage was a regular at the major Flat Track events across the country from California to Illinois. He also found success in motorcycle road racing, competing in the famed Daytona 200 — the most prestigious motorcycle road race in this country.
Angela details many of her father’s successes in the book and there are tons of great photos showing Swede Savage at speed on both two and four wheels.
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to tell the story of Swede Savage without covering the tragic details of the 1973 Indianapolis 500. Savage eventually died from the injuries suffered in a turn-four crash on lap 59 of the race. Angela courageously gives the reader a very raw look into how tragedies on the race track can deeply impact loved ones of those involved.
With the holidays quickly approaching, “Savage Angel” would be a tremendous addition to any race fan’s library. You can get a copy at savagery.com. Congrats Angela on a fantastic book!
· My good buddy Ross Howard, who owns one of my favorite race cars — the Custom Body Funny Car — sent us a copy of Lou Hart’s new book, “Early Funny Cars.”
If you love the nitro-powered floppers like I do, this book is a must. Hart covers the evolution of the class from 1964-’75. There is lots of interesting text. However, it’s the pictures of the classic machines in action that you will love.
Thanks to Ross and Lou for the great read. Get your copy from cartechbooks.com.