Born of an alliance of Supercross promoters Feld Motor Sports and Pro Motocross promoters MX Sports Pro Racing, the 2023 SuperMotocross World Championship Series will crown an overall champion for the two disciplines. As with any new endeavor, there are questions, and we’re here to answer them for you.
- How will the riders for the Playoffs be selected?
There are three ways to get into each Playoff round:
- The top 20 riders in each class (450 and 250) in combined points from Supercross and the MX Nationals—28 rounds—are automatically seeded into the Playoffs.
- The following ten riders, those in P21 to P30 in the combined points, are invited to participate in an LCQ system to fill the last two spots on the Playoff starting lines.
- Any rider who won a Supercross Main or MX National overall, but is outside the top 20 in points, is eligible to qualify for the Playoffs via the LCQs.
- How will SuperMotocross World Championship Series points be awarded in the SMX Playoffs?
The points are tallied Supercross-style, with 26 points for winning and one point for P22—at least at SMX Playoff 1. The points are multiplied at each successive Playoff round. Playoff 2 is worth double points (52 for winning), and the final round—dubbed the SMX World Championship—is worth triple points (73 points for winning, down to three points for P22).
- Are there any carryover points from the first 28 rounds?
There are no direct carryover points, but each rider’s position in the standing is worth points. Going into Playoff 1, the top 20 riders will be awarded SMX World Champion Series points based on their finishing position at the end of the 28-round season. The points will be distributed based on the rider’s position in the overall standings. The rider with the most points will start the Playoffs with 26 points. P2 gets 23 points, P3 receives 21 points, P4 begins with 19 points, and then drops at one-point increments to a single point for the 20th seed. Riders outside the top 20 in points start the Playoff with zero points.
- How will the Playoff racing be formatted?
There will be two 20-minutes-plus-one-lap motos for each class at each Playoff. Olympic scoring (1 point for P1 to 22 points for P22) of the motos will be used to determine the position of each player at each Playoff round—low score wins, as in the Triple Crown Supercross races.
- What will the tracks be like?
Organizers say the SuperMotocross courses will have “combined stadium and outdoor track elements.” However, looking at the track map shown for the Final at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the circuit is skewed toward Supercross. This will be the case at any stadium venue. Playoff 1 is at a dragstrip—zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina, while Playoff 2 is at the Chicagoland Speedway tri-oval circuit.
- What is the purse?
The total season purse is $10 million, with $5.5 million reserved for the three-round SuperMotocross playoffs. The 450 class championship is worth $1 million, and the 250cc champion gets $500,000. There are payouts to the top 40 riders in the 28-round season, and the top 30 in the Playoffs.
- Is it really a World Championship?
All the events are held in the United States, and the series is not sanctioned by the FIM—the world’s governing body for motorcycle racing, including MXGP, Supermoto, Rally, Hard Enduro, Trial, X-Trial, MotoGP, and World Superbike. All of the world’s best Supercross racers will be there, though not all of the world’s top motocrossers will be in the series. Ultimately, it’s called a World Championship because that’s how Feld and MX Sports want to promote it.
- How can the races be viewed?
Peacock is taking over the streaming for all 31 rounds. Cable and broadcast coverage will be handled by NBC, CNBC, or USA Network, depending on the race. This is a five-year deal.
What does the 31-round 2023 SuperMotocross schedule look like?
Round 1
January 7: Angel Stadium, Anaheim
Round 2
January 21: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego
Round 3
January 28: Angel Stadium, Anaheim
Round 4
February 4: NRG Stadium, Houston
Round 5
February 11: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
Round 6
February 18: RingCentral Coliseum, Oakland Reschedule due to weather
Round 7
February 25: AT&T Stadium, Arlington
Round 8
March 4: Daytona International Speedway
Round 9
March 11: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
Round 10
March 18: Ford Field, Detroit
Round 11
March 25: Lumen Field, Seattle
Round 12
April 8: State Farm Stadium Glendale, AZ
Round 13
April 15: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Round 14
April 22: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
Round 15
April 29: Nissan Stadium, Nashville
Round 16
May 6: Empower Field at Mile High, Denver
Round 17
May 13: Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City
Round 18
May 27: Fox Raceway National, Fox Raceway at Pala, CA
Round 19
June 3: Prairie City SVRA, Rancho Cordova, CA
Round 20
June 10: Thunder Valley Motocross Park, Lakewood, CO
Round 21
June 17: High Point Raceway, Mt. Morris, PA
Round 22
July 1 RedBud MX, Buchanan, MI
Round 23
July 8: The Wick 338, Southwick, MA
Round 24
July 15: Spring Creek MX Park, Millville, MN
Round 25
July 22: Washougal MX Park, Washougal, WA
Round 26
August 12: Unadilla MX, New Berlin, NY
Round 27
August 19: Budds Creek Motocross Park, Mechanicsville, MD
Round 28
August 26: Ironman Raceway, Crawfordsville, IN
Round 29 (Playoff 1)
September 9: ZMax Dragway, Concord, NC
Round 30: (Playoff 2)
September 23: Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, IL
Round 31: (Final)
October 14: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Photograph by Align Media, Will Embree / SMX Pictures, et al
