Huge in the USA, this high-octane, jump-happy, stadium-bound variant of motocross is looking to stake out territory worldwide with a series of Grands Prix. Cardiff has secured the first ever World Supercross event, and with A-list riders competing there’ll be more than one spectacular launch on the day, writes Noel Gardner.
This month is set to be a landmark one for offroad motorsport both in Cardiff and on the global stage, as Wales’ flagship Principality Stadium hosts the first ever FIM World Supercross Championship on Sat 8 Oct. It’ll also be billed as the British Grand Prix, opening a season of races in the 10 teams / 40 riders format: there are three championship rounds in total, with the second World Supercross GP to take place in Melbourne on Sat 22 Oct.
SX Global, the promoters behind World Supercross (or WSX, to use its shortened name), are themselves Australian, and were chosen for the role by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme – that’d be the FIM of the race’s title – in December 2021. It’ll be a catalyst for a major cash injection into the sport, in terms of finance available to participating teams and the prize funds on offer to riders: each round has a £200,000 purse on the table.
October’s Grand Prix won’t be the first time supercross has graced this venue, with UK promoters booking the Wales leg of the British Championship into the Millennium Stadium (as it was then called) a few times in the early 2000s. This time, however, expect supercross fans across the world to have their eyes on a lineup that includes some of the biggest names in the game.
Each of the 10 teams (Bud Racing, Clubmix FXR, Craig Dack Racing, GSM Yamaha, Honda Genuine Honda, Honda Nils, MDK Motorsports, Motoconcepts, PMG and Rick Ware Racing) have a pool of four riders, two each in the 250cc and 450cc engine classes. In addition to this, WSX plan to include ‘wild card’ racers during the heats. In part, this is with a view to “promoting local rising stars” – motorsport fans who attended the British Speedway Grand Prix at the Principality in August may recognise this format – but is also set to include one of the most decorated supercross riders currently competing, USA’s Eli Tomac.
Other major names lining up in Cardiff will include Ken Roczen, a German rider with an extensive title list of his own – including his last appearance on UK soil, in 2011 – who’ll be on the Honda Genuine Honda team. Australia’s Chad Reed, probably one of the most recognisable modern-day supercross riders, will be one of the MDK quartet, all the more notable on account of Reed having retired last year: he recently called WSX “something I had to be involved in”.
There’ll be British riders in the mix too, including hugely popular Glaswegian Dean Wilson and another Honda Genuine Honda member, Max Anstie. The 29-year-old is likely unique among the 40 starters by virtue of having a previous affinity with this stadium – one of the aforementioned British Championships, in 2003, included a kids’ race on 65cc mini-bikes, with a preteen Max among those taking part. He, like Wilson, is currently based in the United States, which is the dominant market for supercross to the point where it’s tricky to be a top-level rider and live elsewhere.
As such, the emergence of the WSX offers the biggest possibility yet of this state of affairs changing, and supercross becoming a regular stadium-filler in the UK and elsewhere. Although this inaugural season will only feature three GPs, SX Global intend it to be a pilot, with the 2023 season onwards visiting as many as 12 cities. For now, expect an effort to entice the curious – who may not have much prior supercross experience – into the Principality Stadium.
As well as the billed races, punters will be treated to freestyle/stunt specialist riders doing some doubtless gravity-defying tricks, and pyrotechnics are just as much a certainty. You’ll even get a live performance from London rapper AJ Tracey, one of the biggest names in grime’s newer school.
All told, vast amounts of dirt, hills, humps, jumps and barriers will put the Principality’s hallowed turf safely out of sight – and, for all gathered inside, out of mind too. For the moment it’s a one-off addition to the stadium’s established moneyspinner events, but the organisers of World Supercross will be hoping it’s the first of many.
FIM World Supercross Championship – Round 1, Principality Stadium, Cardiff, from 3.30pm.
Tickets: from £35. Info: here and here
words NOEL GARDNER
