Four stadia added to expanded World Supercross Championship calendar

The World Supercross Championship (WSX) has unveiled an expanded calendar for its 2023 season, including new events at major stadia such as Villa Park, Groupama Stadium, Merkur Spiel Arena and BC Place.

The announcement of the calendar for the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM)-sanctioned series has come from its promoter, SX Global, and follows two successful pilot events in 2022 that saw more than 85,000 fans attend events at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales; and Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.

These two venues remain on the calendar for 2023, with four new additions taking it up to six events. SX Global said the Championship will also expand into Southeast Asia, with the exact location to be announced in the near future.

Villa Park, home of English Premier League football club Aston Villa, will stage the opening round in Birmingham on July 1. The Championship will then cross the channel to France for round two on July 22 at Groupama Stadium in Lyon-Décines, which hosts French Ligue 1 football team Olympique Lyonnais.

The series will make its way into Southeast Asia on September 30, before heading to Dusseldorf, Germany on October 14 at Merkur Spiel Arena. On October 28, WSX will be in Canada at BC Place in Vancouver, before the Championship concludes at Marvel Stadium on November 24-25.

“It’s incredibly gratifying to see our vision for a truly global supercross championship steadily coming to fruition,” said SX Global CEO, Adam Bailey.

“Our goals, while ambitious, are clear to elevate supercross to a global audience through a truly international calendar of events, visit diverse destinations that have well-established and passionate fan bases, and visit new regions where supercross can grow and flourish.

“We believe the 2023 schedule delivers on these promises, yet it’s only the tip of the spear. We have so much more room for growth in regions across the globe that are hungry to witness this incredible spectacle, first hand. We are only scratching the surface of our long-term plan for WSX.”

The FIM awarded Australia-based SX Global the exclusive organisational and commercial rights to stage and promote the World Supercross Championship from 2022 onwards, under a 10-year deal signed in December 2021.

SX Global assumed the rights following the conclusion of the FIM’s sanctioning agreement with Feld Motor Sports, which organised the US-based Supercross series.  Mubadala Capital, the asset management arm of the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Company, has invested a reported $50m (£40.8m/€47.3m) in the promoter.

Bailey added: “Our pilot season was designed to test what is possible and prove that the sport of supercross has strong demand from fans in previously underserved countries across the world.

“The incredible fan response and attendance for events in Cardiff and Melbourne reinforced that our instincts were indeed correct, and we are now powered by strong momentum and interest from cities, promoters, broadcasters and sponsors all wanting to be part of the new global championship.”