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Is the World Supercross Championship, now in just its second year of existence, in trouble? Rumors have been swirling in recent weeks and though organizers have promised to address those rumors, that hasn't happened yet.
It appears the new series, run by an organization in Australia and backed by money from an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, may cancel two of the planned six rounds, scheduled for Düsseldorf, Germany, on October 14, and Vancouver, Canada, on October 28. While tickets are on sale on the WSX website for the other three remaining rounds, in Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and Australia, the German and Canadian rounds only offer the option of registering to be notified about ticket sales. Several media outlets that cover motocross full-time and closely reported that WSX is having problems with its funding, that two or even three rounds are likely to be canceled, and racer Mike Alessi also said in an Instagram post (which is no longer there) that rounds were being canceled.
On August 24, WSX issued a statement that fell far short of refuting the bad news. WSX acknowledged the rumors and said "we will be sharing significant news soon regarding the 2023 racing schedule, together with positive future developments that support the championship series." So far, no further statements have been issued.
Just one WSX round has been contested so far this season, the British GP on July 1. The 2023 WSX schedule has already been through one change, with the scheduled round in France dropped and replaced with Abu Dhabi.
The challenges of a Supercross world championship
The WSX launched last year with just two races. The opportunity to create a truly global world championship in Supercross arose after the Monster Energy AMA Supercross series dropped its FIM world championship status. While the U.S. series drew — and continues to draw — the top talent, all the races took place in the United States in recent years, so it did not do much to spread the sport to other parts of the world. Backed by a reported $50 million, five-year deal with Mubadala Capital, the subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, WSX organizer SX Global sought to build the new series with big purses and financial support for the huge logistical costs of competing in races from Europe to Australia. Ken Roczen, who won last year's title in the 450 class, is arguably the only elite rider in the WSX premier class, though there are a lot of recognizable names in the field.
The WSX has to compete against not just the now-combined forces of the Monster Energy Supercross and outdoor AMA Pro Motocross, and its season-ending SuperMotocross three-round "playoffs," which are about to begin, but also the established MXGP motocross series in Europe.
While it's easy to say that the sport of Supercross deserves a truly global world championship, there just may not be enough money, even fueled by Middle Eastern wealth, to make it happen while going head to head with established Supercross and outdoor motocross seasons in the United States and the MXGP championship in Europe.
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