Supercross World Championship...2022 Launch

AUS-X Open creators to take over Supercross World Championship

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SX Global formed for 2022 under the leadership of Australian group.

Image: Supplied.

A new Supercross World Championship will be launched in 2022, the Australian creators of the high-profile AUS-X Open selected by the FIM in a decade-long commitment that will be detailed in January.

SX Global has been formed to operate the venture, which comes just three months after it was revealed in September that the US-based AMA Supercross series wouldn’t be retaining its international status.

“After a strong and fruitful relationship over the last two decades between FIM, Feld Entertainment and AMA, it is now time to start a new journey to ensure a bright future for supercross,” commented FIM president Jorge Viegas.

“In order to support the growth and commercial viability of the series, the FIM believes that SX Global has the expertise and the ability to deliver a first class FIM Supercross World Championship. The new series will offer exciting races thanks to the passion and extended experience of the SX Global team, with a plan that will gradually expand the championship to new countries and territories across the world.”

SX Global comprises of AUS-X Open creators Adam Bailey and Ryan Sanderson, as well as Tony Cochrane, who has been named president of SX Global and was instrumental in the growth of Australia’s V8 Supercars Championship prior to departing at the end of 2012.

According to the announcement, ‘complementing this highly-experienced team will be one of the world’s leading financial powerhouses with an established track record of investment in global sport properties, to be announced when SX Global officially unveils its plans for the 2022 FIM Supercross World Championship along with confirmation of new partnerships early in the new year’.

“It’s been a tremendous journey over the past five months to bring our team together with some of the most experienced people in all facets of motorsports now coordinating a sharp focus on Supercross and its global expansion,” Cochrane stated.

“We would very much like to thank the FIM for their strong support of our vision and plan and in particular its president, Jorge Viegas, who has shown great leadership in working to bring this together in such a short timeframe. Fans have been demanding world class Supercross in so many countries – it’s a special day for all of those fans and at the end of the day, fans are our number one consideration.”

SX Global will develop and manage a new international series commencing in 2022, however, details of the championship are yet to be exposed beyond confirmation that the incoming company has attained the rights. The group has also recently indicated it will continue to operate the Australian Supercross Championship.

Managing director – motorsport, Bailey – a former professional-level competitor himself – added: “Supercross’s popularity and growth globally has surged in recent years, so it’s fitting we can now take the sport to the world stage.

“We intend to uncover new supercross champions from all corners of the globe, while celebrating and elevating current riders to be true international stars. We’ll showcase their incredible athletic ability and fearlessness to the world. We look forward to working collaboratively with the entire motorcycling industry to showcase supercross to the world.”

Image: Supplied.

Sanderson, who is managing director – commercial, added: “The best part of supercross is it appeals to all ages – it’s going to be special for fans to see the world’s best riders competing for ultimate glory.

“While we want the series to be a level above in terms of what’s happening on track, equally fan experience will be front and centre in our decision making to ensure we create memorable moments for both fans and viewers at each event.

“Supercross’ offering is unique as a dynamic sport delivered in a family friendly environment combining live action and entertainment. SX Global is going to bring you the best stadiums in the world, highest level of production, pyrotechnics, music and excitement. We can’t wait!”

From 2002 through to 2006, AMA Supercross – with FIM world championship status – commenced in December and visited Switzerland, Holland, Spain and Canada before settling into a recurring domestic schedule in the US. Toronto then became a regular fixture and served as the lone international round through until the 2017 season.

Previous to that, low-profile world championship series had taken place in European countries, but it has always been America considered to be the pinnacle of the sport globally. A number of standalone events are still successfully promoted in Europe including those in Paris and Geneva.

AUS-X Open – first staged in 2015 – organisers have operated an S-X Open FIM Oceania Supercross Championship under direct FIM sanctioning in recent years, which included Australia and New Zealand prior to the pandemic, while also assessing additional options in the region. It hasn’t been held since the 2019 series won by Jason Anderson.

 Alex Gobert

Cycle News Archives

Archives Column | Gunnar Lindstrom

Larry Lawrence | December 19, 2021

This Cycle News Archives Column is reprinted from the June 4, 2008 issue. CN has hundreds of past Archives columns in our files, too many destined to be archives themselves. So, to prevent that from happening, in the future, we will be revisiting past Archives articles while still planning to keep fresh ones coming down the road -Editor.

Gunnar’s Big Prediction

Gunnar Lindstrom was introduced to the podium by Bill France himself at the 1971 Daytona Prize Ceremony, a huge banquet that used to be held at the convention center on Sunday night after the Daytona 200. Lindstrom had just won the very first supercross race held at Daytona, at a time before the term “supercross” had even been invented. Lindstrom came to the podium and boldly predicted that maybe someday the motocross race at Daytona would be bigger than the 200. Gunnar’s big prediction was greeted with laughter—the crowd thought that maybe the young Swede was joking. But he wasn’t. And even though at the time the idea may have been laughable, looking back, Lindstrom’s foresight was amazing. Looking into the full grandstands at the Daytona Supercross (these days), one could plainly see what event is the premier race of Bike Week—at least to race fans.

Gunnar Lindstrom won the very first supercross race held at Daytona, at a time before the term “supercross” had even been invented.

Lindstrom was born in 1943 in Sweden, where he was raised on a farm. He became interested in motors at a very young age. As a teenager, he bought a basket-case motor and rebuilt it to mount on his bicycle.

“I was as surprised as anyone that it actually ran,” Lindstrom remembers.

Strict Swedish motoring rules prevented riders from taking up motorcycling before the age of 16, but Lindstrom broke those rules and rode all around with older buddies. He grew up not far from the Husqvarna factory, and his childhood ambition was to design motorcycles for the company.

As soon as he turned 16, Lindstrom began racing in all types of motorcycle competition in Sweden, racing on street bikes that he’d modified into off-road machines. His first race was a trials event.

“I knew nothing about trials,” Lindstrom admitted, “but I was just happy to paint a number on my motorcycle and say I was a racer.”

At first, Lindstrom studied agriculture in college, with the idea of staying in the family business. However, he soon decided to follow his dream and switched to engineering. During college, he continued to race enduros and motocross, with good success.

After graduating from college, Lindstrom fulfilled his lifelong ambition and went to work for Husqvarna. His first job for the company was as a test rider. His job was to ride 200 kilometers per day—year-round—and during the long Swedish winter months, his bike was fitted with ski outriggers. He then moved into engineering, developing chassis and suspension.

Lindstrom’s racing career continued, and he became one of the top Swedish motocross riders and also competed in select Grand Prix motocross races throughout Europe. At the end of 1967, Lindstrom’s life took an unexpected turn when he was invited to race in a motocross series held during the off-season in Australia and New Zealand. While there, he met American off-road great J.N. Roberts. Lindstrom won several races in the Australian and New Zealand series, and Roberts asked him to come to America to team with him in the Mint 400. The duo won the Mint and earned $4100.

“We got paid in cash,” Lindstrom remembers. “We laid out the money across the bed of the hotel we were staying in and took a photograph. For a farm boy from Sweden, I thought I was rich.”

By 1969, Husqvarna sales were beginning to take off in America, and the company asked Lindstrom to work out of its American headquarters in New Jersey. While there, Lindstrom said he basically lived out of a motorhome as Husqvarna’s American engineering head.

During the late 1960s, motocross really began to take off in America, and Lindstrom was one of the top riders in the early Trans-AMA and Inter-AMA series. He finished sixth in 1970, the first year of the Trans-AMA Series. In 1971, Lindstrom was third overall in the 250cc Inter-AMA Series and was classified first American finisher in three of the six events, since he was by then living permanently in the country.

Lindstrom was pictured on the cover of Cycle News in 1972 after winning the Hangtown National MX in 100-plus-degree temperatures.

The first independent AMA National Motocross Series was launched in 1972, and Lindstrom, on a Husqvarna, won the Hangtown 250cc National held near Sacramento, California, in May of that year. He went on to finish third in the 250cc National Championship, behind Gary Jones and Jim Weinert. Lindstrom retired from full-time racing after 1972, but he continued to race selected events through the mid-1970s. In addition to motocross, Lindstrom also competed in off-road events such as International Six Days qualifiers and long-distance off-road events like the Baja 500.

Differences regarding design concepts with one of his superiors in Sweden led to Lindstrom’s departure from his beloved Husqvarna in 1974. After leaving Husky, Lindstrom became editor of Dirt Bike magazine. Under his guidance, more emphasis was placed on testing motorcycles, and Lindstrom’s engineering background helped introduce a new level of professionalism to the magazine.

While he enjoyed his stint at Dirt Bike, in the back of his mind, Lindstrom thought of the magazine job as a stepping-stone to a better-paying position.

“I thought I might become someone who translated Swedish to English and vice versa for a major company,” Lindstrom said. “I knew the magazine work would provide me with a resume that proved I could write in English.”

In 1978, Honda brought in Lindstrom to manage its motocross racing program. A few years later, he moved into the automotive division. He eventually became senior manager of American Honda’s Alternative Fuel Vehicle programs and spearheaded Honda’s Natural Gas Vehicle program. Lindstrom retired from Honda after 30 years. His son Lars was a Honda motocross test rider and then became a race technician for riders such as Jeremy McGrath, Kevin Windham and Chad Reed. He was named the new Honda HRC Team Manager, succeeding Erik Kehoe, after the 2021 season.

“Everyone back then thought I was just one of those arrogant Swedish riders,” Lindstrom said of his banquet speech at Daytona in 1971. “They thought my prediction was incredibly funny, but stupid. You look back and now it doesn’t look like it was too bad.” CN

Comments from the Champion!

There are times when you hate Motocross’ – Jeffrey Herlings

by Gonçalo Viegas

Motocross is a very injury-prone sport, and Jeffrey Herlings – one of the best riders in the sport today – knows this well from personal experience. Just in the last two years, he has been injured more than once – in 2020 he even missed much of the season because of it.

As this year’s champion told mx1onboard.com, his femur injury is now in the past, although he has some pain that doesn’t bother him too much: ‘The femur is completely healed. The only things that hurt in the morning are the hip and the foot. When I’m riding, the hip doesn’t bother me at all, but the foot does.’

Herlings confided that there were moments when he questioned his continuity in MXGP, but all is overcome when the pain is gone: ‘There have been quite a few injuries, I can’t deny it, there are times when you hate Motocross. At Faenza last year, when I was on the ground and I couldn’t move my legs, I thought «what the hell am I doing here», but after two weeks you are pain free and you do everything you want and you think ‘let’s ride again’.

‘I don’t race for the money or the fame; I race because I still love doing it’ – Jeffrey Herlings

by Gonçalo Viegas

Jeffrey Herlings has returned to the MXGP motocross world titles this year. The KTM rider has been one of the sport’s leading figures for many years and, in the service of Red Bull KTM, is naturally one of the highest paid – something that doesn’t matter so much to him at this point in his career.

In an interview with mx1onboard.com, the Dutchman said that money no longer moves him, but the sport itself: ‘Nowadays I don’t race for the money or the fame. I race because I still love doing it. Yes, the bank checks are good, but it’s not a motivation any more. I’m here because I like it and I still want to win; it’s nice. I also like to do unexpected things.’

And Herlings exemplified these unexpected things: ‘I came back to Lommel after an injury, I shouldn’t have done it because I wasn’t really prepared. I had cracked my shoulder blade only eleven days before, but I did it and got a good result. I know that doing something like this is also good for the people around me like KTM and Red Bull. I hate injuries, but the only reason I do it is because I love the sport.’

Dakar Rally will be more challenging this time: Indian rider Noah

 
Ronald Chettiar | ronald.chettiar@mid-day.com

TVS Racing rider will participate in the toughest cross-country rally for the third time next month

 

Indian rider Harith Noah

Harith Noah, the five-time Indian National Supercross champion, is set to represent the nation again at the 2022 Dakar Rally to be held in Saudi Arabia from January 1 to 14. But this time, he wants to stay in the moment.
Noah, 28, who made his Dakar debut in 2020, became the first rally driver representing India to have finished the world’s most arduous race in the Top 20 this year.

Noah believes, compared to the previous races, the 44th edition of the rally, which will start from Jeddah via Riyadh and end in the Saudi Arabian capital, will be more difficult.   

“This race will be harder compared to  previous editions. You don't know what to expect. They give you information about the stages, but not much. This year, the marathon stage is in the first week. Normally, it's in the second week. In fact, it is on the second day. That is very surprising. At Dakar, you are sure to make mistakes. The important thing is how fast you get back on track and how long you think about the mistake. I plan to live in the moment and not think far too long about it," said Noah during a virtual meet on Friday.

The Kerala-based rider won his first National Supercross title in 2011 and was recruited by TVS Racing in 2012.  He is not looking at the result but aims to finish the race.

"I never look at the results. So, I don't know where I finish [in every stage]. Every day I get to know my position as the starting line-up is decided on where you finish in the last stage. It's such a long race and I want to do the best I can; the results will follow," said Noah, who became the fourth rider from India to take part in a prestigious rally after CS Santosh, Ashish Roarane and Aravind KP.

Talking about what makes Dakar special, Noah feels that, unlike circuit races, this event is a test of a rider's navigation skills and there are external factors that make the two-week event very challenging.

“External factors play a very crucial role, that’s why Dakar is such an interesting race. And that is the main reason why I like cross-country rallies. It’s not like motocross or close-circuit race where mostly skill and fitness matter. But at Dakar, it’s not just the skill on the motorcycle—obviously, it’s important—but it’s also the navigation skill and the mental strength. It’s a combination of many more things than just the normal circuit race. It makes the playing field more even. So the navigation is important,” explained the Scott Sports-supported Indian rider.

Herlings wins 2021 Loon Plage Beach Race

MXGP motos or crazy beach race Jeffery Herlings keeps on winning.

Tortelli Talks Stark Development

As the impact of the new Stark electric motocrosser works its way across the globe, we sat down with test rider and two-time world champion Sebastien Tortelli and poked him with some questions…

DBR: What what were your thoughts when you were approached to do this? ‘Oh no, it’s another electric motorbike’?

“My first thing was a physical reaction. I know that the future is a matter of time, you know, and the second thing was, I know what is on the market, because I rode a bike in the past and I spent also time a little bit with Alta before they went down.”

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“So I knew what was the best electric motorcycle that we had so far. And I saw the development of people doing motorcycles, calling them motocross bikes, but they they are not very motocross bikes, they are more super-hype mountain bikes.”

“So when Anton approached me and he says, ‘You know, I want to build the motocross bike’, and my first reaction was, I would agree to join the company if it’s a real motorcycle. I’m a motocross guy and I’m not gonna go for halfway across and I know the project is not a group perspective.”

“So when I was asked about the project and that was basically what I saw was, and I’m like, I think it’s gonna be a big surprise, and we’re gonna see what comes up.”

DBR: Did you have you have input on every part of the bike from from the beginning or have you have you waited for the guys to design and build a prototype and then you go and say, we know we need to change this, this and this…

“It’s been a process you know, the first was to get the bike on drawings, finalise it and get the first situation of the plastics and then figure out what is comfortable for rider and not comfortable.”

“We’ve been working on together to solve the issues and everybody put their input into the company and then into the what is the best suited bike frame for the motorcycle. So, we work all together from the design point of view trying that out on the tracks and then the powertrain duration and progress through the engines and and all the technical costs at the same time.”

“So it’s not just here is a finished product. It was a progression from the whole team from the beginning all the way through.”

DBR: Did you in terms of things like suspension, have a recommendation or did you did you just go with Kayaba from the beginning?

“I think we will agree that that’s where we’re going to go and you know, that’s that was the best product that we had up there. So that’s fine.”

DBR: How does it really compare to a 450?

“People don’t realise it, but they will realise when they try it, but the power is a huge difference. Yeah. And you have to get used to it because it is different in a way. It’s when you switch from the 450 to the two-stroke or you feel like okay, you know, it’s great, it’s awesome.”

“And then you study in the lap times and you start to see the difference and you start to feel like okay, we are we are somewhere there and then you switch back to the 450 and then you realise really what is the difference.”

“Do the switch back and forth to see really, that’s what it is, and it’s much better than I was expecting, but the bike is so easy to ride at the same time that you don’t really realise.”

“When you ride it is so nimble and so easy that you don’t feel the weight, when you’re riding you feel like it’s a lighter bike.”

DBR: Will you be back to competition in the first couple of years of the bike or will you strictly stay testing?

It’s possible for a few races to introduce the bike. I’m still pretty active and I can still ride pretty fast. I think there is a lot of fun to have, so you know a couple of races here and there would be possible.”

Hair of the Dog

If you have never raced a true desert race you have to watch this. If you have raced to the smoke bomb you will really enjoy this film.

In the beginning they straddled hunks of iron called a Triumph or a Husky and sped across the desert wide open, ignoring the smell of death. They built traditions and became legends. They inspired us then and they inspire us still. We honor the guys who got us here today with this short film featuring Tyler Bereman, Vicki Golden, and the Checkers MC.

Catch Up With BamBam

It’s always a good time talking shop with the ever-present Justin Barcia and at this week’s 2022 Troy Lee Designs Red Bull GasGas team intro, we were able to grab a casual, yet noisy – sorry! – First Person with him leading into Anaheim 1 in a few weeks.