Supercross announced Thursday afternoon that its 2020 season will be restarted May 31 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, and will run through June 21.
The final seven races will be held without fans in attendance and broadcast on NBC Sports Group (primarily on NBCSN).
The Monster Energy AMA Supercross season has been on hold since the Round 10 race March 7 at Daytona International Speedway.
The dates for the final seven races of the 2020 season in Salt Lake City are:
Sunday, May 31 (3-4 p.m. ET, NBCSN; 4-6 p.m. ET, NBC);
Wednesday, June 3 ( 10:00 pm – 1:00 am ET, NBCSN);
Sunday, June 7 (5-8:00 p.m. ET, NBCSN);
Wednesday, June 10 (7–10 p.m. ET, NBCSN);
Sunday, June 14 (7-10 p.m. ET, NBCSN);
Wednesday, June 17 (7-10 p.m. ET, NBCSN);
Sunday, June 21 (3-4:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN; 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. ET, NBC).
Eli Tomac won at Daytona over Ken Roczen to take the lead in the championship standings by three points.
Roczen, who has three victories this season, told “Lunch Talk Live” host Mike Tirico in a Wednesday interview that he has spent time resting and recovering during the unexpected layoff after the midpoint of the grueling season of 17 events in four months.
“Obviously when the whole coronavirus thing started, we were all in the unknown and kind of still are in the unknown of when we’ll continue racing,” he told Tirico. “But it looked like (the return) was going to be quite far out.
“I took some time off and actually helped my body because no matter what, when we start back up racing, and they’re still trying to get all the races in, there’s going to be a lot of racing all in a row. And not to mention going into 2021 series, there’s going to be a lot of back to back racing with very little time off, so I decided to take some time off.
Supercross and AMA Lucas Oil Motocross executives have been working together to align their schedules so that riders can compete in both series without overlap. The start of the outdoor national season has been pushed to late June.
Here’s the release from the AMA Monster Energy Supercross Series:
Ellenton, Fla., (May 14, 2020) – Feld Entertainment, Inc. announced today that the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, will resume racing at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah on May 31 and will run through June 21. The final seven, made-for-tv races will be broadcast on NBC networks without fans in attendance. The Utah Sports Commission, a longtime partner of Supercross, has coordinated our return to Utah.
Like all forms of sports, the Monster Energy Supercross Championship was abruptly halted in early March after completing ten rounds of the 17-round Championship. The last race was held on March 7 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. where Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac earned his fifth win of the season over top rival Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen, both of whom are competing for their first premiere class title with only three points of separation.
The sports industry in the United States, like virtually all industries, is being severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Monster Energy Supercross fuels an entire industry and is the primary source of income for thousands, including competitors. With no events, the industry is in severe economic peril. It’s important to the economic infrastructure to get back-to-work. Unlike other professional sports with guaranteed contracts, Supercross athletes, team personnel and many others involved in event and television production are independent contractors.
“We’re excited to continue our work with Feld Entertainment, Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah, the Utah Department of Health Services and the continued support of Utah’s Governor Gary R. Herbert who made it possible for Supercross’ return to Utah,” said Jeff Robbins, President and CEO, Utah Sports Commission. “We also look forward to showcasing Utah worldwide via Supercross’ global footprint.”
The responsiblereturn to racing will provide guidelines and protocols to competitors and essential staff that complies with all federal, state and local health guidance and mandates. Mitigation efforts include mandated prescreening, testing, temperature checks, face masks, increased sanitation efforts and social distancing to limit contact among individuals executing the events. The stadium will assist with the implementation and execution of our plan. Supercross, in partnership with the Alpinestars Medical Unit, has a trained medical team of 7 professionals to assist on site.
The racing format has been adjusted to reduce the number of athletes to stay within the minimum requirements and a standard race format will be used for all seven rounds, except for the finale which will be an Eastern/Western Regional 250SX Class Showdown.
Supercross Race Format for Final Seven Rounds:
450SX Class – 40 Riders based on current point standings and 2020 top 100 number or combined season qualifying results
250SX Class – 40 Riders based on current point standings and 2020 top 100 number or combined season qualifying results
Two qualifying sessions will be held for gate pick
250SX Class – Two Heat Races and a Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ)
450SX Class – Two Heat Races and a Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ)
250SX Class Main Event
450SX Class Main Event
In the final seven races, three champions will be crowned – one in the 450SX Class and two in the 250SX Eastern and Western Regional Classes. It is the hope of the series that the final seven races will start to bring some normalcy to race fans by creating memorable experiences through the live television broadcast that continue to bring people together via a shared experience while also uplifting the human spirit, as all forms of sport do.
Supercross athletes have little to no contact as riders race solo against other competitors and wear several protective elements – full-face helmets that cover the mouth, goggles, gloves, jerseys and pants that leave little to no skin exposed, plus fully secured knee-high boots.
Supercross partners Oakley, Toyota and VP Racing Fuels have been lending their expertise to the medical community and first responders by developing and mass-producing protective shields, eyewear and hand sanitizer. This type of expertise that exists within the industry, coupled with Utah’s leadership and Feld Entertainment’s live event experience will all factor in to helping the industry get back to racing while aiding in the recovery and healing process nationwide.
NBC and NBCSN Television Schedule:
Round 11 (East) – Sunday, May 31 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm ET on NBCSN then 4:00 – 6:00 ET on NBC
Round 12 (East) – Wednesday, June 3 10:00 pm – 1:00 am ET on NBCSN
Round 13 (East) – Sunday, June 7 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm ET on NBCSN
Round 14 (West) – Wednesday, June 10 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm ET on NBCSN
Round 15 (West) – Sunday, June 14 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm ET on NBCSN
Round 16 (East) – Wednesday, June 17 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm ET on NBCSN
Round 17 (East/West) – Sunday, June 21 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm ET on NBCSN then 4:30 – 6:00 ET on NBC
*TV schedule subject to change.
NBC Sports will present the final seven, made-for-TV races across NBC, NBCSN & NBCSports.com. Races will also be available to domestic livestream subscribers via the NBC Sports Gold “Supercross Pass” and internationally via the Supercross Video Pass.