Marvel Stadium in Melbourne has been chosen as the Australian venue for the World Supercross Championship (WSX) in a multi-year deal that runs from 2022 through 2024 with Australian Chad Reed ending his retirement to compete.
The inaugural race will be part of the series’ three-race pilot season in 2022 and part of the regular season for the next two years.
In 2022, the action kicks off on Friday October 21st with the opening round of the Australian Supercross Championship and competitors in that race will have an opportunity to advance into the WSX race the following day, Saturday 22nd, as a wild card entry.
This is the second venue announced for the three-race pilot season along with Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on October 8, 2022.
Additionally, it was announced that Australian supercross star Reed will come out of retirement to be among those competing for American-based, MDK Motorsports in the 450 class.
“Opportunities like WSX don’t come along every day; I’ve seen plenty during my career, but this is super cool and something I had to be involved in,” Reed said in a release. “I’m excited to be here today from the US to help launch the Melbourne round and hopefully highlight to everyone around the world how epic this championship is going to be. The WSX Championship going global is the biggest thing to happen to supercross in its history.
“It’s the beginning of something special that will expand supercross on a global level and give riders different / new opportunities at an international and local level. It opens a lot of doors for everyone. I haven’t raced in Melbourne since 2019, so can’t wait to get back here in October and go up against the best current riders in the world. It’s going to be one hell of a 2022 championship.”
Reed’s last Monster Energy Supercross race came in June, 2020 at Salt Lake City. He finished 10th.
The field has already taken on an international flavor with Germany’s Ken Roczen, Scotland’s Dean Wilson, Great Britain’s Max Anstie and several American riders already committing to the series. Riders from France, Italy and Brazil are also expected to compete.
This will be the home race for SX Global, who are spearheading the series.
“SX Global is thrilled that Melbourne has secured a round of the prestigious championship for the people of Victoria and Australasian fans for the next three years until 2024,” said Tony Cochrane, President of SX Global. “The future of supercross is on a global stage and for Melbourne to host a round the championship adds to its impressive portfolio of major sporting events.”
The Australian supercross round will feature a purse of more than $250,000, as will all rounds in the series, making this one of the most lucrative events in the sport.
