The World Supercross Championship (WSX) has adjusted their calendar for 2023, which will now feature three rounds of competition. In addition to the British Grand Prix, which was run in early July and won by Ken Roczen in the 450 class and Shane McElrath in 250s, the season will continue with the Abu Dhabi GP on November 4 and the Australian GP on November 24-25.
The 2023 WSX Singaporean, German, and Canadian Grands Prix have been removed from the schedule.
“Singapore, Germany, and Canada remain crucial growth markets for WSX, and we intend to return to each of those markets very soon,” said Global SX CEO Adam Bailey in a press release. "[The 2023 season] was to be WSX’s first foray into these markets and we want to make sure we do each of these crucial markets absolute justice.”
The schedule change comes after news that the World Supercross Championship underwent a sale to a new investment group that includes Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Juan Sartori, who will also join Bailey as part of the leadership group.
Luis-Dreyfus is a French businessman with ties to professional soccer. He purchased a controlling stake in the Sunderland Football Club in 2022.
“We’ve identified exciting opportunities for the burgeoning championship and can’t wait to further showcase the thrill of the sport and talent of these amazing athletes to more people around the world,” Luis-Dreyfus said at the time. “While we aspire to expand and elevate WSX to become a globally renowned championship, we also recognize the need for immediate short-term changes to ensure a brighter future. There’s a lot of work to do, but we’re excited for the challenge.”
Satori is a co-owner of the Sunderland club with Louis-Dreyfus. A successful businessman in Uruguay, he is also a senator in that country as well as being the President and founder of Union-Group, a privately owned investment firm that holds significant interests across an array of industries worldwide.
With one race in the books, Ken Roczen leads the championship points as he looks to defend his 2022 title.
“We want to do everything to the highest standard, and to ensure that every WSX experience is a fantastic and memorable one,” Bailey said. “In keeping with this mantra, the new ownership group decided these calendar revisions were required at this time. The recency of the ownership change has created logistical challenges that are difficult to overcome in a matter of weeks.
“Therefore, we’ll instead refocus to make sure the 2023 Abu Dhabi and Melbourne WSX events are executed to the best possible level, and to continue the important progress of building the championship for 2024 and beyond. The 2023 WSX Abu Dhabi & Australian Grands Prix remain on-sale and the demand has been very strong. It is all systems go for both events and they are shaping up to be our best events yet, with plenty of compelling and exciting racing still to come before our 2023 FIM World Supercross Champions are crowned.”
