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Global Series Promises to Elevate the Sport & Expand Global Fanbase, Offering Unprecedented Financial Support for Teams & Riders, Along with the Sport's Richest Prize Purses
QUEENSLAND, Australia, March 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SX Global, the Australian company that recently earned the exclusive rights to manage and promote the FIM Supercross World Championship, today unveiled plans for the comprehensive global championship series.
The series will feature a highly exclusive structure, with only 10 team licenses available to independent owners, and an unparalleled level of financial support for teams, including seed funding for every team entering the series, appearance fees at every event, and logistics and freight support throughout the series. In total, more than $50 million has been designated specifically for team and rider support over five years. In addition, the independent ownership model opens the door for significant sponsorship opportunities on global and local-event levels.
The global series will feature the richest prize purses in the sport's history, with a total of $250,000 up for grabs at each event. The FIM Supercross World Championship will follow the established two-class format, with each team fielding four riders – two in WSX (450cc) class, and two in the SX2 (250cc) class. Furthermore, every event will allow for two wild card entries in each class, providing opportunities for local riders and sponsor-driven exemptions to round out the 22-rider field. SX Global also plans to deliver an elevated experience for fans, through unique race formats, broadcast innovations, and in-stadium attractions that elevate the overall entertainment experience.
Plans for the global championship series were underscored today by the news of Mubadala Capital's investment in SX Global, bringing an unprecedented level of financial support and development resources on behalf of the FIM Supercross World Championship. Mubadala Capital, the asset management arm of Mubadala Investment Company, a sovereign investor with $243 billion in assets under management, brings a wealth of experience in funding the development of global business and sports ventures.
"There is a massive fanbase and untapped demand for supercross outside the United States and backed by the financial support and significant resource of Mubadala Capital, we intend to feed that, bringing the sport to new regions through the most exciting and lucrative World Championship series in the history of the sport," said Tony Cochrane, president of SX Global. "We have created an entirely new model for supercross – one that emphasizes expanded financial support and opportunities for riders and teams, expanded opportunities for sponsorship and an elevated experience for fans."
The FIM Supercross World Championship will annually take place in the second half of the year. With plans for five events from September through November, 2022 will serve as a "pilot" season, allowing the series to establish itself and build momentum. 2023, and subsequent years, will see the series expand annually between June and November.
"Over the years, there have been various attempts to build a true World Championship series for supercross, but none of them have succeeded, due to deficiencies in funding and resource, lack of global and regional relationships and a variety of other factors," said Adam Bailey, managing director, Motorsport, for SX Global. "Our team possess the necessary supercross and international event background, relationships and expertise, and the funding to make this World Championship a reality."
SX Global brings a team of highly qualified motorsports and entertainment executives, armed with the experience to successfully deliver a series of this magnitude. SX Global President, Tony Cochrane, spearheaded the development and success of V8 Supercars, an Australian-based auto racing series that became one of Australia's most successful motorsports, eventually expanding with events in Shanghai, the United States, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and New Zealand. In addition, proven supercross event veterans Adam Bailey and Ryan Sanderson have been the driving force behind Australia's highest-profile supercross offering, the AUS-X open. The duo has promoted five years of consecutive sold out AUS-X Open events in Sydney (2015-2018) and Melbourne (2019), along with successful events in Auckland, New Zealand in 2018 and 2019.
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