In a little over a week, the likes of Eli Tomac and Ken Roczen head to Canada for the opening round of the 2024 series takes place. After two years of development the WSX is again starting a new schedule, under a new leadership and hopefully, with the likes of Tomac and Roczen battling for the victory, a large number of spectators will arrive at the BC Place stadium in Vancouver and the series can begin with a bang.

The World Supercross Championship has its roots in the Rodil Trophy which started in 1985 with Jim Holley becoming the first ever “World” supercross champion, and a list of average European supercross riders followed, with Lief Niklasson being a two-time champion in 1987 and 1988.

Then came American, Mike Jones, Finlands, Pekka Vekhonen and another American in Mike Craig, who all won a title each. The Rodil Cup had been elevated to World Championship status in 1987, so in fact, the first World supercross champion was Niklasson. References to Rodil were removed in 1992 as the series became the FIM World Supercross Championship, with the series having its first big name winner in Jeff Stanton.

That 1992 season saw many future legends inside the top 10, with Stefan Everts finishing fourth overall, Jeremy McGrath came home fifth overall, and Jeff Emig was ninth overall. Both Everts and McGrath got a win each in 92, but it was Stanton who was supreme, winning three rounds and the championship, with 75 points as Mike Craig and Kyle Lewis finished second and third.

From 2002 to 2006 in partnership with American-owned promoters Clear Channel Entertainment the series was staged in countries such as Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain and Canada as well as the United States (which had its own prestigious national championship) as the World Supercross GP. In 2008 the series merged with the AMA Supercross Championship to form the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship.

In 2022, amid disruptions cased by the COVID-19 pandemic, the FIM World Supercross Championship split from the AMA and was re-booted by Australian promoters SX Global, to manage and promote the championship over the coming decade.

The advent of a separate world championship for Supercross, as well as wildcard appearances in 2022 by star AMA riders, led many industry observers to believe that the new World Supercross Championship would be detrimental to traditional outdoor motocross, particularly AMA Pro Motocross. Supercross races have carried larger purses than either the AMA Nationals or MXGP.

The new FIM World Supercross Championship promised even larger purses plus a spring and summer season that coincided with AMA Pro Motocross and MXGP. The arrival of top AMA Supercross Ken Roczen to the World Supercross Championship led Feld Entertainment and the AMA to combine their off-road racing series to form the SuperMotocross World Championship as well as up the prize money for race winners and champions to keep the top AMA riders stateside.

The 2022 FIM World Supercross Championship began in October for the pilot season that consisted of two rounds. Round one of FIM World Supercross Championship was the British Grand Prix on October 8, held at Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales. Round two of the Championship was the Australian Grand Prix which was a two day event on Friday 21st and Saturday 22 October 2022 held at Marvel Stadium, Melbourne.

It was originally expected the series started again in July 2023 and continued through until November, consisting of 6 rounds in both the WSX (450cc) class and the SX2 (250cc) class, to be held in football and baseball stadiums across the world. Beginning with Round one on July 2023, the series would take place in different locations globally before concluding in Melbourne for the final round of the Championship in November. However, the series was cut as stadiums couldn’t be filled in Europe, and the local promoters pulled the pin on their rounds. It was in general terms, a series going nowhere.

WSX will commence its 2024 season in about a weeks time, on 26 October in Vancouver, Canada, racing at BC Place, the home of Major League Soccer (MLS) team, Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The championship will then head to Perth, Australia, on 23-24 November for an action-packed weekend of racing in WSX’s first double-header round at HBF Park.

After racing in Australia, the championship will then head to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on 4 December where the Etihad Arena will host the finale of the 2024 campaign during the week of the 2024 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix making it an extra special time for motorsport fans.

The list below really tells the story of how the World supercross championship has been until now, and while we all know that Ken Roczen is a two time World supercross champion, the champions from the AMA/FIM combined years, really puts a question mark on the series, because as a fan, I just see the 1992 until 2021 years, as AMA supercross champions (and not really World champions), or, as was the case in 2003 and 2004 years, when the series visited Europe for a couple of rounds, and two years the championship was really worth very little.

Lets hope the new WSX, with the series travelling around the World puts some credibility back into the series, or maybe even gives it credibility for the first time ever. I don’t want to say anything bad about the SMX series currently running in America, because its fun to watch and the riders get some big prizemoney, but it isn’t and won’t ever be anything more than an America series and not a World championship. Thats my opinion anyway.

World Supercross Champions

2023. Ken Roczen

2022. Ken Roczen

2021. Cooper Webb

2020. Eli Tomac

2019. Cooper Webb

2018. Jason Anderson

2017. Ryan Dungey

2016. Ryan Dungey

2015. Ryan Dungey

2014. Ryan Villopoto

2013. Ryan Villopoto

2012. Ryan Villopoto

2011. Ryan Villopoto

2010. Ryan Dungey

2009. James Stewart Jr.

2008. Chad Reed

2007. James Stewart Jr.

2006. James Stewart Jr.

2005. Ricky Carmichael

2004. Heath Voss

2003. Chad Reed

2002. Not Held

2001. Not Held

2000. Mike LaRocco

1999. David Vuillemin

1998. Robbie Reynard

1997. Damon Huffman

1996. Jeff Emig

1995. Jeremy McGrath

1994. Jeremy McGrath

1993. Guy Cooper

1992. Jeff Stanton

1991. Mike Craig

1990. Pekka Vehkonen

1989. Mike Jones

1988. Leif Niklasson

1987. Lief Niklasson

1986. Not Held

1985. Jim Holley