2012 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Schedule Released
Tuesday, November 29, 2011 | 12:00 PM
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PrintMX Sports Pro Racing Announces
2012 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Schedule
2012 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Schedule
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - Just weeks after celebrating the conclusion of an epic 40th season of professional motocross racing, MX Sports Pro Racing and partners, Alli Sports, are pleased to announce the 2012 schedule for the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. The series will begin on Saturday, May 19, near Sacramento, Calif., at the Hangtown Classic-the longest-running event on the schedule-and will conclude on September 8 in Southern California, at the championship's newest stop (to be announced at a later date). Throughout the summer, the 12-round series will visit such highly-regarded motocross circuits as High Point, in Pennsylvania, RedBud, in Michigan, Washougal, in Washington, and New York's legendary Unadilla.
"We are very fortunate to have so many great, iconic motocross tracks as part of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship-tracks that challenge the racers and have strong, loyal fan bases that come out to see these races," said MX Sports Pro Racing President Davey Coombs. "This series is the pinnacle of professional motocross, and the growth we've seen in the last three years for both the live audiences and television viewers watching from all over the world has been outstanding."
Not only does the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship include the best tracks in the sport, it also features the fastest riders on the planet, as well as an expanded television package with NBC Sports Group. Add in a global television package that allows fans from all over the world to tune in, plus live event streaming on www.allisports.com, and the result is an unprecedented audience for motocross racing.
Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto will defend his #1 plate against no less than three former 450 Class Champions in 2012. Besides the man he wrestled the 2011 title from, Red Bull KTM's Ryan Dungey, as well as a hugely-popular Australian star in TwoTwo Motorsports' Chad Reed, Villopoto must also contend with James Stewart, who is returning to outdoor motocross for the first time since his perfect 2008 season as a member of the Joe Gibbs Racing/Toyota/Yamaha team. There will also be challenges from such formidable programs as Team Honda Muscle Milk, the Yoshimura Suzuki factory team, MotoConcepts/Alessi Racing, the new L&Mc Racing Honda team spearheaded by legend Jeremy McGrath, and more.
In the 250 Class, newly-crowned champion, and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider, Dean Wilson will not only have to defend his title against the best young riders in America, he will also be pursued by the two most recent MX2 World Champions. Frenchman Marvin Musquin and German sensation Ken Roczen have each earned Grand Prix titles on 250cc motorcycles, and will now join forces at Red Bull KTM to challenge Wilson for the most-coveted outdoor title in the sport, a Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Add in the formidable GEICO Honda team, DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha, Rockstar Energy Suzuki, JDR KTM, in addition to Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil Honda, and the 2012 season is ripe for exceptional competition.
Additionally, the Women's Motocross Championship will be included at eight rounds. Led by defending champion, Team Honda Muscle Milk's Ashley Fiolek, who claimed her third title in four years as a pro, the world's fastest women riders are set to bring even more excitement to the series. Fiolek can once again expect serious competition from her primary rival, and fellow multi-time champion, Jessica Patterson of the DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha team.
Following the traditional opener at Hangtown, series favorites - Freestone, Thunder Valley, High Point, Budds Creek, RedBud, Spring Creek, Washougal, Southwick, Unadilla and Steel City - all return to compose the bulk of the 2012 schedule. While some venues' traditional dates on the calendar have shifted, they remain as part of the integral foundation of American Motocross.
The season finale will feature a new venue in the motocross hotbed of Southern California. Details and additional information will follow.
Tickets for all 12 rounds of the 2012 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship will be on sale on Moto Monday, December 5th. Fans eager to get a head start on plans for next summer can simply log onto the official website of American Motocross at AlliSports.com/motocross. Special holiday promotions for advance purchasers will be available.
2012 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Schedule
May 19 Hangtown Motocross Classic* Sacramento, Calif.
May 26 Freestone Raceway* Wortham, Texas
June 2 Thunder Valley Motocross* Lakewood, Colo.
June 9 High Point Raceway Mt. Morris, Pa.
June 16 Budds Creek Motocross Mechanicsville, Md.
July 7 RedBud* Buchanan, Mich.
July 14 Spring Creek Motocross* Millville, Minn.
July 21 Washougal MX Park Washougal, Wash.
August 11 Moto-X 338* Southwick, Mass.
August 18 Unadilla New Berlin, N.Y.
September 1 Steel City Raceway* Delmont, Pa.
September 8 TBA* Southern Calif.
*WMX Events
For additional information please visit AlliSports.com/motocross plus like the American Motocross Facebook page and follow @americanmx on Twitter for exclusive content and additional information on the latest Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship action.
MX Sports Pro Racing
MX Sports Pro Racing manages and produces the world's most prestigious motocross series - the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. The industry leader in off road powersport event production and management, its mission is to showcase the sport of professional motocross competition at events throughout the United States. Through its various racing properties, partnerships and affiliates, MX Sports Pro Racing organizes events for thousands of action sports athletes each year and attracts millions of motorsports spectators. Visit www.mxsportsproracing.com.
Alli Sports
Alli Sports is a global business that encompasses national and international action sports tours and events, multimedia production, and a consumer facing lifestyle brand. The Alliance includes: the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, the Dew Tour, Winter Dew Tour, China Invitational, King of Wake series, and the Gatorade Free Flow Tour. Alli TV Productions creates original content, produces and presents content with partners, and distributes Alli content through a variety of channels. Alli is owned by NBC Sports and MTV Networks and represents a network of athletes, fans, brands and properties. Its mission is to facilitate the momentous growth of action sports, through competition and lifestyle, for a new generation of fans and athletes. The Alli properties are home to more than 550,000 spectators each year and broadcasts more than 150 hours of original content in 100 countries and 280 million homes worldwide. Visit www.allisports.com.
Lucas Oil Products
Lucas Oil is a worldwide leader in the production of oils, lubricants and additives. Based in Corona, Calif., Lucas Oil Products is one of the fastest-growing additive lines in the consumer automotive industry, featuring a premium line of oils, lubricants and problem-solving performance additives. Through innovative product research and development, along with aggressive marketing programs, Lucas Oil Products has established itself as the top-selling additive line in the American truck-stop industry. Lucas Oil is involved in an array of motorsports sponsorships, including the "Official Motor Oil of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship." Visit www.LucasOil.com.
AMA Pro Racing
AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing sanctioning body in the United States, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. From its Daytona Beach headquarters, the organization sanctions professional motorcycle racing competition, which includes, AMA Pro Motocross, AMA Pro Road Racing, and AMA Pro Flat Track. Visit www.amaproracing.com.
NBC Sports Group
When the Comcast-NBCUniversal transaction was completed in January of 2011, the broad reach and storied history of NBC Sports united with Comcast's 24/7 ability to super-serve fans to create the NBC Sports Group. The new sports media company consists of an array of broadcast television, cable television and digital sports assets, including NBC Sports & Olympics, Golf Channel, Versus, 11 SportNets (regional sports networks) and their respective websites. Together, the new combined assets of the NBC Sports Group possess an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the Olympics, NFL, NHL, PGA TOUR, PGA of America, USGA, IndyCar, Wimbledon, French Open, Tour de France and Kentucky Derby.
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So Pala was taken off the schedule?
I thought they were going to move Steel City to the Southeast?
Damn no Pala... They better replace it with another SoCal race. How could we have no national when most of the industry is here?
"The season finale will feature a new venue in the motocross hotbed of Southern California."
Hotbed my butt! What happened to promised national in the southeast? We are getting screwed again. Drop one of the PA races!
If you read Racerhead, you would know DC has been going to place after place in the southeast, and if he finds a place that can hold a national he will more than likely pull steel city. But if not 2013 forsure, its not that easy to find a venue that can hold a national there is a lot more that goes into it than just a good track.
Great season upcoming... too bad there will be 60% less TV coverage in 2012 than in 2011.
Here is the first paragraph of the PR for tv coverage in '11.
MX Sports Pro Racing and Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports announce today the 2011 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship will enjoy exclusive coverage across NBC Sports, SPEED and FUEL TV, with 60 hours of original programming, including 28 hours of live coverage. The domestic broadcasts will reach more than 120 million viewers across the three networks.
Here is a portion of the PR for '12.
The broadcast partnership will feature three live hours on NBC Sports and 21 hours of race programming on the NBC Sports Network, with 11 hours live.
So... 60 hours in '11 and 24 hours in '12. 28 hours of live coverage in '11 is more than the total coverage in '12.
This means we get 60% less tv coverage in '12 than in '11 on a network that reaches fewer homes. How is this good for sponsors, fans, riders, etc?
So does anyone want to take a guess where the new race will be? I think GH lost the USGP, but I see that highly unlikely. For those who want to guess, we currently have Starwest (too small) Perris (too small) Lake Elsinore (dirt sucks) Piru mx (too small/bad places to stand) possibly the old I5MX (if it is resurrected still far away) Racetown (BFE) Comp Edge (Kinda BFE) Milestone (Too flat / small for a national, though it has good dirt) Cahuilla (would be a sweet national track, but I guess the area is a wee bit small to hold traffic etc and lots of people) If anyone has any dirt on a new track or a possible track speak up.
OK, so they are going to put Elsinore on the circuit and it's not even finished. They are so foolish! Why not wait a few years until the track settles in? Keep it at Pala for at least another year or two and then switch over? Why the rush???
nice..southeast gets the axe again! i mean it makes sense though, what with most of the top guys living in florida and all..
Nobody cares about a race in Socal because everyone knows that all the fast racers come from the midwest and southeast...just a bunch of posers in Socal, not true MX fans.
If So-Cal is such a "hotbed" of moto, then why dont more fans come out to the races when they have one?? What is there, like 10 million people in the LA area, and they cant get but about 20,000 to come out to a National?? That doesnt look like much of a hotbed for moto to me. Awarding a race to a place when the track isnt even finished is nuts. That is what they did at Frrestone to, and its not a great track by no means. I know the people who run the place are working thier tailes off and all, but an outdoor National is supposed to use natural terrain. If we want supercross we can build those indoors.
16 million, and I guarantee if there were 100,000 seats at Anaheim it would sell out. Guarantee! You saw so many empty seats at dodger cause that stadium sucks and theyre way too proud of their seats.
SX ain't MX. Bring back Carlsbad.
bring the gatorback
How about this, NO WEST coast MX till the North east gets an SX race LOL
Wow, so all this talk of a race in the South East was just that, talk. Cali get's yet another race.
Davey,I have posted this before but why not have 15 total national tracks.(picking 3 more would be easier than having to choose only 1,since there are several worthy tracks out there) Still have 12 races just rotate 3 tracks out each year.That gives each track a year off every 5 years,nobody would be totally cut out that way.The NPG could create a revenue sharing plan for each tracks off year to help them financially or each track could save up for the off year.It's a little non traditional and it may be tough logistically,but I think it could work.Have you considered something like this?
I guess Monster Mountain in AL didnt make the cut for this year. It's a bummer cause that place has everything needed to host a national and plenty of fans from the southeast would flock to watch!! Our closest nat is Freestone and it is all that great. Hopefully Monster Mountain get a chance in the next couple of years!
Correction: Freestone is NOT all that great***
I'm glad the Pala experiment is over. I wonder what parking lot is going to be turned in to the next National track. You can probably tell by now that I'm still pissed about Glen Helen. Motocross needs hills, not cookie cutter tracks with all the same soil.
@DoubleJ, it makes no sense that Anaheim would sell 100,000 thousand tickets and it never sold out Anaheim 2 or 3 just a few years ago because you could see the empty seats, and that stadium seats only 40,000. And if they were dedicated fans they would go to Dodger Stadium and see some supercross, crappy stadium or not. The old RCA Dome in Indy was a dump, real tight concourses, no places inside the stadium to eat except crappy hot dogs, and it was just old and the seating sucked, still sold 60,000 tickets every year to supercross. And the new stadium sells 60,000 also. Look at Atlanta, 60,000 plus every year, St. Louis too. So-Cal is NOT the hotbed of the fan base anymore, just because the big teams have shops and test tracks there means nothing for a fan base obviously.
@VistaJIm, that is a nice concept, but if Red Bud got cut out one year you would have the highest fan attended National every year left out. Red Bud has more attendence every year than any other National, so why would the promoters want to exclude that race?? It just wouldnt work. And if the race is left out one year, you might lose fans when the race does come back, so it may not work out as easy as it sounds. Just pick a track in the Southeast instead of So-Cal, since Glen Helen let the place turn into a dump, and go racing. And I do agree with Verge that no cookie-cutter tracks should be on the National schedule, I hate outdoor supercross tracks. Natural terrain tracks rule.
It's pretty obvious that Lake Elsinore is getting the National and it looks like it will probably work fairly well. You Southeast guys whining away, stfu! DC will deliver, just wait. You Northeast guys wanting a Supercross, fuggetaboutit! Your dumb ass proud union monkeys will make sure of that for you. I repeat " THE NORTHEAST WILL NEVER GET ANOTHER SUPERCROSS BECUASE OF THE UNIONS" They suck and they will get what they deserve, less and less venues over the years.
Yeay, ANOTHER mx event in California. awesome. Also, we get less tv coverage of the nationals? This is just a great deal...
Really!
Davey himself said last year "next year we will be in the south east" on an interview with Mathis. WTF Davey? Why say crap if you not going to produce. I will know better than to believe shit you say next time.
Obviously if SoCal has "no true MX fans" it's weird how we have so many tracks that are constantly buzzing. Seems like there are lots of people riding around here to me, since we have what 10 million in LA alone, excluding OC and San Diego. It's pretty obvious there ISN'T ENOUGH MX FANS IN THE SOUTHEAST since there isn't a national there and hasn't been in many years. If there were so many fans there would be a race there now.
The perfect track for a national is loretta lynns.The coombs already have the connection there. There is plenty of room there,facility,and additional parking nearby.The pro pits only require a small amount of parking,compared to the amateur national.Awesome track ,maybe build a pro section.Swap hard pack steel city for some tennessee loam.All the former amateur standouts coming back to hallowed ground to do battle as pros.
Go back to Glen Helen!!!
I guess you all forgot about Glen Helen.It's still there you know.
bring back glen helen and gatorback
i like the lorreta lyn's idea
Monster Mountain would need to build a whole new road to facilitate a national, the road leading there is way too narrow and windy - traffic would be backed up to the interstate.
It's amazing how little the people who post here really know. Glen Helen got rid of the national by choice because they as well as multiple tracks on the circuit are disgusted with the Coombs mafia and the crap they pull, Pala doesn't want the national anymore because in two years they learned what Glen Helen learned and Elsinore...That dude has money to burn or launder so he will buy it at any cost. The riders are already grumbling about that place being a spot for a national because there is crap dirt and it's hotter than an oven on that flat lake bed. If nobodies happy (promoters, track owners, TV, sponsors, teams) then who should you look at? The people with only one year left on their agreement with the true owners of outdoor motocross...Who will step up and fix things is the real question.
Glen Helen is not in the 2012 GP Schedule. It's probably Glen Helen for the 12th round.
YEAH! SURE! "So-and-so" will have to deal with the likes of James Stewart! Still LMAO! JS7 will be no more a threat to the 2012 season than my golden retriever will be the next president of the United States of America! (Although she could DEFINITELY do a better job!)
@bd200 I hear what you are saying about Red Bud,that was the first track I thought about.If I had to pick a best track I have raced that would be it.The nationals there are epic.Maybe they could make an exception for the 4th of July tradition.
MX Sports, how have they improved anything in MX Nationals? They took away Glen Helen. Now they want to move it to a dry lake bed . They refuse to change the displacement rules and the purse money sucks SUCKS!!!! They charge promoters more so that MX sports can pocket more and as a result our sport continues to suffer!!
I had a great time at Pala this year, however no matter where I stood to watch, I could not see more than 20% of the track at any one place. I know Lake Elsinore is about to re open soon. The dirt is the worst any where. If watered at all it will make top pros look like a novice.. It is like racing on a pile of marbles at a hockey arena. You can't even walk on it when wet, you will fall over, and it is flat as a pancake. Again a horrible spectator location. I would save the money and see at least something on my TV. I vote for Glen Helen 1st choice, then a tie for Cahuilla or The Ranch..Both have huge pontential to be an awesome old school MX national caliber track. and they have some of the best dirt I have ever placed my tires into... Just my vote...
RED BUUDDDD!!!!
To all my CALIFORNIA buddies! We know why everyone hates us, so just sit back and laugh. Buy tickets to all 7 Races we have and keep doin what we do!
To all my CALIFORNIA buddies! We know why everyone hates us, so just sit back and laugh. Buy tickets to all 7 Races we have and keep doin what we do!
I had a great time at the Pala national and thought the viewing was just fine. The track that was tough to see at was Hangtown, unless you had some kind of vip pass they had the average spectator locked out of 70% of the track. Washougal is still the best track on the west coast. The track that has some great potential for a national is Zaca Station, good soil close to freeways and some nice elevation, just a thought.
What Hangtown did you go to? The entire track is fenced off so the spectators can see the whole thing. No matter where you sit you can see 90% of the track, I have been going there for 12 years, viewing is no problem.
Regardless of what you see on TV, Pala was a spectator nightmare. It is a beautiful track, but it is laid out longways in a flat desert valley. Unless you can get up on the one solitary hill, you can only see about 3 corners from anywhere. Even with all the TV cameras, they didn't catch Pourcel's epic crash in 2010.
Also, PA has 2 outdoor Nationals, which are well attended, and both offer 100% viewing, but we have no SX within an 8 hour drive. Rather than lose one of our nationals, I'd rather see the "rotation" of national tracks from year to year.
Series favorite "Freestone",I'm thinking NOT.
Man all you people do on here is complain. The viewing is bad, its too hot, the dirt sucks, theres no hills... How about you just be HAPPY that you get to see pro motocross at all!!!!!! Ya Pala was a little hard to see anything unless you were on the hill, but big deal. It was still motocross! You still got the chest pounding roar of 40 bikes down the start straight and we all got to inhale the awesome smell of race fuel all day!
For all of those that complain about Elsinore without doing any homework, the new owners are investing hundreds of thousands of dollars to completely revamp the facility. Iv heard something about new dirt too. As much as I didn't like the old "Elsinore Track" and as much as I absolutely LOVE Glen Helen, I am willing to give this new facility a shot rather than b!tch and moan about how it might suck. If it does, I'm sure it will not be on the MX schedule for 2013. Now everyone go riding and be thankful you are lucky enough to even attend a national in 2012!!
I am getting tired of stupid people doing stupid shit. DC needs to get the hell out of the Motocross promotion biz(or whatever he f'n does), and focus on all of his other ways he is making money off of MX. The guy has 100 irons in the fire and never focuses long enough on any one thing. New blood is needed, get the old bastards out of here since all they do is "bench race" (how many times has DC typed those 2 words) about yesteryear, and half-ass the future.
"How about you just be HAPPY that you get to see pro motocross at all!!!!!! " - Well doesn't that sound like a good little sheep. Liberal loser
I like the rotation idea. Both PA race tracks, their facilities, and their attendance are great. Why remove one unless you find somewhere with a better track, facilities, and attendance? Good luck doing that...
A few years ago I would've supported anyone but Youthstream gaining control of the AMA Nationals. Since MX Sports has been at the helm, though, I'm starting to wonder if Youthstream maybe could do better. Giving the National to a facility on flat ground that doesn't even have the track built yet instead of somewhere in the Southeast that already has a track but maybe needs some infrastructure upgrades, or going back to Glen Helen, has raised a few eyebrows. I have no doubts that MX Sports is currently trying to get as much money as possible. Not because they're greedy (well maybe), but because they have to. Last time they were awarded the Nationals was because they were buddy-buddy with the people selling them; Youthstream actually offered a higher bid. MX Sports' buddies that helped them out last time have all been fired or moved to other departments. So the Nationals will go to the highest bidder this time, and you can bet that as of right now, Youthstream has deeper pockets than MX Sports.
the rotation may not be a bad idea. except that red bud should be on schedule every year.
4th of july tradition. huge attendance every year.
i have never heard of any pro rider say anything bad about the place, and most of them list red bud as one of their favorites. (now im sure some flat billed left coaster will try say something bad)
found it quite interesting watching moto inside the outdoors this week.. sounds like most the riders thinks pala sucked.
Red Bud is where its at!!! plain and simple..
I'm sure it was just oversight that Canard was not mentioned, even though he will be tougher to deal with than Stewart. That is if Stewart does not wreckover the top 4 before MX begins.
Want to set attendence record? MONSTER MOUNTAIN!!!!!!!!
Long curvy road, backed up traffic, sounds like Steel City.
How many years have we heard "JAMES STEWART" to return to MX????? What happened last year? Oh, the "team" wasn't ready! LMFAO.....
The last time I checked there were still 2 TBA spots for the GP'S.
If Glen Helen does not get the National, I hope they get the USGP.
More people should attend the USGP if it comes back. It was a blast to watch the guys from the other side of the pond.
On another note, if Glen Helen does not get either events, I hope they bring back the Glen Helen Prequel. That was fun to go to as well.
Just speculation on my part but, I think the good folk at Pala are saying,"OK, we've invested billions down here, we have given ($$$) this race away two years in a row, and now you're gunna have to pay the piper this time" But then again, I am just another skeptic in midst."
@tvschedulesucks wrote: The answer to your question is this:
SPEEDtv needs more room for their expanding coverage of NASCAR...
That was low, wasn't it???
My Bad...
@pizzacorner - what the hell does politics have anything to do with getting to see a national motocross race? Man you are Dbag.
"I am getting tired of stupid people doing stupid shit" - that is you every time you touch your keyboard! Complaining about shit you know nothing about. Go eat another pizza and STFU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
See you at the races jackass
Racer X do us all a favor and take this idiot off the message boards
Read "TBA, So cal" as"Track Behind Anahiem" ie: Lake L sin your You think it's just a coincidence their fixin it up?
Lilnuts. I think you are right. Did you see the caliber of riders checking out Lake Elsinore?
Jeffrey Herlings was even there!!! Maybe they will do the USGP there as well!!!
Don't forget, there are still 2 dates on the GP schedule that are TBA!!!!
I sure hope there is a USGP in 2012!!!
The question nobody ever asks is, "Why can there only be 12 nationals??" There are several multiple week breaks in the schedule. Why not just add one in there? The only take one week off in 17 weeks of SX, but the 12 MX races take 17 weeks to complete. Could still add one and take a week off here and there.