2020 Pro Motocross | Schedule Shifts To July-October

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2020 PRO MOTOCROSS RULE BOOK CHANGES

APRIL 30 UPDATE | MX Sports has announced significant changes to the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship season, as the series organizer stated that the schedule is now intended to run from July to October. This is a massive shift that scraps the early September cutoff that the series said they would adhere to in earlier announcements but is necessary due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation and Feld Entertainment’s ongoing attempt to finish out the 2020 Monster Energy Supercross Series in June. (How this impacts Supercross, which had September and October as a fallback, remains to be seen.)

The statement from the Race Leadership Team says that the series, which currently intends to start on July 4 and conclude on October 3, will consist of 11 total rounds. Any indication of venues and dates were not included in the statement, but it did mention “New York and California, are closed to the idea of allowing any group gatherings for the foreseeable future” (which puts races at Unadilla or Fox Raceway in question) and the ATVMX round that was to run with Pro Motocross at Ironman Raceway has been scrapped.

We will update this post with more information as it becomes available. For now, the parts of the bulletin that pertain to Pro Motocross are posted below…

RLT COMPETITION BULLETIN 2020-8

As the state-by-state recovery plans continue to unfold, it is clear that a uniform back-to-business strategy is unlikely. Some states, like Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, are hopeful and optimistic about their ability to reopen businesses in a safe and responsible manner, while other states, such as New York and California, are closed to the idea of allowing any group gatherings for the foreseeable future.

This divergence in recovery approaches mandates significant changes in previously announced race schedules, as series managers attempt to reopen venues for competition, while implementing safe social distancing practices.

The Safe-to-Race Task Force is nearing completion of its assignment. The mission of the Task Force was to develop best practices for the operation of a post-COVID19 motorsports event that complies with state and federal guidelines for safe social distancing, while maintaining the integrity of the sport. These protocols will be shared with event organizers of all motorsports disciplines to assist them as they develop plans with their local officials to reopen their racetracks.

The Pro Motocross schedule is currently under revision. The opening round is postponed to July 4 and the series will run through October 3, with dates and locations to be announced as soon as possible. Currently the number of rounds remains at 11.

ORIGINAL APRIL 14 POST | On Monday, the Race Leadership Team (reps from the AMA, MX Sports, and MX Sports Pro Racing) held their weekly meeting to determine how Lucas Oil Pro Motocross, GNCC, ATVMX, and the AMA Amateur Motocross Championship will adapt to the COVID-19 situation and current restrictions on large gatherings in the United States. The group has determined that upcoming events will be postponed, including a round of qualifiers for the Amateur Motocross Championship and a GNCC in May, and that the opening round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will likely move to a different date in June. 

The 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship is set to start on June 13 in Flordia, but the statement from RLT indicates that this is unlikely to occur.

“The current Pro Motocross schedule consists of 11 rounds spanning from June 13th through September 5th. However, additional changes are expected and will be announced shortly. The Series will most likely extend from June 20th through September 12th, but no later. In these trying times, full transparency in scheduling is called for, to allow riders, teams and fans to prepare. A revised schedule will be announced ASAP.” 

On Tuesday morning, the State of Florida has announced it will allow sports to take place as long as no public crowd is present, but it’s uncertain that a round of Pro Motocross would be run in the same manner.

The statement from RTL is posted in full below. We will update this post with more information as it becomes available…

The RTL (Race Leadership Team) consists of representatives from the AMA, MX Sports and MX Sports Pro Racing. The RLT meets each Monday to review race schedules, making adjustments as needed, and will work with event organizers to reschedule events when possible.

The RLT continues to urge racing families to use common sense: 1) wash your hands often; 2) avoid shaking hands or coming into close personal contact with others; 3) cough into your elbow; 4) if you are sick, stay home; 5) if you are really sick, go to the hospital; and 6) don’t panic.

Here’s the latest from the RLT meeting on Monday, April 13.

Lucas Oil Pro Motocross

The current Pro Motocross schedule consists of 11 rounds spanning from June 13th through September 5th. However, additional changes are expected and will be announced shortly. The Series will most likely extend from June 20th through September 12th, but no later. In these trying times, full transparency in scheduling is called for, to allow riders, teams and fans to prepare. A revised schedule will be announced ASAP.