AMSOIL ARENACROSS FORGES ALLIANCE WITH RICKY CARMICHAEL

On Jan 2, 2013

   Feld Motor Sports announced an alliance has been forged between AMSOIL Arenacross and five-time Monster Energy Supercross Champion Ricky Carmichael to create and establish a formalized rider advancement system for Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, events through AMSOIL Arenacross. This new advancement system will be called “Ricky Carmichael’s Road to Supercross.” The purpose is to create a formalized rider advancement structure exclusively within AMSOIL Arenacross that establishes advancement guidelines for all riders who aspire to compete professionally at the sport’s highest level.

   Ricky Carmichael’s Road to Supercross is an integrated plan for AMSOIL Arenacross and Monster Energy Supercross that is designed to formally connect the two championships. The plan further develops future supercross riders and ensures that participants achieve higher standards as they earn required Road to Supercross points and receive a supercross endorsement from the AMA. “I am really excited to be a part of AMSOIL Arenacross and to be an ambassador for the sport,” said Carmichael. “With the implementation of the Road to Supercross, the championship will grow to its full potential and expose riders to an indoor racing environment that simulates Monster Energy Supercross. Additionally, racing in an intimate setting like AMSOIL Arenacross will pay off tremendously as they make their transition to the world supercross stage.”

   “Racing in the AMSOIL Arenacross environment helps riders get better prepared for their transition to Monster Energy Supercross,” said Todd Jendro, vice president of two wheel operations, Feld Motor Sports. “This program will help them develop the necessary skills by competing on professional indoor tracks with steep jumps, rhythm lanes, whoops, different soil compounds while racing indoors in front of large crowds and against other top qualified riders. Additionally, AMSOIL Arenacross presents competitors with the professional atmosphere and providing opportunities to learn media interaction, television exposure, autograph sessions and live event expectations through Ricky Carmichael’s Road to Supercross.”

   “Before I made the transition to Monster Energy Supercross, I developed my skills through arenacross, and I think the restructured AMSOIL Arenacross program, featuring Ricky Carmichael’s Road to Supercross, will give riders the proper experience to hone their skills in a professional indoor environment,” said Justin Brayton, who finished fourth in the 2012 Monster Energy Supercross Championship.

   To receive a supercross endorsement from the AMA, riders must earn three Road to Supercross points. A Road to Supercross point is earned by qualifying for the Arenacross Class in three separate events in a given AMSOIL Arenacross season. In 2013, riders may take advantage of earning their Road to Supercross points through AMSOIL Arenacross as well as the traditional rules for earning a supercross endorsement. Beginning in 2014, all riders must earn three Road to Supercross points to obtain their supercross endorsement.

   “Professional motocross and supercross share a common heritage and technical similarity. However, each discipline has evolved to be distinct in a number of different ways. The creation of Ricky Carmichael’s Road to Supercross will provide a natural transition and formalize the requirements for participation at the sport’s highest level,” said Kevin Crowther, AMA Director of Supercross and Pro Racing Relations. “The Road to Supercross creates the framework to ultimately develop safer, more-experienced riders for Monster Energy Supercross.” To follow Arenacross live, log onto www.Arenacross.com.