A new era in Supercross racing will dawn Saturday night as the traditional season opener at Angel Stadium also harkens the inaugural year of the SuperMotocross World Championship with Round 1 in Anaheim, California.
The circuit will unify the Monster Energy AMA Supercross and Pro Motocross series with a season-ending three-event playoff that will meld the best of indoor stadium and outdoor motocross to determine an overall champion.
Eli Tomac is the reigning premier class champion in both Supercross and Pro Motocross. The Yamaha rider signed a one-year deal to return for Supercross in 2023 but has yet to commit to running the full SuperMotocross schedule.
Tomac’s primary competition in the 450 category likely will come from Jason Anderson and Chase Sexton. Yamaha teammate Dylan Ferrandis, Marvin Musquin and Malcolm Stewart also are contenders to Tomac’s bid for a second consecutive championship (and third overall).
Adam Cianciarulo also will return after an injury-plagued 2022 season. After going winless last year, two-time champion Cooper Webb will aim at a return to form, and longtime rival Ken Roczen has switched from Honda to Suzuki.
The 2023 opener will mark the 80th time that Supercross has raced at Angel Stadium, more than any other venue. It’s the 32nd season opener in Anaheim through 50 years of Supercross. Only 17 of 49 season-opening winners have won the championship in the same season; most recently Ryan Villopoto in 2012.
NBC Sports will cover the record 31 events with exclusive live coverage of races, qualifiers, and heats. The main events will be presented on Peacock, NBC, USA Network, CNBC, and NBC Sports digital platforms.
Peacock will have live coverage of all races, qualifying and heats in the SuperMotocross World Championship series from January to October.
Here are the pertinent details for watching Round 1 of the 2023 Supercross schedule in Anaheim on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023:
(All times are ET)
BROADCAST/STREAMING SCHEDULE: TV coverage of Round 1 will begin Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on USA and streaming on Peacock. The event also will be streamed on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports App. The Race Day Live show (including qualifying) will begin on Peacock at 4 p.m. ET.
Round 1 will re-air Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.
NBC Sports will have exclusive live coverage of races, qualifiers and heats for the record 31 events in SuperMotocross. The main events will be presented on Peacock, NBC, USA Network, CNBC, and NBC Sports digital platforms.
Peacock will become the home of the SuperMotocross World Championship series in 2023 with live coverage of all races, qualifying, and heats from January to October. There will be 23 races livestreamed exclusively on Peacock, including a SuperMotocross World Championship Playoff event. The platform also will provide on-demand replays of every race.
ENTRY LISTS: 450 division l 250 division
EVENT SCHEDULE (all times ET):
Here are the start times for Saturday, according to the Monster Energy Supercross schedule from the AMA:
4:05 p.m.: 250SX Group C Qualifying 1
4:20 p.m.: 250SX Group B Qualifying 1
4:35 p.m.: 250SX Group A Qualifying 1
4:50 p.m.: 450SX Group A Qualifying 1
5:05 p.m.: 450SX Group B Qualifying 1
5:20 p.m.: 450SX Group C Qualifying 1
6:20 p.m.: 250SX Group C Qualifying 2
6:35 p.m.: 250SX Group B Qualifying 2
6:50 p.m.: 250SX Group A Qualifying 2
7:05 p.m.: 450SX Group A Qualifying 2
7:20 p.m.: 450SX Group B Qualifying 2
7:35 p.m.: 450SX Group C Qualifying 2
10:10 p.m.: 250SX Heat 1
10:23 p.m.: 250SX Heat 2
10:37 p.m.: 450SX Heat 1
10:51 p.m.: 450SX Heat 2
11:22 p.m.: 250SX Last Chance Qualifier
11:34 p.m.: 450SX Last Chance Qualifier
11:55 p.m.: 250SX Main Event
12:27 a.m.: 450SX Main Event
