The big news in our sport this week is that Feld Motor Sports and MX Sports have joined forces to run the SuperMotocross World Championships starting in the fall of 2023. Monster Energy AMA Supercross will run its 17-round series like usual (but will not run the Monster Cup) and MX Sports will cut the AMA Pro Motocross series down to an 11-round series (previously 12) to accommodate a 3-round playoff series. SuperMotocross will run after the other two series have completed, on tracks that will be a hybrid of both supercross and motocross terrain. We caught up with the CEO of Feld Entertainment, Kenneth Feld, to hear about how this all came about, along with his love for the sport of supercross.
Racer X: Obviously announcing this today, but I wanted to go back kind of to the beginning when you and Carrie Jo [Coombs-Russell], you guys established a little bit of a relationship, and you started working together. How has that relationship kind of developed? Where did it start from, and how has it been working with her so far?
Kenneth: The relationship with Carrie, with everybody there has been extraordinary. We have two things in common. One is a passion for the sport. Two is, we’re family businesses and we think long-term. That’s really difficult in today’s world, because people are thinking in sound bites, or they’re thinking it’s social media, it’s a headline. We’re really thinking about building something that’s going to last way beyond our longevity, and I think that’s the important thing. So, we get along great. I think the more you know people, it’s like, wow. We’re all people. We all have the same emotions. Here we have a shared passion, and how can we do this? We came up with it. So, there’s a lot that everybody brings to the table. That’s the thing. We love it. The gratification is going to be when we get more fans to come, when everybody loves this thing, when we have the World Championship playoff and the championship and everything here, and it’s going to be better for the sport.
Moving forward, like you said, you’re trying to find a path that makes the sport last longer beyond you guys’ years. What are some things that you eye out as a future for five years from now, for ten years from now, that you really want to see happen with this?
It’s interesting. So, you get to my age, ten-year horizon is a little more difficult. I think we’re always looking ahead, and I can’t earmark anything because we haven’t even gotten into the first season yet. But I think what’s going to happen is we’re going to learn and not everything is going to work perfectly. There’s no question about it. But it’s going to be different and we want to engage people. I want to get the people that have never seen the sport because I know when I acquired supercross without ever seeing a live supercross event, so when I went to my first event, my mind was blown. I couldn’t believe it. I said, 'What have I been missing?' I want to share that with everybody, and I want everybody to see it. So, this is a way to broaden the audience, and globally, not just in the US, and get people that haven’t experienced it. That’s how you get constantly new fans. I think what Carrie does and with Loretta Lynn’s and the whole amateur thing and to bringing people up through that, that’s the future. That’s the foundation of the whole sport. So, I think it’s great. We’re going to work together, but you know what else? We’re going to have so much fun.
Related: 2023 AMA Supercross, Motocross, and SuperMotocross Schedules Announced
Obviously, the goal is to reach a newer audience as well, but how rewarding or satisfying has it been to see the industry react to the way that this has all come together and the unity between the two series as well?
It’s thrilling to see the industry. I think we’re all products of our times today, but again, they’re equipment manufacturers, but they’re personalities. They’re people that love the sport as much as we do. They have great input. Our approach has always been, 'Do you have a problem? Let’s help you solve it, together.' We’ve done that in all of our businesses. We continue to. Life is about problem-solving and that’s what we want to do. We have a stake in that we had this idea. In my opinion, there are no bad ideas ever. We want to try it out and do it, and I think that’s part of this whole thing. I can just see the relationships continually getting better. I think at the end of the day, it's the fans, it’s the teams, it’s the manufacturers, but most importantly it’s the riders, too. They’re going to get more pleasure. There’s none of this secretive stuff. They’re going to know exactly what’s going on at all times. I think it’s going to be better for the whole sport.
In terms of a business perspective, you guys kind of have more or less grown from an 18-round series to a 20-round series, adding this onto the end of the year for supercross’s sake, but you’re also obviously partnered with Pro Motocross to make this kind of full, long series. So, how exciting or rewarding is it to see your business grow in that way where there is more of an extension than just the five months we’ve seen supercross before?
It’s really important. That was always, from the first year, was my concern. We weren't able to grow it. Yeah, we could have a few more people and engagements and stuff, but this is growing it, where it still keeps the integrity of each of the disciplines. That’s the most important thing. That was sort of the hardest thing for all of us to get our heads around. It’s not one or the other; it’s both of them. I think it’s going to be great. I’m so excited. Of course, a day like today is an adrenaline day. I love to look into the future. I love to try and be a party to building things for the long-term. This deserves that.
The TV deal was a big part of this as well with getting you guys all together on one streaming package, one provider. How was it behind the scenes with that deal and coming together and working together to go at them a little bit “with this is our whole package” instead of just as supercross as you have before?
What’s really interesting is, and this goes back to COVID, it was interesting because people were home watching TV and watching stuff on TV that they never saw before. We had the highest ratings we’ve ever had during COVID. I’m thinking, 'Wow. There’s a new fan base coming.' They could see it. So, for the television industry, it was a little chopped up for them and it was different. So, now, you have 31 events. This is a season. This is a sport that’s gone basically ten months now. So, this is how you keep people engaged. Every day, every week you can look forward to it. That’s going to be hugely beneficial to all of us. I must say, having the relationship with NBC, with Peacock, is great. That’s what we want to do. Again, it’s. 'How do we solve problems? How do we just get better, every day a little bit better?'
Watch the entire Kenneth Feld interview here: