Main image courtesy of Simon Cudby.
This weekend's Tampa Supercross at Raymond James Stadium marks the continuation of a long history between Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the Sunshine State. Way back in 1971, before "supercross" was even a thing, a motocross race was held on the infield of Daytona International Speedway. And when the "1974 AMA/Yamaha Super Series of Stadium Motocross" went off, it marked the first official AMA Supercross, though the word "supercross" had yet to be invented. Needless to say, Daytona has its own very long and glorious history, and with the race coming up in a few weeks, we'll save that history for its own list. But for now, with Tampa about to happen, we want to talk about the other supercross races that have taken place over the years here in Florida. So for this week's list here's a brief history of Florida's other SX catalog...
The first non-Daytona Supercross to take place in Florida happened at Orlando's Citrus Bowl on June 11, 1983, back when SX and MX used to overlap on the schedule. The '83 race is known for two major developments: Team Honda's Bob Hannah, the points leader at the time, broke his wrist on press day at the stadium, which opened the door to his teammate David Bailey to the championship. But the actual race winner was Ron Lechien, a 16-year-old rookie with Team Yamaha, on the #224 OW250. It was the Dogger's first win, and it made him the youngest winner ever of the premier class in actual AMA Supercross history, though Marty Tripes was just 16 years, 10 days old when he won the '72 Los Angeles Superbowl of Motocross. (But it wasn't an actual AMA Supercross as the series had yet to be invented.)
One year later Yamaha's Rick Johnson won the '84 Orlando SX over Lechien, who was by now on Honda. But Ronnie would rebound in '85 to win Orlando again. And for the first time a 125cc Support class was added in '85, and the winner was none other than Larry Brooks on the #157 Honda CR125. Unfortunately, the race didn't get the attendance promoters hoped, so Orlando was dropped from the schedule for the next seven years.
With not only the Daytona race, but also one in both Miami’s Orange Bowl and then another in Tampa Stadium (then affectionately known by ESPN’s Chris Berman as “the big sombrero” due to its unique design), Florida was very prominent on the 1987 AMA Supercross schedule. And somehow, someway, the ’87 Miami Supercross had a very unique title sponsor in Penthouse, a men’s magazine, which probably made for decent program sales since the magazine's cover girl—Miss Penthouse runner-up!—was the back cover of the program. As for Tampa, the fans saw a 1-2 sweep for Kawasaki as teammates Jeff Ward and Ron Lechien went 1-2. (And in only his second-ever 250SX, Suzuki’s Donny Schmit finished fourth—while also competing in the 125SX West.) Tampa also hosted a race in ’88, won by Honda’s Rick Johnson over Kawasaki’s Ward and Lechien. The 125cc winner was Michigan’s Todd DeHoop.
The ’89 Miami race was held on mostly white sand and chalk-white clay, making for a track so tricky that Yamaha’s precocious rookie Damon Bradshaw fell four different times, yet somehow still managed to win the race! In the 250 class Rick Johnson would top the moonlighting Jean-Michel Bayle, who was preparing for the 250cc FIM World Championships by racing in America that year, Miami being his first-ever AMA podium and a precursor of things to come. The ’89 win at Miami would turn out to be the last SX triumph of RJ’s amazing career, as two weeks later he would collide with Danny Storbeck at the Gatorback 250 National and snap his wrist and set in motion the end of his reign. It was also the end of the Miami SX as a lack of fan support led promoter Bill West of Super Sports to scratch it from future calendars.
Tampa also hosted a round in ’89 with Jeff Ward once again winning the 250 main while Honda Support rider Mike Kiedrowski won the 125 class over Bradshaw and Yamaha Support rider Mike Jones. And then in 1990 it was Jean-Michel Bayle winning the 250 class and Kawasaki Team Green rider Tallon Vohland topping the 125s.
Orlando finally returned to the AMA Supercross schedule in 1991 and it would mark another huge milestone. Not in the 250 class, which was won by defending two-time champion Jeff Stanton, but rather in the 125 class. Michigan’s Brian Swink, in his first-ever SX ride, would win aboard the blue and white PEAK/Pro Circuit Honda CR125 in Mitch Payton’s first outing as a team owner. No one could have known that it was the beginning of the most successful team in the history of the 125/250 class in AMA Supercross.
Tampa was not on the ’91 schedule. However, St. Petersburg, just across the bay from Tampa, was. It’s Suncoast Dome hosted the SX in ’91 and ’92 and saw what may very well have been Jean-Michel Bayle’s last great SX rides. Bayle won in ’91 over Honda teammate Jeff Stanton while Ohio’s Jeromy Buehl got another win for the PEAK/Pro Circuit Honda team. And then already seemingly focused on his move to road racing, JMB got mad or something at St. Pete and hit the afterburners towards the end of the race, passing Stanton, Bradshaw and Guy Cooper in the course of two straights. His fourth-to-first effort in a fraction of a full lap was mind-boggling. (And the 125cc class winner was Swink again, though now on a Suzuki.)
In ’93, Orlando was back as the opener, and Kawasaki teammates LaRocco and Kiedrowski went 1-2. In the 125 class, Suzuki’s Ezra Lusk won for the very first time, topping Honda’s Doug Henry.
The ’94 race was remembered not for anything that happened in the main event, but rather during practice and, later on, the 250 heat race. Those are the times that defending AMA Supercross Champion Jeremy McGrath showed off his new signature trick that he called the Nac-Nac. But when he went to do it on the last lap of the 250 main, he realized that Kawasaki’s Mike LaRocco was right on his rear fender. The future King of Supercross passed on doing it again, wisely choosing to focus on just winning the race instead.
McGrath had been perfect to start the ’94 season, winning the first four rounds. But then he had a bad night at Tampa and ended up getting beaten by Mike Craig, Christian’s father. It was the one and only AMA 250 SX win of Craig’s career. He would part ways with Yamaha just a couple weeks later after missing the Gatorback 250 National, but that’s a whole ‘nother story.
McGrath won the Orlando opener two more times in ’95 and ’96, then the opener moved back out west to the Los Angeles Coliseum.
As for Orlando, it was not on the ’97 schedule, but Gatorback’s 125/250 National opener was. Long considered an inconvenient race—MXA’s Jody Weisel referred to it as the “orphan national” because it was in the middle of the supercross schedule—promoter Bill West decided to switch his national over to another supercross in Tampa instead for the next year’s schedule. Gatorback has yet to return to the AMA Pro Motocross schedule.
Ironically, in 1998 it rained like hell in Tampa, and the race turned out to be a mudder. The winner? Suzuki’s Larry “Big Bird” Ward. The 125 winner was also a surprise, as Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Ricky Carmichael, not a mudder at that point by any means, topped the Robbies—Reynard and Horton.
Tampa was on the schedule for one more year, and Honda’s Kevin Windham (250) and Yamaha of Troy’s Ernesto Fonseca (125) ended up winning. Then the Tampa race went on a 20-year hiatus.
Orlando also fell off the schedule for a few years, but then it returned in a big way in 2005 as Chad Reed, Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart put on an amazing three-way battle on March 19, 2005. It was Stewart’s second main event on the 250, having broken his arm in practice at the second round in Phoenix in what was to be his rookie season in the 250 class. He led in Orlando, but then crashed. Still, his pure speed signaled trouble for both Carmichael and Reed.
The following year Reed won again at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, over Carmichael and Nick Wey. The “Lites” class was won by Josh Grant on a Honda CRF250.
2007 Orlando was set to be Carmichael’s last-ever SX race, but more importantly it marked the arrival of his twins on the eve of the race in a Tallahassee hospital. Carmichael was there for the births, then grabbed a helicopter ride to Orlando just before practice. Two crazy things happened that night: First, on the opening lap of the 250SX main Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey got hit on the exit of a turn by a bike cartwheeling from across another line, ripping off his water-pump hoses and causing him to miss the restart. The race was won by #121 Branden Jesseman on the Motoworld Yamaha YZ250F. As for Carmichael, he went out like a lion, though James Stewart countered with one of the best races of his career and beat the GOAT in his farewell SX. And Orlando’s Citrus Bowl has not returned to the Monster Energy AMA Supercross schedule ever since.
In 2009 another Florida city made its debut on the schedule, and the 2009 Jacksonville race was the arguably the high crest of the James Stewart-Chad Reed rivalry as Reed grabbed Stewart’s neck as they sat atop a jump after the finish, and then they faced down one another on the podium.
The ’10 winner at Orlando was Ryan Villopoto, and then in 2011 Honda’s Trey Canard got his second-ever win in the premier 450 SX division at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. And that was the end of the three-year run there.
In 2018 supercross finally returned to Tampa as something of a home race for Feld Motor Sports, which is located in nearby Bradenton and purchased the series back in 2009 and what’s called Raymond James Stadium. Eli Tomac took the win aboard his Kawasaki KX450F while Austin Forkner topped the 250 class on his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki.
After skipping a year, SX returned to Tampa in ’20 with Eli Tomac again winning, only this time the 250 winner was Shane McElrath on a Star Racing Yamaha. Now, after being off the schedule for another couple years, the Tampa Supercross is back again, continuing Florida stadiums’ on-and-off tradition with Monster Energy AMA Supercross.