Tales from the first socially distanced, pits-closed, masks-required professional motocross series held in the middle of a global pandemic
WORDS: DAVEY COOMBS
PHOTOS: ALIGN MEDIA
Like a lot of things these days, it started with a Zoom call. A group of motorsports people all got on the same page to confront the question of how and when racing might return. It was late March, the global pandemic had set in, and the shutdown was on. Monster Energy AMA Supercross had been stopped in its tracks. The shutdown came so fast that the track already built inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis would become the best stadium motocross track ever made but never ridden. The FIM’s MXGP tour ground to a halt after just two rounds, the Big East college basketball tournament abandoned at halftime of the first game, the NBA, NHL, NASCAR, and every other form of sports known by their initials were at a full and sudden stop. Fortunately, the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship was still two full months away from beginning. This coronavirus thing is just gonna disappear, right?
We are deeply rooted in Moto—We’ve been here all our lives. Back in 1998 when we turned an underground newspaper into a shiny color magazine, it immediately changed the game with its unprecedented depth of coverage, sense of humor, and access to the sport’s biggest names. Today, our readers know they can go to Racer X Online for all the news, race results, and event coverage they need, and then enjoy even more detail and perspective in the pages of Racer X Illustrated. The mag offers a chance to learn something new on every page and stay connected with the people and personalities that shape our sport—the competitors out on the racetrack, as well as the ones behind the scenes—through our exclusive deep-dive stories and columns.
Our trademark has always been insider knowledge from the experts who are at the races and around the sport. We have long prided ourselves on our unparalleled race reporting and detailed storytelling. We go deep with the riders and teams to provide comprehensive coverage you won’t find anywhere else—all with first-class photography and design. It’s a full education in motocross past, present, and future.
Davey Coombs
Editor-in-chief & Founder
Racer X Illustrated
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