Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1539081
WIND IN THE P68 SMX has the youngest fanbase in all of motorsports. The majori- ty of our fans are Zillennials [Gen Z and Millennials]. Two other things that make SMX special are the two different disciplines within one sport, supercross and motocross, and ending the sea - son with a Playoff. The modern sports fan expects Playoffs, and the SMX World Championship delivers that. What does the future of Su - perMotocross look like? We're already three years into the ini- tial five-year deal with Peacock. Does it look like a steady future with them moving forward? The future of SMX is bright. We have sustained double-digit growth over these first three years of the championship in almost every category. We'll continue to work together as a league and industry to keep raising awareness and reaching more people. How has the Peacock deal impacted the sport from your perspective? Viewership, fan engagement, new fans, etc. Peacock has been huge for the sport. They are the best partners you could ask for. Having a consistent and quality platform for fans to consume the sport is huge. They love SMX and are continually impressed at the loyalty and devotion of our fanbase. They have continued to push and find ways to showcase the sport to their viewers as a whole, all in an effort to grow the audience. From someone who's on the inside, what's something you'd like to see the sport of Super - Motocross improve on? What's something the sport already does well? I think communication falls into both of those categories. I think we have communicated internally over the last four to five years really well. We are in constant communication with race teams and our partners. While I believe communication is at an all-time high, we can still improve on it. There are so many stakeholders in our sport, from OEMs, race teams, ath - letes, partners, promoters, etc. It's incredibly important for us to continue to improve communi - cation in order to all be pulling in the same direction for the same overall goal: to continue growing the sport of SMX. Any new venues on the schedule for the 2026 season? Yes, we'll have one new venue for Supercross and at least two new venues for the SMX Play - offs in 2026. What's the most exciting thing(s) we should look for in the 2025 SMX Playoffs? As I said before, the level of competition currently is incred- ible. I think the number one thing I'm excited for is to see whether Jett and Haiden can withstand the pressure and walk away a three-time World Champion or can someone pull it together and dethrone one or both of them. Monster Energy just signed on to be the title sponsor until 2030. Talk about how a deal like that helps the sport. Monster Energy signing on through 2030 is huge for the sport. We are approaching two decades with Monster as the title sponsor of Supercross and now the title sponsor of the SMX World Championship as a whole. They have been a fantastic partner for years and have SMX embedded in the DNA of their company. Having them on board over the entire season now, from January through September, just adds to the consistency of the SMX League. What are some challenges of your job as vice president that fans/viewers would be sur - prised to know? It's hard for me to point out something. There are challenges every day, but I see challenges as a positive. Any time you are doing something new and push - ing the limits, you're going to face challenges, both large and small. I get to do this job every day, and I love it. The sport of Supercross con - tinues to grow around the world. How does Feld Motor Sports continue to keep the SMX World Championship as the premier place for riders to be? We, as the SMX League, have an incredible team of hard- working, passionate people who are truly elite at what they do. The team never rests on past accomplishments, always striv- ing to find new ways to raise the level of everything we do and introduce the sport of SMX to more people around the world. I believe that as long as we con- tinue to work together with the OEMs, race teams and athletes, the sport will continue to grow. Ryan Nitzen