Image: Octopi Media.

Four teams have formally been announced for the FIM World Supercross Championship, set to make up 40 percent of the 10-team fields when the 2022 season opens in late September.

As expected, SX Global has confirmed that MotoConcepts Honda and Pipes Motorsports Group – the HEP Suzuki team – will enter out of the US, while French teams Bud Racing Kawasaki and GSM Yamaha have also successfully applied.

The independent, exclusive team ownership model is new to the sport of supercross, with $50-million allocated specifically for team and rider support over the series’ first five years. According to organisers, in excess of 40 teams applied to form part of the new championship.

“All four of these teams bring a level of experience, credibility, and operational and competitive excellence – necessary to delivering the highest levels of competition to fans around the world – and we could not be more excited to award them licenses,” said Adam Bailey, managing director – motorsport of SX Global.

“As we embark on our inaugural pilot season, it’s critical that each of our teams bring a spirit of collaboration in the broader effort to drive our sport forward and expand its relevance across the globe, and that’s exactly the case for each of these teams and owners.”

President of SX Global, Tony Cochrane, added: “In order for any sport or any business to grow successfully, financial structures have to establish wider-ranging revenue potential and overall returns for owners and investors.

“It’s a model that has proven successful for decades at the highest levels of professional sports and, yet it has not existed in supercross, and we are changing that. For the first time, supercross team owners have a true investment platform, with the ability to increase the financial value and equity of their teams over time.”

It remains unclear what riders the confirmed teams will field – due to enter two 450s and a pair of 250s each – and additional team announcements have been promised ‘over the coming weeks’. Australian factory teams, CDR Yamaha and Konsky Motorsport Honda, have both also been linked to the series.

There were initially understood to be five rounds targeted for the pilot season in 2022, however, that has now been reduced to four, with the schedule yet to be announced publicly. From 2023, the series is aiming to expand annually between June and November with up to 12 events.