Image: Supplied.

SX Global has extended its agreement with the FIM to host the World Supercross Championship (WSX) until the 2033 season, signalling a 10-year commitment despite ongoing uncertainty surrounding the series.

It was originally announced in 2021 that SX Global had secured the rights for the next decade at that point, primarily led by Australian group Tony Cochran, Adam Bailey and Ryan Sanderson with instrumental funding from Mubadala Capital, and going on to host a total of five races between 2022-2023.

All three identities have since departed the business – Bailey’s actual departure as CEO still understood to be pending – and now SX Global has moved to confirm that the series will race-on in 2024 with full support of the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) as a world championship, and with an additional decade optional. This follows SX Global’s takeover by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Juan Sartori late last year, however, it’s expected the company headquarters will remain in Australia.

It’s not been conveyed who will lead the company into the new season, with SX Global chief operating officer (COO) Stephen Rogers appearing to be the last of the original key decision makers in the building. Now solely under the ownership of sports investors Louis-Dreyfus and Sartori, multiple former Thrill One Sports & Entertainment – the parent company of Nitro Circus – executives have been linked to SX Global, including Sydney-based former Nitro Circus president and CEO Andy Edwards.

“I would like to pass on my sincere gratitude to the FIM, particularly president Jorge Viegas and the FIM board, for entrusting us with the next 10 years of the FIM World Supercross Championship,” stated SX Global co-owner Louis-Dreyfus. “We look forward to continuing to expand and promote the FIM WSX, as we seek innovative and exciting ways to bring the sport to the loyal existing fanbase, while welcoming new audiences from across the globe.”

Beyond the lack of a 2024 calendar and with increasing speculation suggesting that there has been a degree of uproar amid ongoing renegotiations between SX Global and the 10 licensed teams in the background, it’s been indicated that plans for this year’s series will be announced ‘in the coming weeks’. Two-time WSX champion Ken Roczen is planning on defending his 450 class title as part of an existing three-year contract that spans through 2025.

“The FIM believes that SX Global has the expertise and know-how to deliver a first-class World Supercross Championship long into the future,” FIM president Jorge Viegas stated. “Their vision is highly impressive, and the long-term success of this series is in safe hands.”

Meanwhile, in response to the previous WSX social media accounts being rebranded back to ‘S-X Open Supercross’ upon Bailey’s decision to exit with over 350 thousand followers collectively, new Facebook and Instagram accounts were quietly launched as part of today’s FIM announcement.