Image: Simon Cudby.

Following a captivating 2015 season in which Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey and Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin emerged as champions in the 450 and 250 Classes, MX Sports Pro Racing and NBC Sports have unveiled the 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship calendar.

The championship will once again consist of 12 rounds, composed of 24 motos that will take the star-studded field of international riders to 11 different states, including the highly anticipated return of the Southwick National in Southwick for the first time since the 2013 season.

“When we made the decision to leave Southwick at the conclusion of the 2013 season there was always a belief that we would return there in the near future,” said MX Sports Pro Racing president Davey Coombs.

“We are proud to say that the time has come to bring the championship back to ‘the sandbox,’ filling a void many fans and members of the industry have felt the last three years. We are excited to return to the passionate fans in New England and showcase one of the most beloved and unique venues of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship.”

The 2016 season will open with back-to-back rounds in California, once again kicking off with the iconic Hangtown Motocross Classic just outside the state capital of Sacramento on 21 May. The oldest round of the championship has served as the season opener for nine of the past 12 seasons.

From there, the series will travel south to the heart of the motocross racing community in Southern California with its annual visit to Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino on 28 May over Memorial Day Weekend.

The championship will make one more stop in the western portion of the country at Colorado’s picturesque Thunder Valley MX Park just outside Denver on 3 June, before heading east for the heart of the 2016 season.

Following the first off weekend of the summer, Mount Morris’s High Point Raceway (18 June) will start a six-week stretch that will take the world’s best riders to Muddy Creek Raceway in Tennessee (25 June), Michigan’s RedBud MX (2 July), the sands of Southwick MX Park (9 July), Spring Creek MX Park in Millville, Minnesota (16 July) and Washington’s Washougal MX Park (23 July).

Following a final two-week break in action, the stretch run of the 2016 season will span across three consecutive weekends, beginning at the hallowed grounds of Unadilla MX in New Berlin, New York, on 13 August.

Southern Maryland’s Budds Creek MX Park, in the shadow of the nation’s capital of Washington D.C., will host the penultimate round of the championship on 20 August before a pair of champions are crowned at Lucas Oil Pro Motocross’ newest venue of Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana, on 27 August.

2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship calendar:
Rd1 – 21 May – Hangtown Motocross Classic – Sacramento, California
Rd2 – 28 May – Glen Helen National – San Bernardino, Califronia
Rd3 – 4 June – Thunder Valley National – Lakewood, Colorado
Rd4 – 18 June – High Point National – Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania
Rd5 – 25 June – Tennessee National – Blountville, Tennessee
Rd6 – 2 July – RedBud National – Buchanan, Michigan
Rd7 – 9 July – Southwick National – Southwick, Massachusetts
Rd8 – 16 July – Spring Creek National – Millville, Minnesota
Rd9 – 23 July – Washougal National – Washougal, Washington
Rd10 – 13 August – Unadilla National – New Berlin, New York
Rd11 – 20 August – Budds Creek National – Mechanicsville, Maryland
Rd12 – 27 August – Ironman National – Crawfordsville, Indiana