Motocross U.S. GP Officially Canceled

Cycle News Staff | March 2, 2009

FIM Motocross World Championship promoters Youthstream has finally announced the cancellation of the 2009 U.S. Grand Prix, almost two months after Grand Prix teams were informed of the action to reduce the calendar to 15 rounds from the original 17.The first American-based GP of the century was slated to host the last race of the ’09 series but, as exclusively revealed by Cycle News last month, Youthstream was forced to annul the meeting after failing to confirm a venue or find sufficient support because of the recession.The event will not be substituted for another European race as the Motocross Strategic Committee (comprising representatives from all the major manufacturers, Youthstream and the FIM) met last week in Geneva and thrashed out guidelines to help the World Championship get through the current economic mire, one of which included the preservation of the series as a 15 round contest both in 2009 and 2010.Disappointingly for U.S. Grand Prix fans, a World Championship visit in 2010 also looks unlikely with Youthstream instead hoping to bring its flagship spectacle – the Motocross of Nations, with more than 200,000 spectators combined in the last four editions – to America for the second time in four years and believed to be heading in the direction of Colorado. The 2010 FIM competition will be the 53rd edition and is almost certainly to feature just one non-European foray.