News 20 Jun 2023

Breakdown of SMX payout and race formats uncovered

Information surfaces in the lead-up to September's inaugural 2023 finals.

Image: Octopi Media.

A detailed breakdown of the payout structure and race formats have been uncovered ahead of this September’s inaugural SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) events, which will see $5.5-million to be awarded through the innovative three-race Finals series, in addition to the $4.5-million earned throughout the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross and Pro Motocross championships.

New details have emerged regarding how the points fund will be distributed across the SMX races, where the 450 champion is guaranteed $1-million, while second place will earn $500K and third $250K.

Meanwhile, positions four through eight in the premier class still pay in the six figures, with ninth and 10th positions earning $90K and $75K. Riders placed 11th through to 22nd will earn between $50K and $25K.

The SMX champion of the 250 class will earn $500K, second place $250K, and third place $150K. Fourth place still awards in the six figures at $100K, while fifth pays $50K and sixth $25K. Seventh place earns $18K, then the points fund continues in thousand-dollar increments to 20th.

All three events will also have an individual race purse of $404,810. Earnings will be based on the finishing position within each event, as first place in the 450 class will collect $100K, second place $50K, third $25K, fourth $10K, fifth $5K, sixth $4K, seventh $3,900, then continues in thousand-dollar increments to 30th position and will include the LCQ competitors.

The winner of each 250 class round will be awarded $50K, second place $25K, third $12,500, fourth $5K, fifth $2,700, before continuing by varying amounts to 30th as well.

After the final round of the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship, a combination of Supercross and Pro Motocross points will be tallied to the top 30 riders, with the top 20 competitors automatically seeded into the three post-season races. Riders in positions 21-30, plus any Supercross main event winners or Pro Motocross moto winners will have the opportunity to race an LCQ for the final two gate positions at each race.

The seeding of the top 20 will be based on their SMX points rankings. After the seeding positions are determined, all points will be reset to zero. Each position will then receive a certain number of points based on their seeding position, using a 25-point system. The first place will start with 25 points, second with 22 points, third with 20 points, and so on, with single-digit increments up to the 20th position, with 21st and 22nd positions starting on zero points.

The SMX World Championship Finals will feature a two-moto format for both classes. Each moto will be 25 minutes plus one-lap and will be scored using the same Olympic-style scoring system used for Supercross Triple Crown events to determine the overall winner. SMX Championship points will then be awarded according to the finishing positions for each round.

SMX Playoff 1 will award single points for the top 21 positions (25-1), while Playoff 2 will pay out double points (50-2). The SMX Final will then pay triple points (75-3), setting the stage for a wide-open, three-race showdown guaranteed to provide championship drama all the way to the end.

The first of the 2023 SMX World Championship playoffs will take place on Saturday, 9 September, at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s zMAX Dragway, before continuing on 16 September at Chicagoland Speedway, followed by the finals on 23 September at the famed Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

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