An FIM-Sanctioned Oceania supercross championship has been announced for November, with the second of the two rounds set for Auckland.
Founders of AUS-X Open Sydney have revealed the first step of an international expansion strategy that will see supercross descend upon Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday, November 24.
Branded the Monster Energy S-X Open Auckland and coming two weeks after the Sydney spectacle, the two events will form a brand new FIM-sanctioned Oceania supercross championship.
Former Kiwi MX2 motocross world champion and former East Coast Supercross Champion in the United States, Bay of Plenty’s Ben Townley, has already indicated he will come out of retirement to take on the world’s best Supercross riders, who will embark on Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium for the first-ever Monster Energy S-X Open Auckland on November 24.
Joining Townley on the first wave of rider announcements is current World No.5 and current three-time Australian Supercross Champion Justin Brayton, from the United States.
Brayton is pumped to be heading to Auckland and the current Australian Supercross Champion is heading to Mt Smart Stadium in top form after a career-best fifth place finish in the World Supercross Championship in 2018 which included his maiden AMA Main Event win in Atlanta.
“The Monster Energy S-X Open Auckland is going to be amazing!” said Brayton.
“New Zealand has had some incredible riders, in particular Ben Townley who used to ride over in the States with us and is a champion of the sport. I used to watch him all the time and try and replicate his amazing style on the bike, and I think the Kiwi fans should be proud to call him one of their own, he’s a global figure in Supercross and I respect him a lot on and off the track.
“I’ve never been to New Zealand before and its always been on my bucket list to visit so I’m super excited for it, the race is going to be incredible and yeah the Mt Smart Stadium look incredible, it’s going to be cool to haul a bunch of dirt onto the field and make a Supercross track in there and I hope to see you all there on November 24.”
Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) will be supporting the event as part of Auckland’s major events portfolio, which generates social and economic benefits for the region.
ATEED head of major events, Stuart Turner, said the S-X Open Auckland firmly puts the region on the map as a host city for a dynamic sport with large local and international broadcast and social media followings, at a time of year when there is plenty of accommodation capacity in the city.
“It is exciting for Auckland to add this fast-paced, action-packed new event to our 2018 calendar and we look forward to welcoming supercross fans from around New Zealand and top riders from around the world here to enjoy a great blend of high-energy motorsport and live entertainment along with everything else Auckland has to offer,” said Turner.
Global energy drink giant Monster Energy has also been confirmed as naming rights partner for the S-X Open Auckland event, which marketing director Oceania Tim Ryder explained was a natural move for the brand.
“Monster Energy has a long-standing association with supercross and motocross riders and teams worldwide, including some of the sport’s best in Ricky Carmichael, Ryan Villopoto and Justin Barcia, and to now be the title sponsor of the S-X Open Auckland is an exciting addition to our strong stable of event partnerships,” Ryder said.
“Securing the title partnerships of both the S-X Open Auckland and AUS-X Open Sydney is a natural move for us as we continue to expand our involvement in supercross across Oceania.”
The official rider line-up is yet to be announced by organisers, however event co-founder and director Adam Bailey is calling out all sports fans to come and be a part of motorsport history on November 24.
“This will be the biggest international action sports event to ever hit Auckland and we’re incredibly excited to be bringing our show across the ditch,” Bailey said. “We know how much Kiwis love their motorsport and there’s no more extreme version of motorsport than supercross in a world-class stadium, with the world’s best riders laying it all on the line.”
S-X Open Auckland will feature pyrotechnics, live music and first-class concert like entertainment values, just a short drive from Auckland’s CBD at the world-class Mt Smart Stadium. With a pit paddock area accessible on the outside of the stadium for all motorsport fans to get up close and personal with their favourite teams and riders. It promises to be an amazing spectacle for all ages to enjoy.
Event co-founder and director Ryan Sanderson is thrilled to be bringing the strongest international competition outside of the US to New Zealand and believes local riders will pack plenty of punch.
“New Zealand has some amazing riders and this will be their very best opportunity to show the world what they can do against the best from Australia and the rest of the world, all on home soil. We’re well underway with plans to not only secure an incredible line-up of riders, but have a whole host of announcements that will shock and amaze fans. There’s nowhere you’d rather be than in Auckland on November 24!”
Tickets will be available via Ticketmaster from August 16, but fans are able to sign up for the VIP Members Pre-sale, which begins on August 14 by clicking HERE to for the best chance at grabbing the ultimate seats before they’re available to the public.
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