Reardon: New supercross championship can open doors
AUSTRALIAN supercross legend Dan Reardon says the newly created FIM Supercross World Championship will deliver unprecedented opportunities to the country’s plethora of talent.
Gold Coast’s Tony Cochrane, the president of a business run by the creators of AUS-X Open Supercross, Adam Bailey and Ryan Sanderson, is the manager and promoter of the new championship that will begin in late 2022.
Miami-based Reardon won multiple national supercross titles and became a household name across the globe on the back of top 10 finishes in the AMA Supercross Championship, the US-based series that has been the sport’s mecca for three decades.
The 35-year-old said the creation of the truly global series would create more pathways for
Gold Coast and Australian riders who want to reach the pinnacle of supercross.
“It is awesome for the sport,” Reardon said.
“America has held the biggest championship and any aspiring athlete, including me when I did it, from Australia has to work extremely hard to sign with a team and be part of that series in the US.
“If you wanted to be the best you had to go over there to do it.
“This will 100 per cent help our riders.
“It isn’t an easy process to go to America and compete at the professional level. It is out of the question for a lot of people. By bringing an event here to Australa it gives riders an opportunity to compete on the world stage and that brings benefits.”
Even after building one of the most impressive resumes in supercross across the world, Reardon still had to fight tooth and nail to earn a contract with a team to compete in the US.
There will be a single round of the championship in Australia and with the event expected to attract around 45,000 spectators, it is unlikely Gold Coast could play host.
But Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate said council was willing to work with the team behind FIM Supercross World Championship to see if there was scope to play a role in its delivery.