SuperMotocross World Championship set to be held at L.A. Coliseum in 2023

Motocross and Supercross are combining for a world championship with a $10 million purse.

Feld Motor Sports and MX Sports Pro Racing announced on Tuesday the creation of the SuperMotocross World Championship for the 2023 professional racing season.

Motocross and supercross will continue to crown individual champions at the end of their respective series, but the top 22 riders in the 450cc and 250cc classes will qualify for the SuperMotocross World Championship. Points from the two series will be combined to make up the SuperMotocross playoff rounds and world championship round on Oct. 14, 2023, at the L.A. Coliseum.

The $10 million purse will be the richest in the sport’s history.

• Oscar Piastri said he won’t drive for Alpine next season, mere hours after the Formula One team promoted the Australian reserve driver to replace Fernando Alonso.

Alonso surprised the team Monday when he informed Alpine he’ll move to Aston Martin next year. Alpine needed just one day to announce it would promote its 21-year-old budding talent, Piastri, to race alongside Esteban Ocon in 2023.

But Piastri said that’s not happening.

“I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year,” he wrote on Twitter.

Alpine’s news release had not included any comments from Piastri. There has been speculation that the current F2 champion was working on a better deal with another team.

In Alpine’s announcement, team principal Otmar Szafnauer said Piastri is “a bright and rare talent” who is “more than capable of taking the step up to Formula 1.”

Aston Martin on Monday signed Alonso, 41, a two-time world champion, to replace Sebastian Vettel, who announced his retirement last week. Alonso’s contract with Alpine was ending this season.