Jenson Button disqualified from Ironman triathlon for speeding - MotorSportsTalk

It seems old habits have proved hard to kick for recent Formula 1 driver Jenson Button after the 2009 world champion was disqualified from the Ironman triathlon for going too quickly.

Button stepped back from his McLaren F1 seat at the end of 2016 and is not expected to return to the sport despite having an option on a contract with the British team for next year.

The Briton has been spending a lot of his free time in America, and recently entered the Ironman triathlon in California.

An accomplished triathlete, Button initially finished the race third overall, qualifying for the world championships in Tennessee later this year after the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile cycle and 13-mile run.

However, Button learned after crossing the finish line that he had been disqualified after failing to observe a slow zone during the cycle portion of the race, with riders required to reduce their speed on safety grounds.

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Well that was a pretty interesting 70.3 Ironman! Swim went well then I jumped on my awesome new bike to find that I hadn't charged the battery for the gears so I was stuck in the toughest gear with 900meters of climbing😬 ran a 1hr23min off the bike which I was pretty happy with, finished 3rd in age group so qualified for the World champs only to be disqualified for speeding in a go slow zone 🤦🏼‍♂️ Ah well onto the next one! Big thanks to @ceramicspeed @rudyproject @huubdesign @asics @sciconbags @ftechcycling @envecomposites #tririg and especially @iamspecialized_tri for my new shiv and this awesome video. @ironmantri #oceanside703 @team_ichiban

A post shared by Jenson Button (@jensonbutton) on Apr 3, 2017 at 4:26pm PDT

Button recently announced that he would be getting back into an F1 car later this year, taking part in a show-run for McLaren at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca behind the wheel of Emerson Fittipaldi’s M23 championship-winner.

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NBC Sports and Feld Motor Sports announced that Peacock and the NBC family of networks will stream all 31 races of the combined Monster Energy Supercross, Lucas Oil Pro Motocross and the newly created SuperMotocross World Championship beginning January 7, 2023 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California and ending October 14 in the place where Supercross was born: the Los Angeles Coliseum.

The combined series will create a 10-month calendar of events, making it one of the longest professional sports’ seasons in the United States.

The agreement is for multiple years. The season finale will air live on Peacock and the USA Network.

Peacock will present live coverage of all races, qualifying and heats across both series. The 31 total races will mark a record for the combined number of Supercross and Pro Motocross events that NBC Sports will present in a single season.

NBC, USA Network and CNBC will provide coverage of all races, including the SuperMotocross World Championship Playoffs and Final, through 2023 and beyond. For more information about the Peacock streaming service, click here.

“With our wide array of live and original motorsports offerings, Peacock is a natural home for Supercross and Pro Motocross races,” said Rick Cordella, Chief Commercial Officer, Peacock. “We’re looking forward to providing fans with an easily-accessible destination to find every race all season long, including the exciting finish with the newly formed SuperMotocross World Championship.”

MORE: A conversation about media rights created the new SuperMotocross World Championship Series

The NBC family of networks has been home to Supercross for the past several seasons and this is a continuation of that relationship. The media rights for both series expired at the end of 2022, which allowed Supercross and Motocross to combine their efforts.

In fact, it was that conversation that led to the formation of the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX).

The SMX series will begin on September 9, 2023 after the conclusion of the Pro Motocross season. Points will accumulate from both series to seed the SMX championship, which creates a record number of unified races.

“The SuperMotocross World Championship adds a new dimension to the annual Supercross and Pro Motocross seasons that will result in crowning the ultimate World Champion,” said Stephen C. Yaros, SVP Global Media and Supercross for Feld Motor Sports. “We are thrilled to be extending our relationship with NBC Sports so our fans can watch all the racing action streaming live on Peacock and the option to also watch select rounds on NBC, USA Network and CNBC.”

Complete 2023 coverage schedules for Supercross, Pro Motocross and the SuperMotocross World Championship on Peacock, NBC, USA Network and CNBC will be announced in the near future.

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