The first two rounds of the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will be held with fans after the season was delayed because of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
In a release Wednesday night, MX Sports Pro Racing announced that the season-opening Circle K Ironman National in Crawfordsville, Indiana, on July 18 and the WW Ranch National in Jacksonville, Florida, on July 25 both would be permitted to have spectators.
According to the release, the two events “will be hosted in compliance with social distancing guidelines that have been established from ongoing communication between local officials.”
Though the series said it has confirmed its next nine tracks on its delayed 2020 schedule, the dates and fan policies have yet to be announced beyond the first two events.
See you in July, Fans 😎 #LetsTakeItOutside
— Pro Motocross (@ProMotocross) June 10, 2020
🗓 7/18 @IronmanRaceway // 7/25 @wwranchnational #ProMotocross #RealRacing #ThisIsMoto #Summer pic.twitter.com/8BhqcJLKEw
“While all of our championship venues have been permitted to reopen for recreational use, there are still varying state-by-state regulations that prevent many of them from allowing spectators at an organized sporting event,” MX Sports Pro Racing competition director Roy Janson said in a release. “As a result, the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship schedule will be rolled out in phases as additional venues are given the green light to welcome fans.”
Here’s the release from the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship:MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (June 10, 2020) – After considerable communication between race organizers, local government, and local health officials, MX Sports Pro Racing has confirmed that the opening two rounds of the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, will be permitted to allow spectator attendance. The season opening Circle K Ironman National will be held in Crawfordsville, Indiana’s Ironman Raceway on July 18, followed by the WW Ranch National from Jacksonville, Florida’s WW Motocross Park on July 25.
“While all of our championship venues have been permitted to reopen for recreational use, there are still varying state-by-state regulations that prevent many of them from allowing spectators at an organized sporting event,” said Roy Janson, MX Sports Pro Racing Competition Director. “As a result, the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship schedule will be rolled out in phases as additional venues are given the green light to welcome fans. Each event organizer is in constant contact with their local government and health officials in order to ensure that a fan-attended event adheres to all health and safety measures implemented by the county, and we’re confident that approach will allow us to have a proper championship calendar that allows for the return of spectators, and follows social distancing guidelines.”
In addition to receiving title sponsorship from Circle K, the opening round from Ironman Raceway will also feature live network television coverage on NBC, serving as the first of three events that will be aired on the flagship network in 2020, bringing Pro Motocross into millions of homes across the country.
Both the Ironman National and WW Ranch National, along with each remaining round on the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship schedule, will be hosted in compliance with social distancing guidelines that have been established from ongoing communication between local officials. A significant component of those guidelines will be eliminating spectator interaction from competitors and their teams, members of the media, as well as all event staff, meaning paddock access will be limited to credentialed personnel only.
Additional details surrounding the implementation of social distancing policies at the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will be announced at a later date.