The Motocross of Nations will return to the United States at RedBud in Buchanan, Mich. for the fifth time in its 75-year history for the 2022 edition. The event is typically held in late September.
The announcement was made during the event weekend for this year’s race, which was held at Mantova, Italy and won by the Italian team. In part because of travel restrictions due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, America did not field a team this year.
In the most recent Motocross of Nations prior to that, a Dutch team represented the host country of The Netherlands with a win at Assen in 2019. American riders will try to keep that streak alive.
This will be the second time RedBud hosts the event. In 2018, a French team led by Gautier Paulin and Dylan Ferrandis won the title for the fifth consecutive year.
“The coming year will be the perfect time to come back to normal and to come back to normal means to be able to have races and travel also outside Europe,” said FIM President Jorge Viegas in a release. “We really must keep the championships going and it was not easy in the last couple of years because of the restrictions. I want to thank Infront Moto Racing for the hard work and efforts to promote the FIM Motocross World Championship and the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations. We are very proud to go to RedBud in 2022.”
The US first hosted the event in 1987 at Unadilla with Americans Bob Hannah, Rick Johnson and Jeff Ward riding victoriously. At the time, America was in the midst of an incredible 13-race winning streak that began in 1981 and ended in 1993.
In 2007, the event moved to Budds Creek in Mechanicsville, Md. with Ricky Carmichael, Ryan Villopoto and Tim Ferry winning for America. In 2010, Ryan Dungey, Trey Canard and Andrew Short also won for the hosting Americans at Thunder Valley MX Park in Lakewood, Colo., which makes the 2018 race the first time America was beaten at home.
“We’re so excited to have the FIM Monster Energy Motocross of Nations return to RedBud,” said track organizer Amy Ritchie. “2018 was an amazing experience that people are still talking about. Beyond the staff and officials, the race teams and the multitude of fans in attendance, our whole community enjoyed the culture and people it brought from around the world. Even in extreme conditions, it was a very special event, and we can’t wait to do it again.”
Golden did more to break the glass ceiling in SuperMotocross than she ever thought possible. She knows this because riders have never felt the need to explain any of her accomplishments with the disclaimer, “for a girl”.
At this point in Golden’s career, she’s been the first woman to finish top 10 in AMA Arenacross Lites, the first woman to qualify in the Fast 40 in Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the first woman to compete in freestyle Moto X competition, earning a bronze medal by doing so.
Her love for moto came from childhood while she watched her dad and brother ride. By seven she was on her bike and making waves throughout Southern California.
Golden, 30, is still madly in love with the sport and has no plans on moving away but her career is already one to talk about. 805 Beer’s film series wanted to do exactly that.
“I’m taken aback by it all,” Golden told NBC Sports about the documentary. “It’s just crazy to see your story, it’s one thing to live your life and battle everything that comes about but it’s another to just sit there and talk about it.”
805 approached Golden about the feature by asking, “Do you even realize that what you do, and your story is special?”
Golden took the question as a blank canvas to map out the highs and lows of her career and life.
The title “Inverted Perspective” came from a brainstorming session with Dominick Russo and it highlights Golden’s outlook on the sport of SuperMotocross and her life in general.
“My whole life, my whole career was thinking differently and looking at things that shouldn’t be done and aren’t there, while being able to make a place for myself, where no one thought there should be a place,” Golden said. “It’s inspiring someone to think in different ways. It sums up my life.”
Vicki Golden is not “fast for a girl”; she’s just fast. – 805 Beer
While Golden is no stranger to the spotlight, this was the first time she’s been fully involved with the storytelling and creation of a feature about herself.
“It’s not like a full new experience,” Golden said. “Obviously, you get your standard questions about your upbringing and accomplishments, but I’ve never really put into perspective things that happened in my past with my dad and putting that to light. Also, certain other things that maybe got overlooked in previous interviews or films. I wanted to touch on these and Dom wanted to create a story. It’s just cool to see it come to light, it’s a nearly impossible thing to tell somebody’s life story in 40 minutes.”
Golden’s father was left paralyzed after an ATV accident, robbing him the opportunity to ride again. This happened a few months before the father-daughter duo was set to compete in the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Nationals when Vicki was 12. While she might have been unable to grasp the severity at the time, it’s something she carries with her. Golden continues to ride in his honor.
Years later, an accident in 2018 nearly sidelined the then 25-year-old Vicki when a freestyle accident almost resulted in the amputation of her lower leg.
Vicki Golden has ridden a variety of disciplines in SuperMotocross, which gives her a unique perspective. – 805 Beer
“Inverted Perspective” highlights her father’s diligence in helping Vicki continue with her career and the kindness and strength he carried while fighting his own battle.
“My dad was the entire reason that I started riding in the first place,” Golden said. “So, to honor his memory and to honor what we went through and how hard he pushed to keep our dream alive and keep everything going – in that sense then, it was really special to be able to honor him and talk about him.”
The 40-minute feature was filmed entirely in black and white, a stark contrast from the oversaturated world of motocross where the brighter the suit the easier it is for fans to find their rider and follow him in the race. By filming in monochrome Russo and Golden had the chance to focus on the race and track from a different perspective.
“It was cool to be able to film it differently,” Golden said. “It created a challenge in the sense of what was going to be more visually impactful for the film.
“I couldn’t be here without the companies that back me but at the same time, it’s not like the logos or colors disappeared, it’s just different lights shed on different spots. It’s just a cool way to do it and to take color away and still be impactful. When you think of black and white, you think of old school, the OG way of doing things.”
