Fresh EnduroCross Series Drops the Gate in Prescott Valley
Devon Henry
If the American Motorcycle Association’s Endurocross series had a relationship status with the 2019 offseason, they would select ‘it’s complicated.’
On May 23, only months before the beginning of the 2019 Endurocross season, it simply ended. New promoter and operator, WHR Motorsports, informed the AMA that the eight-round indoor extreme off-road racing series was canceled until further notice due to lack of funds. It was an unexpected hiatus for the first time since EnduroCross was brought over to the states in 2004.
Less than a month after the demise of the series, the man who gave birth to the original EnduroCross race, Eric Peronnard, announced he was joining forces with Kicker ArenaCross promoter, Tod Hammock, reviving the off-road indoor challenge. The duo officially obtained the rights to EnduroCross and received AMA sanctioning to start the series back up. They decided the circuit would consist of three rounds, kicking off on Aug. 24 in Prescott, Arizona.
2019 marks the second straight year EnduroCross revs up their season opener at the Findlay Toyota Center and all the stars have aligned. Primary manufactures, KTM, Husqvarna, Beta, Sherco and GasGas have committed to having their top riders compete. Five-time champion Taddy Blazusiak, EnduroCross and SuperEnduro Champion Colton Haaker, and Arizona enduro star, Max Gerston are all confirmed to participate on Saturday night.
“After a great 2018 with most of the venues sold out or nearly sold out, I am excited about the potential growth Tod and I can bring to the sport,” Peronnard said in a release. “The interest in extreme racing events is growing both in the US and abroad and the indoor format of EnduroX makes it more accessible to fans so we believe there is room for growth.”
Combining the extremes of outdoor elements within an indoor arena, EnduroCross has evolved into one of the most intense forms of motorcycle racing in the world with American holding one of the most competitive.
With the stars out to shine, the series also announced they want the local racing community to join in as well. The series formed a rent-a-bike allowing riders to rent a ready to race motorcycle to whip around the track. EnduroCross will also introduce support classes for Women, Vet 35+, Expert, and an Intermediate/Amateur group.
With only three events in the points championship, getting ahead of the pack early by winning at Prescott Valley could give dividends in claiming the shortened championship. The pro series will run a three-moto format, meaning the series’ best will duke it out three different times accumulating points in front of the cheering fans.
The series will close out 2019 in Denver on Oct. 19 and Boise, ID on Oct. 26 with a desire to expand the schedule to what it once was, bring the series back to prominence.
Gates open for the fans at 6:00 pm with a pit party and autograph session. The first main events of a fresh EnduroCross series begins at 7:30 pm.
Arizona native, Devon Henry, joined the Sports360AZ crew in 2018 after graduating from Arizona State's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication. Devon has avidly partaken in coverage of the Arizona high school sports scene since 2013 and has covered NASCAR and INDYCAR at Phoenix Raceway since 2017. Devon is also a play-by-play announcer, calling over a dozen different sports and hundreds of events.
