Is 31 Races Too Much?

After Saturday’s SuperMotocross World Championship Playoff 1 from Charlotte, the 450SMX podium finishers were asked during the post-race press conference: Is the 31-round SMX racing series too much?

For the 450SMX riders, the season kicks off in early January with seventeen Monster Energy AMA Supercross races, and it concludes in early May with just one weekend off. Following their second one-weekend off-break straight from Supercross, riders transition into the eleven rounds of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, which runs from late May to late August and includes two weekends off. With the addition of the SMX Playoffs, riders now face three extra Playoff races over three of the four weekends in September, leaving one weekend off before the three straight SMX rounds. This adds up to a total of five weekends off throughout the 31-race SMX series.

Yes, Mx Sports and Feld Entertainment cut one National from the Pro Motocross series and added that to the SMX Playoffs. So, in reality, these racers are racing just one more round than they would before this new championship, which was its inaugural year last season.

These riders work just as hard throughout the week, if not harder, than the actual racing on Saturdays, training and riding two to three times. That's a lot of time on the seat for potential injuries. So think about having to do a full season of Saturday racing, the travel from Thursday/Friday arrival to Sunday departing at each round, then back on the bike for the week's testing and training. It is a lot. Yes, this is their job, but I believe cutting back some races could benefit and potentially give us better racing by allowing the riders to have more breaks and, in some cases, more time to heal. Just my two cents.

Here are the thoughts from the 450SMX podium riders thoughts on the long racing schedule:

Eli Tomac: "I mean, at this point, it's like you just have so many [races] and, I've had the last two summers off, unfortunately, so I don't know. Either way, it's a long season but maybe there's not much difference between 29 and in whatever 32 races. What's nice though is we get that pay at the end, get something for it. I think it’s a lot, and I’m sure it takes a toll on everyone. I mean, I’m not out there doing every single round, so I can't say too much. But yeah, it’s a lot of racing, and I think everyone would appreciate a bit of a break or fewer races.”

Jett Lawrence: "I think the 31 rounds is kind of stupid. It's nice, obviously, when you have an injury and can come back, but I think if you look at any other top sport, they're not doing this many races. I think the only reason we all come back is obviously that paycheck at the end of the day for the bonus. I hope in the future we have less because it makes it more rare; you don't see F1 or MotoGP doing 36 rounds. Hopefully, we can have fewer rounds, so it makes it more of a special occasion. For someone like Chase, who’s done every single round, it's really tough. He’s obviously pushing through it, but it’s a lot of races and a lot of wear and tear on the body. I think if we had fewer rounds, it would help with safety and overall performance and hopefully keep riders like Chase healthier throughout the season."

Chase Sexton: "From a rider's perspective, 31 races in a year feels like too many. It’s a long, grueling season, and it really wears you down. The economics behind it with the big TV money are clear, but it would be great if we could find a balance. Maybe having a few drop rounds or reducing the number of races could help. It would make the season more manageable and keep the excitement level high throughout. They took one motocross round away just to add three more SMX, and it's a lot. There were only a few guys that raced every race this year, which is crazy for how many guys show up every weekend. Hopefully, MX Sports and Feld see that and change something. It's a lot of wear and tear, and the off-season is short, so hopefully, they cut down the rounds to make it more exciting and less grueling."

What are your thoughts?