MX Sports Pro Racing Appoints Long-Serving Industry Figurehead Roy Janson as Commissioner of Motocross

Newly Created Position Will Serve as a Conduit
for the Continued Progression of American Motocross

MORGANTOWN, WV – February 14, 2023 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – MX Sports Pro Racing, organizers and producers of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, announced today the appointment of long-time industry figurehead Roy Janson as Commissioner of Motocross. This newly created position will align within the overall structure of MX Sports Pro Racing and American motocross as a whole.

The Commissioner of Motocross will serve as an invaluable liaison between MX Sports Pro Racing and the various entities that constitute the overall structure of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, including AMA Pro Racing, the event organizers that comprise the championship calendar, and the community of commercial entities that participate in the series. The Commissioner will take on specific assignments working within the existing management structure of MX Sports Pro Racing, including planning and operational matters that range outside the issues of competition and race officiating. The role of Commissioner will also include supporting the efforts of existing MX Sports Pro Racing staff members and will allow the Commissioner to identify and support future staff members who will help shepherd American motocross into its next half century of competition. The AMA Pro Motocross Championship is recognized worldwide as the sport’s premier competition for professional motocross.

“The promotion to such a prestigious position as Commissioner of Motocross allows me the opportunity to complete my journey within this business in a wonderful role and at the same time allows me the opportunity to be part of this remarkable sport as it begins a new and exciting future with the creation of the SuperMotocross League,” explained Janson. “The new SuperMotocross World Championship and the cooperative structure that brings together the entities and resources of Feld Motor Sports and MX Sports Pro Racing will allow the sport to protect and promote the individual integrity of the disciplines of Supercross and Pro Motocross, while adding the people’s championship at the culmination of each season. Each year, the SuperMotocross World Championship will answer the question that all of us as fans ask ourselves each season–who is the best of the best? While I’ve been blessed to have enjoyed a lifetime career in the sport of motorcycle racing, I’m pleased to be here as our sport begins its next chapter and I’m a believer that our future has never been brighter.”

Janson’s significance within the sport was recognized in the early ’90s
with a “Hi Flyers” trading card.

Janson, who has worked as a director with MX Sports Pro Racing since its establishment in 2009, began his career in the sport and industry of motorcycling nearly 60 years ago as a young employee of a local motorcycle dealer in his hometown of Rochester, New York, and since 1964 has been involved as a lifetime motorcycle racer, event worker, and event organizer. While briefly holding an AMA Professional Motocross License in the early 1970’s, Janson has stated that he recognized early in his racing experience that if he were to enjoy a career in the sport it would likely need to be off the track rather than on it.

After serving in the United States Marine Corps following his graduation from high school, Janson returned to Rochester to pursue Bachelor and Master’s Degrees from the State University of New York at Geneseo and the University of Rochester, while continuing to work at local dealerships and competing in local motocross, enduro, and trials events. Upon graduation, Janson embarked on his lifelong commitment to the sport, which began in 1980 with his tenure as an employee of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), where he worked in a variety of positions, ultimately ascending to Director of Professional Racing.

Following his time with the AMA, Janson went on to work for PACE Entertainment in 1994, where he served as Vice President of Operations, overseeing the company’s vast array of motorsports properties, including Supercross. He continued with the company as it evolved through a series of ownership changes over the next two decades, which culminated as Live Nation Motorsports until its sale to Feld Entertainment / Feld Motor Sports. Janson then went on to work with the Daytona Motorsports Group following its acquisition of AMA Pro Racing and helped organize the transfer of AMA Pro Racing to its current structure, which segued to his current upper management position with MX Sports Pro Racing. The change in the management structure of the sport of professional motorcycle racing allowed Janson the opportunity to return to his roots with Pro Motocross, as one of the early group of employees who made up MX Sports Pro Racing. He has relished his role as Event Director for every event dating back to 2009, when MX Sports Pro Racing assumed its role as organizer of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship.

Janson served as team manager for the USA squad at the 1992 FIM Motocross of Nations, where the legendary “B Team” captured victory in Australia.
Photos: Racer X Archives

“Roy probably knows more about motocross than any of us. He has been a friend and mentor for countless people in motocross, going back to the 1980s when he first began working with the American Motorcyclists Association,” said Davey Coombs, President, MX Sports Pro Racing. “He has held numerous positions in the industry, everything from race official to series organizer to sponsorship coordinator. Roy was even Team USA Manager for two wins in the annual FIM Motocross of Nations (‘92-‘93). He’s also still the defending AMA National Enduro Champion in sidehack racing, a largely ceremonial honor dating back to the late 1960s, but that’s a story for another time.

“Whether it’s event production or television production, rulebook questions or safety issues, Roy has a comprehensive understanding of how it all works. He has been invaluable to AMA Pro Motocross, as well as Monster Energy Supercross, Loretta Lynn’s AMA Amateur National Championships, and the Motocross of Nations. There is no individual more suited to be named the first Commissioner of Motocross than Roy Janson.”

Tickets to each round of the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship can be purchased online by visiting www.ProMotocross.com. Ticket pricing options are unique for each event, with general admission, specialty seating, pit passes, and camping available. Availability will vary by venue.

Round 1: Fox Raceway National (May 27)
Round 2: Hangtown Motocross Classic (June 3)
Round 3: Thunder Valley National (June 10)
Round 4: High Point National (June 17)
Round 5: RedBud National (July 1)
Round 6: Southwick National (July 8)
Round 7: Spring Creek National (July 15)
Round 8: Washougal National (July 22)
Round 9: Unadilla National (August 12) 
Round 10: Budds Creek National (August 19)
Round 11: Ironman National (August 26)

For information about the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, please visit ProMotocross.com and be sure to follow all of the Pro Motocross social media channels for exclusive content and additional information on the latest news:

• Facebook: @americanmotocross
• Instagram: @promotocross
• Twitter: @ProMotocross
• YouTube: AmericanMotocross

Available for download for both Apple and Android devices is the official Pro Motocross App. Fans of American motocross can have access to the world’s most prestigious off-road motorcycle racing series right at their fingertips on their mobile devices. Developed by AMA Pro Racing, the Pro Motocross App provides users with the most important information surrounding the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, from series news to schedule and ticket information, as well as broadcast schedule details and live timing & scoring. Download it now via the App Store or Google Play.

AMA Pro Motocross Championship

The AMA Pro Motocross Championship features the world’s fastest outdoor motocross racers, competing aboard homologated bikes from one of seven competing manufacturers on a collection of the roughest, toughest tracks on the planet. Racing takes place each Saturday afternoon, with competition divided into two classes: one for 250cc machines, and one for 450cc machines. MX Sports Pro Racing, the industry leader in off-road powersports event production, manages the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, while sanctioning comes from AMA Pro Racing.

More information can be found at www.ProMotocross.com.

SuperMotocross World Championship

The SuperMotocross World Championship™ is the premier off-road motorcycle racing series that combines the technical precision of stadium racing with the all-out speed and endurance of outdoor racing. Created in 2022, the SuperMotocross World Championship combines the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the AMA Pro Motocross Championship into a 31-event series that culminates in a season-ending two round playoff and SuperMotocross World Championship Final.

Visit SuperMotocross.com for more information.

Source: MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.

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