With heavy hearts, MX Sports Pro Racing and Moto-X 338 in Southwick, Mass., have announced that this season’s Moto-X 338 National on Saturday, June 29, will be the final round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, to be hosted at the legendary sand track.
Moto-X 338 President Diane Peebles Pittello will step down as promoter of the fourth longest running round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship and officially retire after 35 memorable years as an integral part of one of the most storied venues in motocross.
“Unfortunately, we were unable to reach terms with the landowner to maintain the event at the facility,” said Peebles-Pittello. “The support we’ve received from MX Sports Pro Racing has allowed us to bring the New England area the best-of-the-best to the ‘Sandbox,’ with the finest motocross athletes on the planet considering this a destination event for many years.”
This season will mark the 35th year that the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will visit Southwick in its road to crowning a pair of champions in the 450 Class and 250 Class.
During its illustrious tenure as a fixture on the championship schedule, Moto-X 338 has been the site of many of the sport’s most memorable moments while also producing two of the sport’s greatest heroes in John Dowd and Doug Henry who each called New England home.
Since hosting its first Lucas Oil Pro Motocross National in 1976, a total of 38 different riders have stood atop the podium in the 450 Class, 250 Class, or 500cc division. Additionally, within those winners five different countries are represented, making Moto-X 338 a globally diverse venue that has challenged riders from all over the world.
“There are very few tracks in the world with a legacy that can even come close to that of Southwick,” said MX Sports Pro Racing President Davey Coombs.
“The greatest names in the history of the sport have all raced at Southwick, but not all of them have found a way to win there. That’s a testament to the one-of-a-kind nature of the track that not only made it the premier sand track in the US, but also one of the most demanding circuits of all time.
“The sport of professional motocross traces its roots back to Southwick and other venues throughout New England,” Coombs continued. “The legacy established in New England over the past four decades is tied to the dedicated efforts of Diane and Ralph, and by Ray Peebles and Bernie Yellin. It has been important to the growth of our sport and we will continue to explore opportunities to maintain this legacy moving forward and ensure there is professional motocross in New England.”
“MX Sports Pro Racing has helped bring the sport of motocross to a premier level and we look forward to its return to New England where so many diehard fans look forward to enjoying the world’s fastest riders every summer,” concluded Peebles-Pittello. “We want to thank all the fans, riders, event sponsors and supporters, the town of Southwick, the local business, and everyone else who has been a part of the success of this event for their support of over the four decades Moto-X 338 has been around.”
The final Moto-X 338 National, the sixth round of the 2013 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, will commence on Saturday, June 29. Tickets to the race are available at AlliSports.com and Motocross338.org.
