Arenacross season is coming up in a little more than a month, promising close, hard fought racing on smaller arena tracks compared to Supercross. In recent years, Arenacross has become something of a feeder series for Supercross, so you might have a chance at seeing the SX stars of the future at every Arenacross race.

The schedule this year begins in January and completes in the middle of March, packing 20 races into 10 weeks. Races happen on both Friday and Saturday night, doubling the effort that racers have to put in, and making it easy for fans to have a lot of chances to catch the action.

Most of the venues are back East, with a few trips over the Mississippi to Texas and Colorado. The racing is fast and fast paced, making for a night of action packed entertainment for the whole family of motocross fans.

In 2013, there have been some major revisions to how the championship and the races will be conducted.

The main event for each class each night, which used to be a single 25 lap race, will now be split into two 12 lap main events. The first main event starting gate will be set by the qualifying process, and the second gate will be set by the results from the first main event. To throw a monkey wrench in the works, there will be a drawing before the second main event that will determine one of three possible changes to the gate of the second main event: one of three cards will be drawn to determine where zero, eight, or sixteen riders will invert their positions on the gate!

The points system has also been changed for 2013, with the winner of an event earning 16 points, and each finisher behind the winner earning 1 point less than the finisher in front of him, with 16^th place only earning one point. This will bring the competition much closer across the whole field.

Finally, the new Race to the Championship will come into play after the 6^th round of the season. At the 7^th round, the top 10 riders points will be reset, with the leader awarded six points, and reducing down to 1 point for 9^th and 10^th place. Riders outside of the top 10 will no longer be able to compete for the championship, but will still compete for purse money and season end bonuses. The riders in the top 10 will continue to earn points through the rest of the season, racing to become the 2013 Arenacross Championship.

The Motion Pro sponsored Babbitt’s Kawasaki Racing team has dominated the Arenacross championship for the last few years. Tyler Bowers has been champion for the last two years, and it will be very exciting to see if he will be able to make it three in a row in 2013. It’s not a lock though, as there have been many riders like Josh Demuth, Jeff Gibson, Chad Johnson, and others to keep him honest. The racing is close, and so are the points in most seasons, so you never know who is going to end up on top at each event or for the season. Make sure to get out to the races this year, it’s going to be a good one!