The first AMSOIL Arenacross triple-header will take place at Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Starting in January, Feld Motor Sports’ 2016 AMSOIL Arenacross tour will hit nine new cities and be shortened from 15 weekends to 14.
The 2016 season will kick off from Cincinnati's US Bank Arena on Jan. 9, with the championship held at Las Vegas’ Orleans Arena for the first time on May 6.
“Orleans Arena has been doing business with Feld for 13 years,” said Darren Davis, the venue’s executive director. “Our infrastructure lends itself well to this event, with 5,700 seats, a large arena floor and a pit in the back that allows easy load in and move out.”
Arenacross is the precursor to the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme ) World Championship that will be held at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.
The Arenacross finish line at Broadmoor World Arena.
Feld expects an increase in ticket prices and growing attendance to compensate for the lost revenue of the shorter tour. Last year’s Arenacross saw some of the highest attendance numbers ever recorded for the sport.
“Last season, we saw increased attendance in all of our events,” said Mike Muye, director of operations for Feld Motor Sports’ Arenacross. “In the past, we positioned this as strictly a family event, but now we’re looking at the 18- to 34-year-old demographic.”
Feld is currently evaluating the property’s marketing, branding and live-event production, the latter of which may include the addition of DJs, lights, lasers and pyrotechnics. Details are expected to be released in October or November.
“We tried too many things last year to see what would take hold in terms of positioning our property in the industry,” said Muye. “Some paid off, some didn’t, so now we’re looking at what worked, new tactics and how to better position and rebrand Arenacross for the demographic we’re shooting for. We’re also looking at Ticketmaster feedback.”
Feld is looking to lock up multiyear deals that will allow for set schedules farther in advance. The company is looking to work with markets that have responded best to the sport, which consists of dirt-track motorcycle racing on compact arena-sized courses.
“Right now, we’re looking to lock up at least one year and as much as five or six years in advance to grow this into an 18- to 25-week series,” said Muye. “This is due to attracting a different demographic, enhancing the live-event experience for more return customers and staying in the same markets longer.”
The first AMSOIL Arenacross triple-header will take place at Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo.
“Arenacross was a new event for us last year, and we had a great turnout, so we’ll be adding an additional show,” said Dot Lischick, general manager of The Broadmoor. “Like any new event, you learn things moving forward, and we’ll definitely be covering up more parts of the arena this time around to protect it from the dirt.”
The Broadmoor’s marketing strategy will include posting past Arenacross videos on social media, which was effective this past season.
The tour will land in Southern California, a hotbed for motocross and Arenacross, for the first time next season. This includes an inaugural visit to Citizen's Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif.
“We’re very excited to have Arenacross, as we’ve had great success with Feld’s Nuclear Cowboyz event,” said Steve Eckerson, the arena’s general manager. “We have all types of motorcycle riders participating from this part of California, and that’s why we believe it will be a big success.”
The Tacoma (Wash.) Dome hosted Arenacross in 2015, the first time since 2001.
“We have an ideal setup for this event,” said Tom Alexander, Tacoma Dome booking manager. “Our numbers were down about two percent this year compared to 2001, which is insignificant, and we attribute this to the reintroduction of the brand in our market.”
Interviewed for this article: Tom Alexander, (253) 593-7627; Darren Davis, (702) 365-7469; Steve Eckerson, (909) 244-5530; Dot Lischick, (719) 477-2101; Mike Muye, (703) 448-3689
2016 AMSOIL ARENACROSS SCHEDULE
Jan. 9-10 US Bank Arena, Cincinnati
Jan. 15-17 Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore
Jan. 22-24 PPL Center, Allentown, Pa.
Jan. 30-31 Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum
Feb. 4-7 Broadmoor World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Feb. 13-14 CenturyLink Center, Omaha, Neb.
Feb. 20-21 Amalie Arena, Tampa
Feb. 27-28 BJCC Complex, Birmingham, Ala.
Mar. 12-13 Cajun Dome, Lafayette, La.
Apr. 2-3 Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, Calif.
Apr. 9-10 Salinas (Calif.) Sports Complex
Apr. 16-17 Tacoma (Wash.) Dome
Apr. 22-24 Ford Idaho Center, Nampa
May 6-8 Orleans Arena, Las Vegas