For the first time in 16 years it seems Team USA will not compete in this year’s Monster Energy Motocross of Nations. The last time the American team didn’t contest the event was in 2004 at the Lierop circuit in Holland.   

Due to the AMA Nationals now running nearly every weekend until early October, and also travelling outside of America is difficult at the moment and probably will be for some time. Both those things make it tough for American based riders to be involved. MX Sports (the company that run the AMA Nationals) spokesman Davey Coombs mentioned in our interview yesterday of the difficulties for Team USA to be at Ernee in September, this year.

"If it is still scheduled for September 27 and 28, I am almost certain we will have a race that weekend. It isn’t just that, you have to remember coming back to America means quarantine, that is a concern as well and where we will be in this whole thing. I mean I understand everyone wants to have that event, but these guys race for championships and once a year they race for their country. It belongs at the end of the season.

And when we asked about a possible Team USA consisting of Grand Prix based riders, that was a clear no go from Coombs. When I asked if the team could be Thomas Covington, Mitchell Harrison and somebody else said we want to race for Team USA, could that happen?

“No way that will happen,” Coombs told. “The AMA will not allow that to happen and if we are not sending a team of just anyone, they need to be American based, or at least our three best American riders, we won’t just grab three guys to race and no offence to Thomas or Mitchell, but that isn’t representing American motocross or supercross and I don’t see that happening and I know the AMA have already had that conversation and they don’t want it.”

So, it seems nearly 100% or even 100% that Team USA won’t be at the Motocross of Nations in 2020 and that is a major pity for the event and its fans, but under the circumstances rather expected.

“You would have to ask Roger De Coster,” Coombs said. “He is the team manager. However, Roger will probably be at a National that weekend. It sucks, but we are running out of time in both America and Europe to maintain the integrity of our championships.”

So just as we had in 2001 (after 9/11), 2002 (when the event was cancelled in America and replaced in Spain with many riders not competing) and 2004, it seems we won’t be seeing the American based riders at the biggest race of the year. 

What is sure, they will return in 2021 and hopefully they can battle the best motocross riders in the World and reclaim what was once theirs, the Chamberlain Trophy.