The Champ series brought high-end television and live production, a well-tested marketing plan, great series partners, and the desire to change a broken system while being mindful of the sport’s rich history.
With its first season in the midst of a pandemic, Champ Off-Road brought the sport of off-road back from the brink of collapse. The series developed a new baseline for the sport, focusing on new classes that would give opportunities to up-and-coming drivers and allow for advancement into the upper pro ranks. Youth SxS, Pro-AM SxS, and the rapidly expanding Pro Spec truck class added excitement for manufactures, racers, and fans alike. Now with over 250 racers each weekend, adding in new stops on the schedule in Antigo and Lena, Wis. coupled with larger historic tracks like Bark River, Mic. and ERX, Champ found success.
“Four years ago, we were asked to take over the reins of off-road, short-course racing after everyone else walked away,” said Carl Schubitzke, President of Championship Off-Road and its parent company, the International Series of Champions (ISOC). “We brought a proven formula from nearly two decades of success in Snocross and built a product we are proud of and can stand the test of time. We owe it to all of our supporters, partners, and the sport itself to stay true to our initial goals of producing world-class racing with great exposure for decades to come.”
AMSOIL Championship Off-Road will return to a full schedule in the summer of 2024, with plans to expand its reach to new venues while honoring its commitment to racers and fans. The series plans on hosting a six-weekend schedule next year, including two stops in Lena, Wis., and one round in Antigo, Wis. ERX Motor Park in Elk River, Minn., Bark River International Raceway in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and finishing in Deadwood, S.D. in October.
“Our dates might be shifting around, but we have some unbelievable track partners that share our vision,” said Schubitzke. “One of those partnerships includes our relationship with the Deadwood community through our successful years of racing Snocross in South Dakota. Running two series during a pandemic has taught us how to adapt to trying circumstances, overcome, and focus on new opportunities that bring success for all of us.”
Opening the season in Lena, 30 miles from Green Bay in May will give racers a new month and location to kick off their season. The Dirt City track is known to be a little more technical and tighter than most tracks providing a challenge to all the racers right from the start. Close enough to a major metropolitan area as well as having the most loyal local fans in the area, this one will bring racers and fans out in droves.
Going into its fourth consecutive season, the Antigo event has seen growth each year. The city of Antigo welcomes the industry with open arms and has packed the stand the past few years. Racing does not get much better with spectators able to see the wheel-to-wheel racing around the entire track.
Quickly becoming the “Bristol” of Off-Road Racing, racers will have to compete with a tight technical track as the Championship race heats up for the season. Lena roles out the red carpet for this event with a downtown autograph session and parade that race fans and locals make a yearly tradition.
The only track in the series that boasts a one-mile purpose-built off-road track with plenty of elevation change, jumps, split lane, and overall, a great racing surface for wheel to wheel off road racing. Located in Elk River Minnesota, not far from St Paul/Minneapolis, this track has become a racer and fan favorite.
The largest track in the series allow fans to witness Off Road vehicles at their best launching over hills, sweeping turns, moguls, and very high-speed sections. This track boast one of the longest running off road races with over 40 years of history. Located in the upper peninsula of Michigan, Bark River International Race way is owned and operated by the Bark River Lions Club with much of the proceeds going to local and regional community projects.
A new Market, new venue, and new spectators, this new facility will produce the largest payout for PRO Racers.
About ISOC: AMSOIL Championship Off-Road and AMSOIL Championship Snocross are owned and operated by the International Series of Champions (ISOC) out of Albertville, Minn. The 2024 Champ Off Road season will air on Fox Sports and live-streamed on floracing.com. For more information on its events and schedules, visit www.champoffroad.com or www.snocross.com.
