Matt Moss joins BUD Racing Kawasaki for WSX

Nine-time Australian champion Matt Moss has signed on to compete in the upcoming World Supercross Championship (WSX) series, completing a remarkable comeback story.

Joining the French BUD Racing Kawasaki outfit, 34-year-old Moss will compete in the inaugural season of the newly-formed championship that begins in Cardiff on October 8.

BUD Racing was born in 1995 and is based in the surf mecca city of Hossegor. The team has long been a staple of world and European championships and has kick-started the careers of many top French motocross riders.

Moss, meanwhile, is one of Australia’s most accomplished riders having won multiple national titles in both motocross and supercross, including back-to-back MX1 championships in 2013 and 2014. He also competed in AMA Supercross with impressive results.

But the Sydney rider had his 2015 season cut short when he collided with a bobcat at the MX Nationals round in Shepparton. Suffering extensive injuries, Moss returned to form in early 2016, but his career took another sharp turn that year when he and his brother Jake tested positive for performance enhancing drugs.

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Following the news, the Moss brothers disappeared from the MX Nationals paddock, with the ensuing investigation dragging out until late 2017. Both brothers were banned for four years (backdated to July 2016) and wouldn’t eligible to race again until July 2020.

Moss always maintained his innocence and was determined to return to racing, but by the time July 2020 rolled around, however, COVID-19 had taken its toll and he was sidelined for another year.

He finally returned to national-level racing in 2021, but his season was affected by injury. In June of this year, he returned to the podium for the first time in six years, finishing second at Maitland.

Now Moss will turn his attention to the world stage when he competes in the WSX series aboard a Kawasaki KX250 in the SX2 class.

The Aussie gun will be joined on the BUD Racing team by Chris Blose (USA), while Gregory Aranda (France) and Cedric Soubeyras (France) will represent the team in the WSX 450cc class.

Other Australian riders set to compete in the series include Luke Clout (CDR Yamaha), Aaron Tanti (CDR Yamaha), Chad Reed (MDK Motorsports), and Wilson Todd (Honda Genuine).

The first round of the series is scheduled for October 8 at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium in the UK, while the second round will be run at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on October 22. A third round is still up in the air, but will take place in Indonesia if it comes to fruition.

Australian promoter SX Global is behind the new WSX series which is taking inspiration from Formula 1 and MotoGP. The series will expand to a global 10-round championship in 2023.