When the 2026 Arenacross Tour drops its first gate, it will do so on hallowed ground for British motocross fans. The NEC complex on the outskirts of Birmingham is the spiritual home of UK indoor Supercross, and on 31 January 2026, Arenacross returns to that very site — this time inside the bp pulse LIVE Arena — to launch a new chapter in a story that began more than three decades ago.
It was here, in Hall 5 at the NEC in December 1989, that the UK staged its first true major indoor Supercross event. After several earlier attempts in open-air parks and stadia, the audaciously titled NEC World Supercross Masters finally delivered the real thing, attracting bona-fide American legends, Grand Prix stars and leading British riders to compete for a substantial prize pot. The ambition of the event captured the imagination of fans and the industry alike, even if the opening night was not without drama.
Held as an early Christmas treat for British fans on 14 and 15 December, the first night famously unravelled when temporary seating began to collapse during qualifying. The crowd were urged to clear the stands and racing was abandoned due to safety concerns. Among those entered to race that night was Arenacross founder Matt Bates, giving him a unique personal link to the moment British indoor Supercross was born. Bates also recalls an extraordinary family connection to the incident: “Bizarrely, it was actually my Godfather who was in charge of that seating! My father’s best mate was chairman of a company called Arena Seating. They got better since then!” Thankfully, the scheduled racing was able to go ahead as planned.
Top of the bill was the undoubted megastar of American motocross and Supercross, Ricky Johnson. Although hampered by a wrist injury that would later curtail his career, the 25-year-old Californian “Bad Boy” was already a global icon, with seven AMA titles to his name including the 1986 and 1988 Supercross Championships. Asked to address the crowd during the disruption, Johnson later admitted: “I had heard all about crazy English soccer fans in the 1980s, so I was a bit scared to ask them all to move in case they came and beat the crap outta me!” As ever, his natural showmanship quickly won the NEC crowd over.
Johnson was joined by an extraordinary cast including Broc Glover, Johnny O’Mara, Todd DeHoop and Jim “Hollywood” Holley, while GP stars such as Jeff Leisk, Davy Strijbos, Jorgen Nilsson and Mike Frisk added international credibility. British riders seized their opportunity too, with a young local privateer from Worcester, Warren Edwards, stealing the spotlight by leading the Main Event ahead of the sport’s biggest names. “Johnny was holding Ricky up, and I was looking back and thinking, I’m actually getting a gap out here, this is strange!” Edwards recalled. When O’Mara crashed out, the pressure mounted: “I heard the crowd make a big roar, and after a couple of bends I looked behind me and saw that Johnny had gone down and then I was like, ‘oh man, this is game over now, he’s just gonna hunt me down!’ I think it was naivety but I didn’t get nervous, it was early in my career, I didn’t feel any pressure or expectation, rode as fast as I could and I just loved it!”
Johnson ultimately prevailed, drawing on years of Supercross experience and racing with respect for both his opponent and the crowd. “I had slammed into Jacky Vimond [the first ever French World Motocross Champion] in a Supercross in Paris a few years before. I didn’t know who he was at the time, and soon learned that the crowd whistling at me wasn’t a good thing! So, I knew that I had to race this guy clean, but I enjoyed it because it was no ‘gimme’, I had to work my butt off to race against Warren.” After the chequered flag, Johnson applauded Edwards and took a lap of honour, sealing a night that many regard as the birth of true indoor Supercross in the UK.
Although it would be three years before another similar event ran, the seed had been planted. When Bates began promoting indoor racing in the early 2000s, the NEC was always high on his list of venues. More than 35 years after racing there himself, he’s once again bringing Arenacross back to where it all began.
On 31 January, the tradition continues as Arenacross opens its 2026 tour at the bp pulse LIVE Arena on the NEC complex, blending the heritage of British Supercross with the modern intensity, production and racing that define the championship today. For those who were there in 1989, the memories will come flooding back. For today’s fans, it’s a chance to witness the next evolution of a sport that found its UK home on this very site.
About Arenacross
Arenacross is the UK’s premier indoor motocross championship, combining bar-to-bar racing on tight, technical tracks with freestyle motocross, lighting, music and live entertainment. Featuring elite international riders alongside the best British talent, Arenacross delivers high-intensity action in major arenas across the UK. Tickets for the 2026 Arenacross Tour, including the season opener at Birmingham’s bp pulse LIVE Arena on the NEC complex on 31 January, are on sale now at axworldtour.com.
Photos by Jack Burnicle
