Detroit
Ford Field
The Motor City is #2 for most races held in Supercross history and has a rich legacy in the sport going back to 1976 when Supercross first visited the Pontiac Silverdome. After nearly three decades, the race moved to Detroit’s Ford Field in 2006 (28 miles SE).
Fast Facts
Held over two evenings in late March, the 1976 Pontiac Silverdome hosted the fourth round of the Supercross Championship, which had been expanded to include five rounds.
The four moto format was unique even during a period when the sport was going through its early exploration phase. Honda’s Marty Smith (4-1-2-1) won, beating Pierre Karsmakers (1-2-1-7) and Jimmy Weinert (2-4-4-6).
A crash-fest, the 2002 Pontiac Supercross is a classic for its mayhem. Ricky Carmichael’s high speed loopout on lap two blew the doors open for a new name to emerge.
Ernesto Fonseca, Ezra Lusk, Tim Ferry and Nathan Ramsey all led the race but Ramsey (who came through the LCQ and fell early in the main) won, holding off Carmichael. It was the first Honda CRF450R win, second for a four stroke, and Ramsey’s only 450SX victory.
2023: Aaron Plessinger suffered one of the most heart-breaking losses in Supercross history. After leading 20 of the 23 laps, AP7 only had 1.5 laps left to go and a healthy lead when he caught his right foot in a jump face rut.
He ended the night in 13th. Chase Sexton won the main event but was docked 7 championship points for jumping on the red cross flag.
Even though it’s been over forty years, Bob Hannah is still the all-time wins leader of Supercross in the Wolverine State. All nine of his victories came at the Pontiac Silverdome between 1977-1984 but most impressively, his first six happened when he swept three consecutive doubleheaders (1977-1979).
In 1984 (pictured) he was mobbed by the fans after winning his 9th race in The Dome, the second to last win in his hall of fame career.
Johnny O’Mara won the second round of 1984’s doubleheader, held on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. This photo shows the light coming through The Dome’s fiberglass fabric, which was held up by air pressure.
On March 4, 1985, that roof collapsed under the weight of snow, which led to the cancellation of the April 13-14 SX doubleheader. The races were neither made up (nor relocated) and the 1985 series only featured 11 rounds.
Venues
Ford Field: Host venue for Super Bowl XL (2006) and home of the Detroit Lions, Supercross first came to Ford Field In 2006 after nearly three decades in the Silverdome. Ford Field lies within the shadows of Detroit’s skyline and is across the street from Comerica Park.
Pontiac Silverdome: Originally called the Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium when it opened in Aug. 1975, the $55.7 million Silverdome hosted 46 rounds of SX between 1976-2005. It’s a lofty number due to 17 double-header weekends between 1977-1993.
The interactive table below details the all-time Detroit/Pontiac leaders. Who has the most starts, wins, podiums and points. Filter by class AND Venue. On mobile, slide left to access more columns.
All-Time Leaders
Who won Detroit/Pontiac, in what year and what round was the race? Winner history makes that easy to see. Tap ‘additional stats’ to see more info
Winner History
Full race results from every Detroit/Pontiac Supercross in sport history. Tap ‘additional stats’ to see position changes and qualifying ranking