Abu Dhabi has been drafted into the 2023 World Supercross Championship (WSX), set to host the penultimate round of the season at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, with the French event now officially ‘postponed until further notice’.

The WSX Abu Dhabi GP will be held over two days between 4-5 November, marking the series’ first showing in the home of Mubadala Capital – the strategic investment partner of SX Global in launching the series.

“FIM World Supercross is a fantastic new event for Yas Island, and it underpins our pioneering approach in the major event industry,” stated Saif Rashid Al Noaimi, CEO of Ethara.

“This exciting announcement is a testament to our commitment to delivering unique experiences, further building our reputation for best-in-class sport and entertainment events. We are looking forward to welcoming WSX fans to the Etihad Arena in November and delivering unforgettable moments.”

Ethara is one of the region’s biggest event, entertainment, and venue management companies. In partnership with Miral, it operates multiple event venues on Yas Island including the Etihad Arena. Over the past 15 years, Ethara has delivered over 700 major events in the region for more than 16-million fans, including the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Despite not being addressed in the press release announcing Abu Dhabi as its effective replacement to keep the 2023 series at six rounds, the WSX website has formally confirmed that France has been dropped from the calendar as it stands, but the intention is to reinstate it in future.

“Due to unforeseen scheduling and logistical challenges, the FIM 2023 World Supercross French GP has been postponed until further notice,” according to a statement on the event page. “All French GP ticket holders will be contacted by Ticketmaster and will be eligible for a full face-value refund as per Ticketmaster’s refund policy.

“WSX sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused by this unavoidable scheduling change and remains fully committed to bringing the FIM World Supercross Championship to France very soon. We appreciate your unwavering support and we look forward to delivering an unforgettable French GP for our fans in the near future. More details of this to follow soon.”

Instead, Singapore has now been listed as the second round on 30 September – three months on from this weekend’s opener in Great Britain. Widespread speculation began to mount this month that the WSX French GP had struck troubles, that now official on the eve of the new season commencing this Saturday evening at Villa Park, Birmingham.