Among the plethora of games and matches held at McMahon Stadium each summer, one is set to stand out this August.

On Aug. 8, the World Supercross Championship will be coming to Calgary for the first time. Not only will the race be the first of the season World Supercross, but also the only Canadian stop on the tour.

Cole Thompson, a rider in the SX2 class and the only Canadian on tour, said that having a home race is an exciting opportunity.

“I’ve spent quite a bit of time throughout my professional career racing in Calgary at the Wild Rose MX Park, and now having a World Supercross event come to Calgary is massive,” he told LWC.

“Not only just because I’m Canadian, but just to have that series and the global scale of it be now in Canada as well.”

In supercross, no two tracks are the same. Come race day, both the SX1 and SX2 riders will get a 10-min practice session to learn the track, before qualifying, heat races, superpole and the main events begin, according to the World Supercross webpage.

Across six rounds and two classes, the main events will consist of 50 total race laps.

Thompson said that even before the real fun begins, spectators will have lots to do on race day.

“We have a fan zone that all the kids, parents, everyone can come meet the riders, collect posters, get a feel for what’s going on behind the scenes,” he said.

“For the racing portion, it’s short, very high intensity, very competitive, not much time in between races, so it allows the riders just enough time to recover and then straight back into it.”

As the Canadian on the grid, Thompson said that landing on the podium, ideally with a win, is a huge priority for him in Calgary.

“Anytime I get to race in Canada, it’s something that I don’t take lightly, and I want to do the best I can,” he said.

“Being Canadian, it’s huge having an opportunity to race in front of home fans on a global scale and being against the best in the world.”

Racing is not for the faint of heart: Driver

Growing up, Thompson and his four older brothers all raced dirt bikes. At around 17, he really got into supercross.

“We had a farm growing up, and we rode dirt bikes instead of playing ball sports or hockey, and it took off from there,” he said.

“This will be my 15th year of being a professional athlete, so I am very fortunate to have found my passion early on and carried it all the way through.”

Thompson, who is admittedly an adrenaline junky, said that Supercross, or any motorsport racing, is certainly not for everyone.

For both young supercross racers and their parents, Thompson said that taking everything day by day and race by race is important.

“I meet a lot of parents throughout racing and I always tell them the same thing, it’s to enjoy these moments; they’re short-lived, and it goes by quickly. If you’re doing it and you’re miserable, that’s what you’re going to remember from it,” he said.

“For the kids growing up, one race isn’t going to define your career. You always have another opportunity, and every time you line up in the gate, it’s a new opportunity. I tell kids not to dwell on the bad times.”

For Thompson, nerves are at their highest right before a race starts — even now.

“The nerves are probably the biggest thing, especially round one. You don’t know where exactly you’ll fit in or if you’ve done all the work you needed to do if everything’s right, so I’m always feeling a little bit nervous,” he said.

“It’s a lot of thinking about 16 other riders all going into one corner trying to fight for that first position right out of the gate.”

If you can master starting well, the rest falls into place, according to Thompson.

Tickets can be purchased ahead of the August event here. After Calgary, supercross will head across the pond for an October race in Birmingham.