Supercross Says NO! To Doping

Ahead of the start of the 2019 AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, members of the FIM Medical Commission traveled to Anaheim, California to speak to Supercross racers and teams about the FIM Anti-Doping Code. As part of the continuing effort to educate riders and the Say NO! To Doping campaign, FIM Medical Director Dr. David McManus and Medical & Anti-Doping Coordinator Evelyne Magnin gave a presentation to Supercross racers outlining the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) testing standards and the dangers of doping. 

“We started our ongoing FIM Say NO! To Doping campaign last year by visiting MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 riders in Qatar. And the idea of this campaign is to spread it in all disciplines,” said Medical & Anti-Doping Coordinator Evelyne Magnin. “Supercross was an important visit because we have had some positive [test] cases in Supercross in the past. It’s better to educate the riders first and then to test. It’s been a pleasure to be here and I think we have to continue this effort to make the riders aware of the anti-doping issues.”

“It’s always good to meet with the riders,” said Dr. David McManus. “Our presentation about the dangers to doping and Say NO! To Doping campaign was well received. But importantly we have the opportunity to meet with riders individually and with their team managers and others to answer questions that they had and address concerns and also to take their comments and suggestions. All in all I thought it was a very positive day, very worthwhile and very beneficial.” 

For many of the U.S.-based Supercross teams such as Yamaha Factory Racing and Monster Energy Kawasaki, it marked the first time they were able to meet with FIM Medical Commission representatives in person—a meeting the riders and team members found to be very beneficial. 

“I thought it was pretty awesome. We definitely need this in the sport and it’s pretty cool to get to find out face to face on what’s banned and what’s not,” said 250 West Supercross Champion Aaron Plessinger.

“I think it’s awesome that the guys came over here. David [Dr. McManus] seems like a knowledgeable guy about what’s going on and it’s good to have him here and have a conversation instead of emails or texts,” said Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager Jim Perry. “So that’s good. It’s important to everybody. I think that they have everybody’s attention. For the riders, it’s in their best interests to listen to what they have to say and make sure they’re doing the right things to be in compliance with the rules.” 

“I think it’s very positive that they’re coming here and bringing awareness,” said Mike Williamson, crew chief for Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac. “Being here and learning what they’re telling us, it only helps you prevent something bad from happening. I think everybody should be educated on what’s going on with the world of doping and WADA and the message they’re trying to bring. It’s positive for the sport. You want fairness and that’s what it’s all about. I appreciate them doing it.”

Meetings will continue throughout the week as FIM representatives with the Say NO! To Doping campaign make themselves available to riders and teams. Educational materials for riders include online references such as the Anti-Doping e-Learning platform (ADeL) developed by WADA, and one of its many modules, ALPHA (Athlete Learning Program about Health and Anti-Doping). 

To find out more about the ADeL platform and ALPHA, click here.

FIM Communications