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The Motocross of Nations (MXoN) is a team-based event where riders compete for their national team rather than individual championship points.
Find out how the MXoN scoring system works, how nations qualify for the main races and how the MXoN ballot determines the starting positions for the qualifying heats.
The MXoN (FIM Motocross of Nations) scoring system uses a unique lowest-points format where a rider's exact finishing position during the mainraces equals their point score (1st place = 1 point, 2nd place = 2 points, 20th place = 20 points, etc.), and the team with the lowest combined score wins.
Team Structure: Each country fields three riders, split across three specific classes: MXGP (450cc), MX2 (250cc), and Open (450cc or 250cc). Three Combined Races: Sunday's main event consists of three races, with two classes competing on the track at the same time in each moto:
Rider Participation: Each of the team's three riders competes in two of these races, creating a total of six individual scoring results for each country. The Best Five Count: To calculate a nation's total score, the team adds up its best five results out of the six individual moto finishes.
Drop the Worst: Each team's single worst score (such as a poor finish, crash, or DNF) is discarded. Lowest Total Wins: The national team with the fewest cumulative points after dropping the worst score wins the Chamberlain Trophy. If two or more countries finish with the exact same number of points: Watch an official video explanation of the Motocross of Nations scoring structure: Advertisement On Saturday, the MXoN qualifying format uses the exact same low-point penalty system to achieve two goals: qualify the top 19 countries directly into Sunday's main event and determine the gate pick order for Sunday's motos. The Saturday qualification structure works as follows: Unlike Sunday's mixed races, Saturday features three separate qualifying races, one for each distinct class: One rider from each country competes in their designated class heat race against everyone else in that same class. Each country accumulates three individual scores on Saturday (one from each rider). Just like Sunday, the worst score out of the three is discarded. Only the two best results are added together to create the nation's total qualification score. For example, if a country's riders finish 2nd, 4th, and 30th, the 30th is dropped. Their qualifying score is 6 (2 + 4). The final Saturday standings dictate exactly where riders stand at the starting gate for all three of Sunday's main races.
Because each country has two riders on the line for Sunday's mixed races, gate picks are distributed in pairs: This ensures that even the best-qualifying country has one rider with a prime inside gate pick and their teammate starting from a much tougher position further down the line. Advertisement The Friday afternoon MXoN gate pick ballot is an old-school, entirely random lottery that ensures complete fairness. Because there are no previous sessions to decide who gets the best starting positions for Saturday’s Qualifying Heat Races, the FIM uses a physical, two-box drawing system. The process works step-by-step: An FIM official sits with two separate boxes filled with folded slips or ping-pong-sized lottery balls: The official draws one ball from the country box, reveals the nation, and then immediately draws a ball from the number box to assign their gate choice. For example, if "Team USA" is pulled first and the number "35" follows, they are locked into the 35th gate pick. The number a country draws applies to all three of Saturday's independent heat races (MXGP, MX2, and Open). If a country draws the lucky #1 ball, their MXGP rider, MX2 rider, and Open rider will all get the very first choice of gate in their respective Saturday qualifying races. If a country draws a terrible number like #36, all three of their riders will have to choose their gates 36th. A massive rule change over the years altered how this number affects the rider on the line. The rider from the country that drew #1 can walk up and claim any of the 40 spots on the starting grid that they prefer (usually the spot with the straightest, smoothest rush to the first turn). The rider from the country with pick #2 gets the next choice, and so on, until the lower-ballot countries are left with whatever less-desirable gates remain on the far outside. This purely random luck-of-the-draw creates immense Friday drama, as title-favorite powerhouses can easily end up buried on the outer edges of the gate for Saturday's critical qualifying heats!
AdvertisementHow does MXoN scoring work?
How the Main Races Work
Scoring and the Drop Result
Tie-Breakers
How does MXoN qualifying work?
1. Three Separate Heat Races
2. The Saturday "Drop Score"
3. Advancing to Sunday
4. How Gate Picks Are Assigned
How does the MXoN ballot work?
1. The Two-Box Draw
2. A Single Pick for All Three Classes
3. Total Freedom of Choice
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