“Honestly, it never really slows down,” Covington says. “It’s all about staying in touch with the teams, helping riders get lined up for the season, and making sure everyone’s in a good place when we hit round one.”
Covington has been in the role with the World Supercross Championship since November last year, stepping in after Kurt Nicoll moved on from his position as Vice President of Race Development leaving big shoes to fill. Nicoll played a key role in shaping the championship’s global expansion and commitment to competitive excellence.
It’s a role that fits Covington perfectly. The former pro rider grew up in the paddock, raced through it, and now he’s helping shape where it goes next.
Spend five minutes talking to Covington, and it’s obvious he hasn’t lost that racer mindset. And that matters when you’re dealing with some of the biggest names in the sport.
“I’ve known guys like Cooper Webb and Aaron Plessinger since we were four or five years old,” he says. “We grew up racing each other. I was always chasing those guys. I was probably second and third more than anything else, but it definitely made me better.”
That connection gives him real insight. Riders aren’t just hearing from an official, but from someone who knows exactly what it feels like to sit on the gate, heart pounding, waiting for it to drop. And that’s a big reason why more riders are getting involved in World Supercross.
As the conversation turns to the start of the season, Covington points to one clear trend – riders coming out of World Supercross are arriving sharp.
“Eli Tomac and Max Anstie were just on fire in the first round,” he says. “Everyone else seemed a little behind the eight ball and it took them a couple of weeks to get up to speed. That couldn’t be ignored.”
He continues: “A lot of the conversations I’m having with riders and teams, they’ve all mentioned that. People are starting to see the benefit of racing World Supercross. Over the winter, it’s almost impossible to replicate that gate feeling – the adrenaline, the intensity, the race atmosphere. That’s what we had last season.”
Covington’s path to this role feels like a natural progression and something he always believed he’d move into.
“I won’t lie, I always saw myself going this direction at some point,” he says. “Growing up watching my dad and his career, he was running an off-road truck racing championship at one point, then later moved on to Monster, I was always around those conversations and behind-the-scenes moments.
“I always saw myself going this way after I finished racing. Through all the experiences I’ve had racing in the U.S., moving to Europe, living there for six years, racing GPs – it puts me in a really good position to help with something like World Supercross. My skill set and experience are pretty unique, and it just happens to fit perfectly with this role.”
At just 16, Covington packed up and moved overseas, chasing something different and faced new tracks, new cultures, new challenges. It wasn’t always easy, being so far away from his family, but it gave him a global perspective that now plays a huge role in how he approaches the championship.
“The motocross community, not only in the U.S. but worldwide, is pretty tight-knit,” he adds. “And I think having me in this role makes riders see it as one of their own on the other side. There’s a level of trust there.”
Being on the other side of the business means Covington now works closely with the sport’s governing body, the FIM and it’s given him a new perspective.
“I attended the FIM’s general assembly annual meeting in France this year, and it was really cool to see how much effort goes into making the sport better and safer behind the scenes,” he says. “As riders, you never really see that.”
Of course, his history with the FIM isn’t completely spotless.
“The only time I really had a run-in was when I grew my hair out,” he laughs. “There’s a rule that you can’t have hair coming out the back of the helmet, so they made me cut it.”
“They told me, ‘either wear a hair net or cut it,’ and I was like, ‘I’m not tying it up—just shave it off.’ I wasn’t happy about it at the time, but I’ve forgiven them now.”
Looking back, he admits it may have worked out for the best. “My wife still can’t believe I had long hair. I probably wouldn’t have met her if I hadn’t cut it—so I guess I owe the FIM one!”
The only time I really had a run-in was when I grew my hair out…they made me cut it. Looking back, My wife still can’t believe I had long hair. I probably wouldn’t have met her if I hadn’t cut it—so I guess I owe the FIM one!
One thing that sets World Supercross apart? The tracks. Forget copy-paste stadium builds, this is raw, unpredictable racing.
“The tracks, and especially the dirt, are definitely something unique to World Supercross,” Covington explains. “That opens the door for some riders to excel in certain conditions.
“Like we saw Christian Craig last year. He had some standout rides and beat guys you wouldn’t normally expect. That’s cool because it shows different strengths.
“Some riders are really good when it’s slippery and technical, where you need a lot of throttle control. Others are better when it’s perfect, grippy and tacky. That’s what makes it interesting. You see a lot of different guys at the front because the conditions change every weekend.”
Of course, building a global championship isn’t as simple as lining up at the gate. Behind the scenes, it’s a constant juggle with teams, rider schedules, contracts, and travel.
“The biggest challenge is getting everything to line up,” Covington admits. “Making sure riders can commit to the full championship while balancing what they’ve got going on in other series.”
But for Covington, the bigger picture has always been clear.
“I’ve always believed supercross had the potential to be truly global,” he says. “So when this opportunity came up years ago, right as my career was ending, it immediately caught my attention.
“I’d been following it from the beginning, and I thought it was a great opportunity. I actually saw [World Supercross CEO] Tom Burwell interviewed on Gypsy Tales and thought, ‘Man, I need to give this guy a call and see what I can do to help them. So, I actually asked Jace from Gypsy Tales and asked him to sharing his number with me? I want to give him a call. So I just rang Tom up randomly, that’s how it all started.”
At the end of the day, racers want one thing: to win. And the World Supercross title is starting to carry serious weight.
“Not many people can say they’re a world champion at anything,” says Covington. “I never quite got there in MXGP. I got close, but not consistent enough.
“But now you look at guys like Joey Savatgy and Christian Craig. Talking to them over the last couple of months, they’re motivated. They want that championship. You can feel it.”
For Covington, the mission is simple: keep pushing, keep building, and take World Supercross to the next level—one gate drop at a time.
