Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126244
~ Also new for 1977 AM A professiona l motocross participants : A higher . percentage of the total purse will be paid based on moto finishes , rather than overall finish pos itions. Each moto will carry 37 .5 % of the day's purse with 25% paid ou t on overall fini sh po~itions. This will come as good news to riders who perform well in one rnoto but maybe not so good the next time around . · At least they will have gas money to get home from the track. e- l1li 2: l1li ~ ~ g £' £' O'l ~ AMA/FIM international license requirements If you vvant to go Pro - here're some things you ought to knovv changes, revisions and new scoring systems for 1977 AMA/FIM events ... More $ for AMA Camel Pro Series The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company have announced plans to increase the Camel Pro Seri es Point Fu nd awards from $75 .000 to $100 .000 for th e 1977 season . A total of 28 events will incl ude six roa d ra ces. two short track events. five TT Steeplech ases. six mil e d irt track and nine half-mil e d irt track races. Besid es th e $100.000 Camel Pro Fund. $58 5,000 in pu rse money (not includ ing cont in gen ci es) will b e awarded by th e end of th e season to · AMA professional rid ers contesting the Grand Nat ional seri es. In addition to the six National pavement events sched uled . Laguna Seca, Monterey. California. will host the Champion Spark Plug 200 , a $50 .000 World Championship Formula 750 road race on September 11. The National Da ytona 200 , held at Daytona Internationa l Speedway. Daytona Beach, Florida . March 13 will also cou nt as a po int s-paying ra ce for t h e Formula 750 World Championship Road Ra ce Series . Daytona boasts a $79 ,000 purse, th e ' la rgest in th e 24 -yea r history of AMA G rand National Series acti vity . Camel Pro Ser ies a nd AMA Grand National Ch ampion points will be awarded to the top 14 finishers at each event ac cording to th e following schedule: Ist -20; 2nd - 16: 3rd - 13: 4th -ll ; 5th -10 : 6th -9: 7th -8 : 8th -7 ; 9th -6 ; 10th -5: I Ith -4 : • 12th - 3: 13th -2 ; 14t h -I. The $100.000 Camel Filters po int fund will be distributed to points leaders in two payoff sessions . $25 ,000 will go to th e top 10 pros at mid -season and $75 .000 will go to the top 15 finishers based on a tally of the final ser ies standings. Regional series re-named ~he AMA Regional Championship Series after four years will now be known as the U.S . East ern , Central an~ Western Regional Championship Series . Each regional series will include approximately 10 d irt track eve?ts which will determine Expert , JUnior and Novice class champions in each region . FIM event sound requirements Professional riders p lanning to compete in any FIM sanctioned event shou ld know th at newly en ac ted FIM sou nd restrictions will be enforced in 1977 . Sound restrictions were est a b lishe d for road ra cing and motocross events by th e Fall FI M Con gr ess as foll ows: ROAD RACING - Two-strokes will be tested at a d istance of one-half meter and must not exc eed I 15 decibels measured on the "A" sca le with engine operating a piston speed of 13 meters per second . Four-strokes : sa me as for two -strokes except that test wi ll be c o n d u c t e d with engin e operating at piston speed of I I met ers per second. MO TOCROSS: Test procedure is th e same as fo r road racing but sou nd lim it is 110 decibels. Engine speed for motocross sound testing will be 13 meters per second piston speed . Cu rr ent AMA rules util ize th e same test procedures as those adopted by th e F1M but sound limit is I 15 decibels in both road racing and motocross with engines operating at 50% of th eir maximum rpm . National MX scoring revised Duri.ng the 1976 season. th e Olympic Scoring System was used to determine ov erall winners of national and int ernational motocross events. As of th e opening of th e 1977 W int er-AM A Seri es th e total points ea rned on th e day ba sed on t he fo llowing schedule will d etermine the winner : Ist -25 ; 2nd - 22: 3rd - 20 : 4th - 18: 5th - 16: 6th -1 5; 7t h -14 ; 8th -1 3; 9th -1 2: 10th -II : I ith -IO : 12th -9 : 13th - 8 : 14th -7 : 15th - 6 : 16th - 5 : 17th -4: 18th - 3 ; 19th -2; 20th -I. In th e event of ties. th e best fin ish in t~e final moto will determine th e winner. ." 1 I ~ I , , ' American riders planning to compete in the five FIM World Championship events' a nd the TransAMA Internat ion al Motocross Series should be aware of the follo wing FIM requirements which will be enforce d by the AMA throughout the 1977 racing season . An international license is required for all international me ets, whether they tak e place in A merica or aforeign country. Int ernational licenses may be issued only to riders who are at least 18 years old. The only excep tion to this regulation applies to motocross, where rid ers 16 years or older may compete in interna tional ezoents in their home country. R id ers are issued FIM International licenses through the AMA . For further information , contact the AMA professional department. New: Reliability Trials Series The AMA 1977 National Enduro sc hed u le will includ e 29 events. d ivided among three regional championsh ip series. Participating r id ers ma y earn nati onal enduro points a t any of the 29 sched uled event s but regional points will be awarded on ly to competitors riding in their hom e regions. Each rider's best 10 scores count toward nat io nal honors and his best five can go towa rd regional standings in the Atlantic. Midwest and Pacific regions. The AMA National Championship Enduro Series points system for 1977 has been revised . At each national enduro. th e top 14 fini sh ers will be awarded points ac cording to the following schedule: Ist -20; 2nd -16; 3rd -13 ; 14th -ll ; 5th -IO; 6th -9: .7t h - 8 ; 8th -7 ; 9th -6 : IOth -5 : 11th -4th ; 12th -3 ; 13th -2 ; 14th -I. National champions will also be determined through a series of reliability trials known previously as th e U .S . Two -Day Trial Championship Series. This year the series will be called the U.S. Relia bility Trial National Championship Series. Only _ the name has been changed though . the object rem a ins virtually th e same. National champions will be determined in six engine classes: 100cc; 125cc; I 75cc; 250cc: 350cc: 500cc. This seri es consists of seven events with points awarded in the same manner as the Nationa l Enduro cir cuit. Each rider's top fou r scores will count toward the final stand ings . This series will also be used to help select American rid ers to com pete in th e 52nd Internationa l Six Days Tria l t o be held in Czechoslov ak ia . September 5-10 . Each rider's top three sco res in the series will be used for ISDT- Team selection in addition to factors such as previous Six Days experience. ClC. • I 19