Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

co C'I M V ..c e v :> o Z " If .•. yo u get hurt in an AMA professional event, you don't worry about dime one." What's it all about, Doug Mockett? Meet the new Czar of AMA • racing 1 4 LONG BEACH, CA, NOV. 8,1977 CN: What is your job with AMA? DM: I've been hired to upgrade motorcycle racing, to attempt to make it a major spectator sport - to make it as big a deal as possible. CN: How do you plan to go about it? DM : Several different ways. We plan to get more and better television coverage. Plans are in the works now to do one of the Camel Pro Series events live nex t year, it 'll be a mile dirt track event. To upgrade our facilities: There are some that are not worthy of national caliber events. To try and upgrade our competitors. We plan a public relations school for them so they'll feel more comfortable with broadcast and print media. To search for bigger and better sponsors. We 're planning to implement as much of that as possible as soon as possible and to get as involved as possible. CN: In 1977 there were 28 events on the Camel Pro Series schedule. Since there are 30 events scheduled for 1978 what changes and additions have you made? DM: W ell , the sch edule hasn't been finalized yet but we are trying to negotiate a new facility in the northwest to replace Castle Rock, which is out. We are planning to add an event in Denver, a second Loudon road race, a Des Moines, Iowa halfmile at the Iowa State Fair and tentatively Sacramento (Aggie is still waiting for a letter of approval from management of the fair). CN: For the last couple of years we've had National Champions winning the title without scoring any road race points. Do you have any plans to keep that from happening in the future? DM: In 1978 it will look like you don't have to road race to win the National Championship. However , we 've stacked the road races at the beginning of the year starting with Riverside in February, Daytona in March , Charlotte Motor Speedway and Sears Point in April. CN: What do you plan to do about the back ' gate? That's been such a problem for promoters and racers at smaller events for such a long time. OM: What we are planning is a corn bination back gate/insurance pa ckage all tied together. In th e past . a professional license cost $55 . It will now cost $80. This is only a tentative plan, it must be approved by the board, but it is so far actuarily sound and seems to meet with approval of the competitors and promoters. We will eliminate the $9 charge per competitor and $6 c h a r g e per mechanic at the back gate. We will charge the promoter an insur ance package that is somewhat different from last yea r's. However, we will permit the promoter to charge a back gate admission of up to $7 , at his discretion . CN: Would the promoter then be paying the rider's insurance? OM : He would pay the insurance. The $25 one-time charge for the rider covers part of it . The $7 at the back gate (if the promoter cared to charge) would cover the bulk of the insurance the promoter will payout in front. We have spent literally weeks going through our past records and discovering trends of losses per type ' of event. Events that sustain high losses will be paying a lot more for insurance than events that don't . It's an entirely new program all the way down. For example: Insurance cost on a motocross, the way it actually figures out is $1,010; on a road race it's $2,550; on a short track it's $815 . So, you see. it's based on th e loss that type of event expects. Benefits for the competitor last year were : $10 ,000 medical , $5 ,000 death benefit , $100 deductible, 75 % pa y. Next yea r there is no deductible and 100% pa y. 1£ you are out competiting and you get hurt in an AMA professional event , you don't worry about dime one. The other point beh ind the insurance program is that we think we can sell more aggressively additional programs to oth er promoters with th is type of insurance package. It's more economical for the promoter and of greater benefit to th e rid er. CN: Will the referee be collecting any money at the back gate? OM: AMA will be collecting the back gate for the promoter to assure that , since that's our insurance back there also , the right people get into the pits , making sure that if you're a mechanic you have a mechanic's license to be in there. Our insurance would not cover just anyone who pays the $7 to get in the pits . CN: Does the $7 a promoter can charge go solely to the promoter or does some of it go in some way to the AMA? DM: The AMA does not collect one dime of that money. The referee is paid by the promoter. As always, when you buy a sanction package, officials' fees are included. " We have no proble m s! A ny problems w e have are imaginary.:" CN: Do you plan to raise the referees' pay in conj unction with this? OM : I don't think so, but that would be up to Mel Parkhurst, Mike OiPrete, and Bill Boyce . CN: Can promoters sell pit passes? OM : Promoters cannot sell pit passes at AMA events. Except at AMA /FIM international events the FIM will supercede and' they can. We're going to experiment at certain events next year and sell pit passes. We would like the crowd to get down and meet the Kenny Roberts and Tony DiStefanos of the world . CN: What about Daytona this year? We heard that a telegram is in Boyce's hands right now saying it's been cancelled. OM: Where did you hear that? CN: Well, we get all the rumors you know, true and untrue. OM : What it boils down to is that Bill France wants to meet with the AMA board. Bob Rudolph has wired him and told him if he feels he has problems he should meet with me, and any other promoter should meet with me. We have no problemsl Any problems we may have are imaginary and in France's mind rather than in reality. CN: Isn't the hassle over television rights, and hasn't he negotiated his own television coverage for Daytona in the past? , OM: Yes. but I don't know what it 's over - nobody will tell me . He says there ar e problems but he won't tell me what they are . Rudolph wired him back and told him to meet with me to see what I had to say. Then apparently he wired Boyce and told Boyce he wanted the ,AMA to withdraw his sanction and return his money until these problems. whatever they are, could be straightened out , but to please do so without prejudice so he could re-apply for the sanction when they are all solved . CN: Isn't it a little strange that France would drop his sanction? OM : No , I don't find it strange at all. I think there is a great deal of fear and paranoia among promoters that the AMA has hired someone to fill this position. Someone who knows the inside world of promotion and has a lot of programs they want to institute that the promoters mayor may not find beneficial. CN : H ow true is that fear? OM: The fear is paranoia. There is nothing we plan to do, either me personally or we at the AMA , that would injure, endanger or harm any promoter in any way. Every program we have designed or are working on is designed to provide a better show for the public, better work ing conditions (if you will) with more money for the competitors and a better program for the promoters to sell to the public, which in theory will make them more money . eN: Promoters will be worried about television negotiations. The AMA has the right to negotiate or approve any television contracts. How do you plan to address that question? OM: That question is being addressed right now. The AMA owns the rights , will negotiate the rights, or will work in conjunction with promoters to negotiate the rights. Bill France has been negotiating his own deals for years . I do not pretend to be as presumptious as to suppose that I could cut a better deal with a television network than he can. However, I can help him cut a better deal. I th ink , bu t I don't know , that he's 'afraid the AMA is going to usurp his entire deal and keep whatever they feel like - which isn't true at all .

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