Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Supercross split (Continuedfrom page '13) ~ V ..0 8 V u V o agreed upon.'Someof these points we just felt jeopardized rider safety or weakened the provisions of fairness in the AMA rules of competition. "Finally, early on November 28, Pace informed us that they expected specific races to enjoy all the benefits of commercial sponsorship and point fund distribution even though they would run without AMA sanction. This was an idea we felt untenable. Indeed, it is a demand that we were simply not in a position to negotiate based on previously signed contracts with Wrangler, our series sponsor. While Pace did not specify why negotiations were terminated, I believe this new point raised as late as November 28 was the reason." Pace Management's Allan Becker disagreed. "That's not ~rue. There· were several issues we had not come to an agreement on. In addition, Wavne Moulton told us that the earliest he could get the Board of Trus_ tees together was December 5, and then there was only a 50-50 chance that the Board would ratify any agreement. We needed more time than that to prepare for the season opener at Anaheim, getting the rider entry, conducting qualifiers and so on. So we asked to run the first three events of the year without AMA sanction to give us more time to negotiate. Since this was to be a multi-year deal, we were talking three races-out of a minimum of 36 events." Becker, along with C.E. Altman, said that there were three main stumbling blocks: control over choice of officials, track design, and some of the stipulations in the settlements the AMA had reached wi th the manufacturers following their 1982 lawsuit. . In commenting on the negotiations and Hasty's charge, InSport head Trobaugh said, "The problem with 'good faith' is that if you and I disagree on something, and let's say we both come halfway in our positions but we don't resolve the issue, who showed bad faith? What it really boils down to is that the people who have money at risk in Supercross have to have more control over their business. The AMA side is perfectly understandable; if they were going to have the responsibility of conducting the event sanction and so forth, they wish to maintain control over certain things." Trobaugh said that InSport would only invol ve itself in Supercross. "Our committment is Supercross. I sent Wayne Moulton a leuer which said that in the interest of good motocross competition, we should work together on things like scheduling to preserve a good outdoor series. We are going to try very hard to work with them, and there is no indication that they won't want to do the same, but we haven't sat down and discussed that since the conclusion of the negotiations. Right now, InSpon has a firm schedule only up' to May 5, with events at Anaheim (January 28), Seattle (February 11-12), Atlanta (March 3), Dallas (April 14) and Kansas City (May 5). With the exception of the Kansas City event, all are promoted by Pace or SMC. Pace's traditional Houston Astrodome doubleheader will apparently run later in the year than normal due to the United States Football League and its new team in Houston. According to Trobaugh, the Supercross format will reven to roughly a 1982 schedule, with four qualifying heats, two semis, a consy and the main event. Thirty-two riders will be seeded into the events based on point ,sfaJ;l4ings, ,,:i~h .o!het; rid~~s q~alify; 11 . 16. ing at local events. Each event promoter can select up to six riders per race as well. Miller High Life and Wran/1;ler, the two major series sponsors, met last week in Denver, Colorado. While apparently no firm decisions were made, Wrangler's Kathy Hoy said, "Wrangler's contract is with the AMA and AMA promoters. However, we are currently re-evaluating the situation. There will be sponsorship available for whoever has a legitimate series. " According to the AMA, the AMA's contract with Wrangler is contingent on a certain number of events, and could be voided if the events were not available. The AMA said that it would announce its own schedule later this week. AMA Board of Trustees meeting: -An insider's view The November 7 meeting of the AMA Board of Trustees in San Diego, California, saw several rather frustrating things discussed and/or voted upon. Money andlaxes were brought up. I am having a problem with the way we are handling our money with relation to our dues increase. The frustrating part of the situation is that there is nothing that I or anybody else can do about it. The problem that bothers me is that while we made a fair pro'fit and have saved some money for fiscal 1983, we are asking for more dues money. First, I feel we should make a "profit" and save money. We should not be "broke." But I have a problem of asking for more dues after a year that we had a profit, at least without giving the facts to the members. The fact are that we made approximately $240,000 in 1983. Through bookkeeping adjustments and paying for some 1984 items in 1983, we will show a $90,000 profit which we will save. By doing this our accountants have put us into only a $2,000 tax liability situation, which is very good. It is still not proven to me that we are justified in asking for the dues increase at this time. I feel the "A" Board members have let the members down by not asking for cuts, if needed. Fear seems to grip the Board with regard to 1984 income. The dues increase the first year will probably raise $100.,000. As a result of rather bad industry sales and as a result of ill will created from the AMA vs. the Three Motorcycle Manufacturers lawsuit, we will probably lose all or most of the $100,000 industry contribution to the OEM Off-Road Fund which was used to fight off-road lawsuits and legislation. Since much of the industry contribution was used to underwrite wages in our Government Relations Department, this must be made up by membership or lay people off. Another potentia I loss of income looming on the horizon is the "sale" of Supercross to a new corporation made up of the two main Supercross promoters -- Pace Management and Mike Goodwin's Stadium Motorsports. If the "sale" generates less money than the income recieved from Supercross sanctions, AMA will understandably lose money which must be made up from dues. Frustrating. Industry Board of Trustees member Gene Trobaugh resigned from the Bpi'rc;i .bec~ust; !'Ie l!as ~c;cep$ed .n~~ • employment with the new corporation formed by Pace and SMC. Another frustrating situation regarding the "sale" of Supercross is whether' or not the promoters are negotiating in good faith. Wayne Moulton, our director of professional racing, supposedly had worked out an acceptable deal the night before our meeting (working until after midnight). At 5:30 p.m. on Monday, just before we were to vote on the sale, a list of 36 changes was presented by the promoters. This manuever surely looked like it was meant to derail the deal. Frustrating. Gary Smith, the Board member from Honda who is an ex-policeman, reported on a La w Enforcement Conference which he auended as a Board representative. There was a discussion.about ho\'l much cooperation the AMA should have with the various police organizations. Police organizations are interested in being able to know who our clubs are, in wbat city they are located, and how many members they have. That particular information did not seem to be a problem with me. Most club members have their club's name and city on their shirts, jackets, vests, etc. and are proud of who they are and where they are from. I or no one else was jn favor of any big-brotherism of making our computer listings available to any police agency. Our members personal information such as addresses, etc., whether or not they belong to a club, must be protected. A new type of AMA membership has been initiated. Many people have asked me to back this new type of membership. It is an Associate Life Member program. Now, after 25 years of membership an Associate Member will be an Associate Life Member. Starting with the 1984 Trustee election, Associate members may vote, although they must request a ballot. This does not have anything to do with the vote this winter. As many of you know, for almost 30 years I have been interested in dirt track racing - from the mid-1950's when I rode my bike to the Nationals, through the early seventies when we started what was to become the Toledo Camel Pro Series race, to three Camel Pro races in Knoxville, and this year 'as we bring the Camel Pro Series back to Ohio with the half mile race at Lima. In the late seventies, while motocross took off and was reall y going well, dirf track racing was in great danger of dymg and still is in serious trouble because the new kids coming up are mostly motocrossers. In the late seventies, the prevailing AMA thought was that only pro riders with over a year's experience could ride anything bigger than a 250cc bike on a half mile track. Also, virtually no mini bikes were ever allowed on a half mile. TheAMA hadan Amateur National Short Track and an Amateur National Scrambles. There was no connection between the two events and no series. And, as previously stated, dirt track was dying. A few enthusiasls around the Ohio-Michigan area wanted to pump some life into din track racing. With encouragement from din track folks like Dick Ranney and other amateur enthusiasts, Dave McCarthy and I decided to try some positive action and do something. We ap-. proached Lin Kuchler, the AMA executive director at the time, and proposed that we produce.an AMA Amateur National Championship Half Mile if we could have the event as an annual 'event. We would produce it just as if it were a Camel Pro race, with professional referees, officials, flagmen, paramedics, track conditioners (Bud's • ~ap,tral;k S~!y'ice)! a~q.~ q\-,:a!ifY.p~o,-. fessional cali ber track. Besides that, the event would be near Columbus so that the AMA staff could be there. We were given the event as an annual event. Lin also stated that in the future if the event was so successful that others wanted the same race, we would keep ours and other Half Mile Nationals would be added around the country, making a series. Thus the Kenton Amateur National Championship Half Mile was born and first ran in 1979. After two years, we proposed, organized and got a sponsor that tied the short track, scrambles and Kenton half mile races into the Grand National Dirt Track Series. Kenton was successful and the series brought the Amateur din track program out of the ho-hum, let-it-die-in-peace attitude and gave it some real importance. Then, all of a sudden, other fol'ks wanted our race, most notably our friends in southern California who like to believe that God created motorcycling and every other good idea out there. Intense pressure was put on the staff and the Board, claim.' ing the Half Mile National should be moved (or stolen, as I view it) rather than the series be expanded with another Half Mile National race. The Board voted to welsh on the agreement that Lin Kuchler had made and· the staff (Ed Youngblood) proposed and promoted a plan that virtually wrecked the Amateur National Din Track Series. There will be an Eastern National Series and a Western National Series and never the two will meet! A joke! I proposed a series consisting of an Eastern National Half Mile (Kenton), a Western National Half Mile (Los Angeles), and everyone then meeting in Texas for a shoot-out shon track and TT. I feel that would create more activity while honoring Lin's agreement regarding Kenton and still keeping a viable series. By the way, since I was involved in the promotion of Kenton, I stated my views and left the room and did not vote on the issue. Kenton was granted a National in the Eastern National Series and the Board sidestepped further involvement by. referring the whole din track program to the 1984 Congress. In other action, the Board approved the Code of Regulations for the AMAowned American All Terrain Vehicle Association (AATVA). This association will sanction and promote three and four-wheel vehicle use and competition. Hopefully, this AATVA will make money. AATVA and AMA cards will be reciprocal or interchangeable. AATVA (AMA staff) will promote an All Terrain Championship event next - year. If AATVA makes money, maybe it will save AMA members money, but God help us if it loses money. There will be a stink. We'll try to keep an eye open. Paul Schlegel Next week: Christmas Issue

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