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/127975
25th anniversary AMA Supercross Series By Eric Johnson Photos by Kinney Jones and Karl Ockert c:- '" c: ::> ..., '" 14. ow celebrating its 25th anniversary, the AMA Supercross Series is looking over the brink at its bright new future as a major - and now universally recognized - form of motorsport racing. As a sort of testament to·its tenacity and yearning to be accepted by the global racing community, the 16race 1999 race season is now reaping the benefits of many years of hard work and nurturing. Last year was a successful one for the PACE Motor Sports-promoted AMA Supercross Series, as record crowds spun their way through the turnstiles of some. of the most prestigious stick-andball sports venues in the country. The A.c. Nielsen numbers regarding its television coverage were remarkably encouraging, bike sales were up, raceteam budgets were increased, 18-wheel semi-tn:J.cks graced the asphalt pit sections, major U.S. corporations opened up their marketing. war_ chests and infused money into the sport, and the competition was world class, as six. different riders won events. "Last year was the best year in supercross history," says PACE Motor Sports CEO Gary Becker. "The competition was strong, as we had six different winners and only two guys won more than three races. The crowd counts were the largest in history, and we averaged over 50,000 in attendance. And even though we had to deal with El Nino, the riders, the AMA and everybody involved in the sport did a great job of not letting it affect the races." As a sign of their dedication to grow and SUppOTt the sport, PACE has bumped up purse and point-fund money across the board, including a new bonus that will surely raise the eyebrows of the world's best supercross riders. "In 1999, PACE has developed a new promotion called the PACE Triple Crown Bonus," said Todd Jendro, director of supercross at PACE. "The bonus is a new award that will pay $250,000 to any rider that wins the Anaheim Supercross (round five), the Houston Supercross (round 10) and the Indianapolis Supercross (round 15). If a single rider does not win all three races, the rider that scores the most points in those three events will receive a $25,000 award, courtesy of PACE." And it's not just the Triple Crown Bonus the riders will be gunning for. As a clear example of how far the sport has come regarding professionalism and financial reward, purse and point-fund moneys have increased dramatically for the 1999 campaign. "The overall purse will be $841,500, and if you include Daytona (promoted by the France family), it jumps up to $914,000," Jendro explains. "The stand!;1rd points fund is $110,000, which is divided among the top 20 racers in the final points. However, PACE "adds additional money to that figure. With the added money, the winner of the series will pocket $100,000 pius a new Toyota truck. There will be an additional $12,500 provided to the runner-up and an additional $10,000 for the third-place finisher. The privateer fund has also been bumped up $25,000, for a total payout of $100,000. For each event, a total of $6667 will be split evenly among each privateer to make the main. There will be the continuation of the c.E. Altman Award, which will give the top privateer in the 250cc class $5000. The 1900-PRO-RACE Holeshot Award will also return, paying $1000 to the 250cc holeshot artist and $500 to the 125cc rider. Plus, if a privateer wins a main event, they will be paid a $5000 bonus. Finally, the 125cc East/West Shootout,