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/128343
AMA Superbikes, Supermoto Postponed road race and Supermoto events]. Naturally, we 'd like to run them toge the r if we could. Right now it's just too early to get caught up in date issues." O ne of those w ho disagreed w ith the decisio n was VIR co-owner Connie Nyholm. "We were willing to roll the dice and go fo rw ard with the event as scheduled ," Nyholm said, "and every motorcycle group here races in the rain except for the AMA." Nyholm said she was in constant contact with Farris all day Tuesday trying to make the decision. "We were prepared to go forw ard with it and take our chances on th e weather," Nyholm said. "But they had three eve nts they were juggling and ultimately aroun d five o'clock o n Tuesday decided they shoul d postpone all the events." Some believed that the postponement had more to do with a contractual issue, that VIR didn't have a signed contract to run the race . The AM»;s Kerry Grae be r said, "We can't comment on any contract issues." Nyholm adde d, '" do n't know of it having affecte d this post poneme nt." Nyholm d id say that she doesn't have an option to run an AMA Superbike race in 2OOS. "It' d be nice to know that we have a long-te rm relationship with the AMA." she said. "W e'r e conducting the event this year and we'll see what happens thereafter. They On the Tuesday prior to the race weekend, AMA Pro Racing postponed the September 17 through 19 final round of the AMA Chevro let Supe rbike Championship, at Virginia Inter nat ional Raceway, and the September 18 round of the AMA SuperMoto Championship, at South Boston Speedway, due to weather concerns. The repercussions were felt from Italy to Australia . With the remnants of Hurricane Ivan due to visit the area, Pro Racing took the unprecedented-fo r road racing-step of postponi ng the races for three weeks. Th e roa d race was originally rescheduled as a two-day meeting, October 9 th roug h 10, and the Supermoto will run O cto ber 9, But there remains the possibility that it could be a three-day event. "W e wanted to get the new date out as soon as possible," AMA vice president of commercial development John Farr is said on In making the cancellation announcemen t, Monday, September 20, "because that was the biggest question everybody had ." Farris said AMA Pro Racing originally con - AHA Pro Racing director of communications sidered eliminat ing the Formula Xtreme class announced a national two-ye ar mobile tour to complement its nex t major e xhibit , "M o t ocr o ss America ," scheduled for a spring 200S unveiling. Th e Museum's newest ex hibit will trace th e evolution of the cou ntry 's original action sport from its 1920s roots to today's Supercross and freestyle events. At the same time , the mobile version of "Motocro ss America," presented in a cust om -designed, S3-foot transporter, will bring the sport's characters and stories, its cutting edge technology and gear, and the high-energy lifestyle surrounding it, straight to the heart of the action major U.S. market racetrack, stad ium and consumer show events . DUring its 24-month cross-country sched- ule, "Motocross America" will connect with millions of motorcycle enthusiasts, including the 3-million-p1us fans who will attend major motorcycle races and shows. Clear Channel 4 Kerry Graeber told Cycle News editor Paul Carruthers, "There is a hurricane bearing down on that area and at the minimum you since the championship was already decided, but it decided to include it after speaking with various parties. He said they hoped to have a complete weekend schedule by the end of business on September 20. are going to get a lot of rain. We figured, T he decision ( 0 postpone the race generated mi xed reactions by the teams and riders, some believing they should have taken their ments and two separate promoters [for the Motocross America To Go on the Road Th e Motorcycl e Hall of Fame Museu m has chances while others agreed it was the right thing to do . As it turned out, heavy rain fell on Friday and again on Saturday afternoon, with Sunday blessed with suns hine. Entertainment-Motor Sports is partnering with the museum to bring the exhibit to AHA Supercross races beginning in early 2005 and continuing through 2006 . "Motoc ros s America" will also travel to select outdoor AHA Chevrolet Motocross races , AMA Chevrolet Superbike races andsponsor-selected venues. An additional parmership with Advanstar is bringingthe tour to major metromarket Cycle World Intemational Motorcycle Shows, presented by Toyota Trucks. Mark Mederski, executive director of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, considers the mobile tour invaluable for introducing new generations of enthusiasts to the Museum's mission of preservation andeducation , as well as promoting the thrill of competition. "With the right encouragement, today's young enthusiast could well be tomorrow's Motorcycle Hall of Fame member," says Mederski. "That's why our traveling exhibit not only showcases the sport's rich past and SEPTEMBER 29, 2004 • C YC LE N EWS 'Let's let everyone know now.' We started talking about this on Monday. It's a hurricane don't want us to have an option to renew here. I have no idea why. But that is a disturbing fact. We had an option to renew. We're no longer having that option to re new." In order to make the even t work on the October 9 and I0 weekend, Nyho lm had to ask a car group. which had rented the 3.27mile long full track, to agree to use only the smaller 1.6S-mile South Course. 'Y\nyth ing we do to them is going to impact them potentially negatively," Nyholm said of Car Guys, a Rockville, Maryland, group and everyone's safety and trave l was co nsid- that ered. We definitely wa nt to make it up. We 're looking at our opt ions and we' re talking to schools. Nyh olm said the next available o pen them [VIR] . The re are two separate agree- weekend date was in D ecemb er. pres ent , but featur es a comprehensive racing r esource cent er w ith tips and tools for condu cts high-perfo rm ance dr iving Tickets purc hased for the September date Inside the traveling version of "M o tocro ss en thusiasts can learn abo ut, ex perien ce or eve n sample the latest goods and services cr eated for thei r unique intere sts and needs . "W e expect strong sponsor interest in America ," enthusiasts will discover the sport's deep roots, told through on e-of- a- m easur able and retail -dri ven mar keting get ting started in making racing history." kind images, stories, memorabilia and art ifacts. H ere visitors will "meet" the heroes, innov ato rs and legends that have transfor med the sport into tada y's entertainme nt spectacle . Enth usiasts can compare how early riding gear influenced today 's high-tech armor and trendsetting cloth ing, check out the design and manufacturing evo lutio n of off-road moto rcycles an d learn how a European sport became a truly American form of entertainment and lifestyle. "M ot ocro ss America" will aJso showcase an exclusive group of sponsor partners , each a leader and innovator in products that fuel the pass ions of motorcycle and actio n sport enthusiasts. At each venue, the traveling exhibit will form the core of an actionpacked hub where race fans, riders and 40th Anniversary (Motocross Ame rica) because of its highly opportunities," says Fran O'H agan, ex ecutive producer of the "M otocross America" tour. O'Hagan, wh o has a long histo ry of brand managem ent and market ing ex pe rt ise for brand icons like BMW, Indian Motorcycle, Mercedes-Benz and Monaco Coach, also no tes that the tour is a potent ant idote to trad itional media investments. "Captu ring and kee ping the attention of info rmation -overloaded consumers , espe- cially the 18- to 34-year-old male demographi c, is getting more challenging all the time," he notes . "By initiating a relationship on a consumer's preferred turf, at the time of the ir choosing, sponsors can connect w ith customers who are fully tuned in - not out ." For more infonn ation on "M o toc r oss America" sponsorship opportunities, con- tact Fran O 'H agan at 8311648- 107S.