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/128398
•
So What's Going On With AMA Flat Track?
T
he AMA Flat Track Championship has
recently been the setting in which a lot
of behind-the-scenes chatter has been taking place, specifically with regard to the
immediate and long-term future of the
series and how certain proposed changes
by AMA Pro Racing will impact that future.
It was not quite one month ago when
Cycle News first learned that there was a
potential course change slated for AMA Flat
Track. On Thursday, August 25, before the
Springfield Mile doubleheader weekend, it
was learned that a conference call reportedly took place among AMA Pro Racing
officials and the AMA dirt track advisory
board. Cycle News has confirmed that
AMA Pro Racing CEO Scott Hollingsworth,
AMA Pro Racing director of competition
Merrill Vanderslice and AMA Pro Racing
director of communications Kerry Graeber
were all party to the conference call, as
were AMA dirt track advisory board members Chris Carr, Eddie Adkins, Greg Crow,
Pat Alexander of American Suzuki and
Anne Paluso of Harley-Davidson Motor
Company. Additionally, two other HarleyDavidson employees not on the dirt track
advisory board were involved in the conversation: Scott Miller, Harley-Davidson
director
of
parts
&
accessories
marketing/director of Harley-Davidson
Racing, and Gary Stippich, Flat Track team
manager.
On September 4, following the
Springfield Mile, AMA dirt track advisory
board member Chris Carr held a closed-
door meeting at the Northfield Inn in
Springfield to discuss the initial proposal presented to the advisory board by AMA Pro
Racing to a number of team owners, riders,
mechanics and other dirt track stakeholders.
Cycle News requested to be present that
meeting, but that request was declined.
Cycle News has since obtained a copy of
a document prepared by AHA Pro Racing
titled ''AMA Flat Track Championship
Summary Plan." This document, published in
its entirety below, does shed light on the
AMA:s initial plan. Cycle News spoke to
Hollingsworth on September 26, and while
Hollingsworth objected over our decision to
run the document, he candidly spoke on the
record about AMA Pro Racing's objectives
and concerns for the future of flat track racing. Those comments will be published
alongside comments from Harley-Davidson
officials as well as officials from a number of
the non-American OEs, riders and team
owners in an upcoming issue of Cycle News.
Stay tuned.
Scott Rousseau
BACKGROUND
• AMA Flat Track once again faces an
uncertain future
• Risk Reward for new promoters is out
of balance
- consistent scheduling problems
- cost overruns
- highly concentrated (Illinois) geographic
spread of events
• Structure limits OEM involvement
and investment:
- Manufacturers must utilize both singles
and twins to win Championships,
while production is more specialized
• AMA Flat Track is FAlLING to attract
new spectators:
- Attendance is down 30 percent from
2000 levels
• In a soft economy/market, available
resources will DECLINE
OB ECTIVES
I) Better risk/reward for promoters
2) Improved fan experience
3) Enhanced opportunity for OEM
involvement
4) Increased promotional support
for events
5) Lower equipment costs
6) Maintain existing purses on
"Legacy" events
OPTIONS
• STATUS QUO:
- May results in fewer resources from H·D
- Will not address long-term decline
• CREATE NEW PLAN:
- Separate singles and twin
• 3 - 4 "combined" events
• 4 - S "support" events