FIRST PERSON/OPINION
Via e-mail:
In response to the editorial that David Swarts wrote (~https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?lnk=rss&article=39047~), I would also like to share my opinion. David touched on a lot of troubling subjects concerning the current state of professional motorcycle racing, I would like to touch on the prize purse situation. I certainly agree with most peoples’ concerns, there are many issues that need to be addressed to get professional motorcycle racing heading in the right direction in this country, some can be fixed now and some will take time. I have spent a lot of money and years of my life chasing the dream of racing motorcycles, when I first started racing in America I was outside the top 10 but with a good result I would win a little prize money and some tires. My second year I had some top 10s, I would take home a reasonable prize purse and I would not have a tire bill due to contingency. 2009 was my third season in AMA, along with many others I was excited that the sport was headed for good things. I invested more money by purchasing a semi-truck and trailer, we were told by Roger Edmondson back at the end of 2008 to get our teams to the highest standard and he would do the rest. Well, I did my part, but he certainly did not do his part! For 2009 the prize purse was increased but I also had to pay for tires so they kind of cancelled each other out; however for the riders that were not able to get free tires this prize purse enabled them to go racing. The prize purse also enabled me to put at one stage four bikes on the grid, without that prize purse those riders would not have been able to race. It was well known that Edmondson was trying to make 600s the premier class, I have not spoken to anybody else who agreed with this decision and I’m sure the new management at DMG will be trying to get Superbike back on top.
The factories who have been the backbone of this sport were investing all their money into Superbike, the true fans come to watch the racing in all classes but your average person who has some kind of an interest in motorcycles wants to see Superbikes. For 2010 the Superbike class is looking pretty slim with less than 10 riders confirmed for the season. I’m a racer so of course I’m optimistic, I would like to believe that for 2011 the Championship will be back on track, the manufacturers will have all jumped back in and there are some sponsorship dollars floating around.
I think that everyone can see that if we have less than 10 bikes on the grid none of that is going to happen. I have spoken to a large number of riders and most stated they would be able to compete in AMA next year if the prize purse was at least what it was for 2009. This is across the board for all classes. I have heard people say that this is professional racing and you can’t budget for a prize purse that you may not get. Well, the truth is there are riders like myself running well inside the top 10 and we are paying to be there, the sport has been driven into the ground so there is little hope of finding a sponsor that will invest in the sport, so that forces most riders to count on prize money. We all race because we love it but it costs so much money to race at that level. In the past we had something to aspire to, there were sponsorship dollars out there and there were a number of paid rides. But as it sits at the moment if I was to win the Superbike race at Daytona I wouldn’t even win enough money to cover my tire bill. For there to be more than 10 bikes on the grid in Superbike there needs to be a prize purse, that prize purse is not going to cover the rider’s cost for the weekend, it will certainly help but the rider will still be spending his money to be there. Racers need something to aspire to, that is why they spend all that money, without healthy grids and the chance of manufacturers and sponsors coming back on board they are not going to invest all their money and effort into racing AMA. Hopefully someone at DMG will read this and see how important the prize purse is to not only the competitors but also the sport.
David “Aussie Dave” Anthony
Temecula, California
FIRST PERSON/OPINION
Via e-mail:
Why does this situation remind of war in the Middle East? You know, evil leader is gone, leaving behind untold wreckage and refugees… Who’s in charge at DMG anyway?
Phillip Williamson Lake Mary, Florida
FIRST PERSON/OPINION
Via e-mail:
RE: ~https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?lnk=rss&article=39047~
I write in response to this piece as a somewhat disinterested British observer of AMA Pro road racing. I do note that it is in no small part due to the efforts of Roger Edmondson last year that we have Neil Hodgson back in the British Superbike Championship for 2010, so very many thanks for that, Mr. Edmondson!
Beyond that, I think that perhaps it might be a worthwhile exercise for you to compare the British Superbike series with the AMA series from top to bottom to understand why BSB seems to mostly work, and the AMA series seems mostly not to, certainly on the 2009 evidence.
If you had to pick out only one difference, you’d have to say that BSB has as Race and Series Director the enormously respected and trusted Stuart Higgs, whereas the AMA seemed to be in the hands of Roger Edmondson and… some less-well-thought-of folks.
However, if you go deeper, you can see that almost every issue that arose with and in AMA Pro Racing this year and that Roadracing World reported on last year was mirrored by something similar that happened in 2009 in the British Superbike Championship, and yet if you compare how those comparable events and situations were handled in the two series, you can almost see a straight correlation between “The right way” and BSB, or “The wrong way” and AMA. When BSB does make a mistake, Stuart Higgs has always been quick to explain what went wrong, apologise for it and put it right in future.
Incidentally, safety cars were introduced a few years ago into BSB. They were introduced carefully and safely, everybody is on the same page with them, and now they are just accepted in all classes as part of BSB racing, reducing the number of red flags. BSB already threw many less red flags per race than AMA Pro road racing based on a rough count, even before that change came in, one reason perhaps being that the AMA rulebook seems to contain perverse incentives for a rider to look for a red flag after they have fallen off in the hope of getting a second chance on their spare bike. In BSB, if you are judged to be the cause of a red flag even through no fault of your own then you are excluded from any restart, so it is not in your interests to lay where you fell for a couple of laps in the hope that your luck might change. My point here is to speculate that perhaps introducing safety cars into a racing culture that considers a red flag to be a bad thing is easier than introducing it into a racing culture that has come to consider it a good thing? If anybody else can suggest why safety car use during incident clean-up in BSB is seen as a great innovation supported by fans, TV producers and racers alike, whereas in AMA it was universally condemned in principle and nearly resulted in multiple fatalities in practice, I’d be very keen to hear it!
Ken Haylock
Hemel Hempstead, United Kingdom
FIRST PERSON/OPINION
Via e-mail:
Thank God David Swarts said it. Very clear and offered solutions and ideas. So many ramble but do not offer clear, detailed ideas on how to fix the AMA. No doubt the AMA is broken but few offer solutions. This industry was already tough to get recognized in, but the 2009 AMA season and some proposed 2010 ideas are making it almost impossible. It is a shame that the “premier” racing organization in America costs racers money when WERA rewards fast racers. It is an easy decision for most all non-factory riders. You can finish in the top three in WERA and make a nice check but your efforts in the AMA will cost you big.
I enjoy watching the AMA races but if they are not willing to accept some wise input, I believe we will be watching five guys battle for the win. WERA/CMRA/CCS racers need a place to race to be “discovered” so I say thanks to Swarts for his great insight.
Cam Morehead
M&M Racing www.mmracing.biz
Westminster, South Carolina
FIRST PERSON/OPINION
Via e-mail:
The article by David Swarts was spot-on and should be required reading for every AMA staffer, both future and present. I only wish that there was more room to describe the lengthy list of indiscretions from the past two years.
This change in AMA leadership is a chance for a new beginning at the AMA and for professional motorcycle road racing in America. The next step is to put people in management positions that are going to unify the AMA with the fans, teams, and manufacturers, and not drive a wedge between us. We enjoyed some of the best racing in AMA history in 2009 and nobody noticed because we were too busy dealing with one controversy after another.
The fans of this sport deserve better.
Thank you, Mr. Swarts, for taking the time to write this article and thank you, Mr. Atlas, for accepting the challenge of righting this ship. Good luck and may God help us all.
Chip Spalding
KWS Motorsports
Charleston, South Carolina