On Sunday, July 5, at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca AMA Pro Racing President Roger Edmondson called a press conference to announce plans for a new road race class for 450cc singles, and he ended up discussing many of his plans for the 2010 season. Below is a transcript of the majority of the announcement and the following question and answer period with reporters. The announcement was held outside, next to a stunt bike exhibition in the vendor midway, so some portions were inaudible and omitted. Edmondson: There’s been a lot of questions on what we’re going to do with our class structure for next year, so let me begin with things that you’re not expecting. We’re going to have SportBike and Superbike, both of which will continue as they are with minor evolutions on the rules. On Supersport, which this year has been open only to 16- to 21-year-old riders, next year it will be open to all club racing Experts. So no matter what your organization is, if it’s WERA or CCS or AFM or any of the other great organizations around the country, if you’ve got an Expert license you’ll be able to come to an AMA Pro race and run in Supersport, using the spec tires of course and under the same rules that everyone else has to run. Now that program will not have a cumulative points championship for the general entry population. It will have instead a program where those riders will be qualified for a year-end run-off National Championship race, and the first year for sure it will happen at Daytona. Within that we will continue to keep separate points for the 16- to 21-year-old riders for a Rookie of the Year program so that we can recognize those riders who are in that age group who are becoming stars. The big interesting item today is our commitment to work with Gavin [Trippe] to introduce the Formula 450 class to AMA Pro Racing. Hopefully, we’re going to have this up and running as a professional category for 2010. It’s not impossible that we may run into some snags and have to put that off as a full-fledged season program to 2011, but we’ll know in short order. Our concept is a little bit different than Gavin’s. He’s worked on this for a long time and has a great idea with the idea that there are already 450 motocross and Supermoto bikes out there that with a little effort and a little work and the right kits can be turned into road racers. It should make a very interesting class both visually and competitionally. Our belief is that on the Pro level we need to look at a totally different business model, and so we’re going to be working with various manufacturers in the market to come up with a single manufacturer for a spec bike that will end being an arrive-and-ride program. In other words, all the bikes will come in one truck, will all be tuned by one company and the motorcycles will remain ours, very much like the Red Bull Rookies Cup program. This would then become at that point in time the young guns program. It will become a lease program with everything included — tires, fuel, insurance, entry fees all the stuff you need to go race for the full season for one fee. And that’s the way we will do the Pro class Gavin’s going to work with us on creating the kit that will allow people to buy these bikes no matter which organization they race with around the country and know that if they’re a WERA racer, for example, they can come out here to run an AFM race [and] that the equipment here will be the same equipment that they’re running back east. The industry has shown in the past that the desire to win Championships no matter what they are and we end up with a young guns program designed to showcase new talent and we end up with it being used to showcase motorcycles. And so I think the only way to make sure we are looking purely at what the riders are doing is to make sure the bikes are all the same. And that is our plan. Now what I’ve got to find is a dance partner. I have to find a manufacturer who is prepared to create that motorcycle for us the way we believe it should be and only for that purpose. Ultimately that may become a track day bike, a school bike. It has other potential down the road, but the best program is going to be where the bike doesn’t change year in and year out and there’s no obsolescence. So one-stop shopping, a father can walk up and put down a check and know that his son’s racing is covered for that year and he’s got a chance to show what his talent can do. On the club race stuff, it’s a multi-brand program. We believe very much that the 450 has to be supported. There’s been some interest, I think, in motocross, supercross and other areas, some pressure to move away from the 450s. It’s very clear that the manufacturers want the 450s. They all make one, it’s in several platforms and we want to support that. We want to make sure they understand we’re on board with 450s for everything that makes sense to do. I think on the club level the fact that he [Trippe] has this concept where you can take whatever brand you may already own and turn it into a competitive bike is one we need to support. Question: But club-level bikes will not be allowed to race in the AMA Pro class? Edmondson: But the equipment standards need to be the same. For instance, fuel-injection needs to be part of it. That’s gonna eliminate some of the older motocross bikes, but that’s just the way it needs to be. We’re looking for something that can have a long-term and people can count on it playing out. Question: How confident are you in this economy that you can find that partner? Edmondson: I think that everybody is still making motorcycles and they’d like to find out (inaudible). I need one partner, and I’m going to find them. Question: Is there going to be qualifying for the Pro level for the kids or is it going to be open to anyone? Edmondson: No, I would say that they’re going to have to have a certain level of experience and they’re going to have to have a certain amount of funding to be able to do it, which will disqualify some folks. And it’s not going to be the only path. Remember, we’re going to continue to have SuperSport, too, okay. For those who want to come up through the 600 side, that opportunity will still exist. Question: Do you think there’s enough to do both? Edmondson: Yes. Question: Is there going to be a limit of age on the 450 class? Edmondson: Yes, it will be the 16 to 21 year olds, a young people’s class. At the club level that’s not the case, but at the Pro level that’s what that class is for. Question: Where are going to find time on the weekends for all of this? Edmondson: Believe me. There’s plenty of time. We’ve got a lot of down time on our weekends right now, and our promoters are asking for more activities. We’re going to give it to them. Question: So you’re basically adding another class? Edmondson: We’re adding another class. Question: What’s going to happen with Moto-GT? Edmondson: We’re not here to talk about Moto-GT. We haven’t made that decision yet, but it’s going to continue. Question: What the name of the class going to be? Edmondson: I have to work that out with Gavin. Right now I think he has the rights to F-450 and I don’t want to impede on his rights at all so we’ll work that out with him. But that’s a good start. Question: This same announcement was made here two years ago, and nothing ever happened with 450s. Guys didn’t build them. I’ve seen maybe five bikes in the entire country go around a road race track. Why is it going to work now? Edmondson: I think there’s a commitment being made now that wasn’t made before. You’ve got different leadership, you’ve got different financial backing, and you’ve got a different model. The model that we’re doing is to try to create the chicken and not the eggs. Once we establish that Pro class and people know it’s going to happen I believe that that will create interest on the club level. Plus we’re going to work with the clubs in a way I’m not prepared to discuss today, but it’s going to be a unique approach to every single club. Question: Do you have a price point you’re looking at? Edmondson: I’ve been asking Gavin about that. Are you talking about the lease program? Question: Yeah. Edmondson: No, I don’t think we’re ready for that yet. We have to evaluate so many things: fuel costs, insurance costs, entry fees, tires, wear and tear, replacement parts and somebody to put together the whole package to make sure that when it comes here you’ve got 30 motorcycles that are all the same and the cost to do that. I’m going to certainly talk to the people who ran the KTM program for Red Bull with the idea of trying to get a handle on it. But it will be reasonable. I think probably the question you may want to ask through the paddock is those who are following SuperSport right now, find out what they’re spending. It’ll be competitive. Question: The Red Bull Rookies Cup, one of the problems they have is with mechanical reliability with the machine. When the guys show up over there they never know what’s going to happen with their bike, how it’s going to run. How do you hope to address that issue? Edmondson: Well, obviously we want to be very careful about putting people on motorcycles and come back to us in a liability situation. I think part of that is you don’t maximize the performance of the bikes. We need to keep something in reserve so we are able to put them out there and know that they are going to past. Question: Supersport open to Expert-level club racers age 16 and up. Will there be a maximum age limit? Edmondson: Only this, it was never intended at the rookie level that we have people riding both SuperSport and [Daytona] SportBike. So if you’re a club racing Expert and you want to enter SuperSport that means you theoretically have the credentials to also get a Pro license and run SportBike. In that case you need to make the choice. When fans come here they shouldn’t see eight versions of the same thing. ‘That’s the same guy I saw before on the same bike and it looks the same but it’s got a different number.’ We need to make this simple to understand for us and the fans. Question: So then can you explain what’s different about SuperSport and SportBike other than the riders? Edmondson: That’s what we’re talking about. Question: Can a manufacturer, if he wants to get an easy Championship, put a gun in the SuperSport class? Edmondson: I suppose they could, except remember there’s no cumulative points in SuperSport. SuperSport is just a qualifier for the year-end run-off. So they better hope they’re lucky that day running against all those other guys. Question: And Rookie of the Year? Edmondson: That will come from within. Within the Rolex series we have a special program that recognizes the gentleman drivers versus the truly professional drivers. So it’s a points total within a points total. Question: Did you ever consider the 450 class being open to the manufacturers at the Pro level? Edmondson: Yes, we did, and the problem is three areas. First one, as I mentioned earlier, we don’t need the manufacturers to have to support another program to try to win Championship. That’s an expense for them they don’t need to have. And we don’t need the young guns program to be warped by manufacturer involvement. We started SuperSport this year at Fontana with seven bikes. When I sell a promoter a race weekend he deserves to know he’s going to have a show. Seven bikes don’t make a show. So I’ve got to have a program that I can deliver that is predictable. And I don’t need 100 bikes. If this catches on like crazy we can’t deal with that either. So by keeping it the way we’re talking about, single brand, one trailer full of bikes, we know predictably what the show is going to be. Question: Who will own the infrastructure, AMA Pro Racing, the manufacturer partner or the third-party vendor? Edmondson: It will be us, AMA Pro Racing. Question: Will that 30 bike limit stay at that number or if you get enough interest”¦? Edmondson: We’ll see what happens. I’d like to think that there will be pressure to increase that, but I think that’s a reasonable starting point. And it’s not inconceivable that we will only sell 24 seats. If that’s the case then it will be a 24-seat program, but if there’s a demand fro 40 at some point in time that would be great. I’d like to think if that’s the case the whole world economy’s going to look a whole lot different than it does today. Question: Timeline-wise, what are we looking at here, next year, 2011? Edmondson: If we can do this next year we will, but there’s a lot of pieces that have to be put together. I have to find that dance partner first. Then I’ve got to find the right vendor who we believe can build and prepare and maintain these bikes and have them at each race ready to go. I haven’t found either yet. Question: Is there going to be a deadline where people can move on with their 2010 plans if nothing happens? Edmondson: We’ll hopefully have another announcement in the next 60 to 90 days. And after that if we’re not able to I’d say we’re talking about a 2011 project. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want to get the club racing program going. We want to try to give people as much information as we can, but I don’t want to announce things and have to backtrack. We keep going back to the fact that we announced the purse structure at the beginning of the year and we had the sponsorship bailout and we had to go back and cut back on those purses. Now we’re still paying more than as ever been paid before, but I never read about that. I just how we screwed people out of purse they hadn’t earned yet. So we’re going to try and handle this a little bit more conservatively this time. Question: At the beginning you mentioned Superbike and SportBike plans for next year. Could you say that over again? Edmondson: Changes will be minimal. Two things, we want to set up a Road Racing Council that includes people in the industry and try to use their feedback to find out, first off, what’s working for them and what isn’t working for them in the current program. And secondly, I’ve said for a long time we want to set up a world standard set of rules for national championships that can be put in the hands of the FIM. We need to get out of the politics of writing all these rules, but we’ve got to work with the manufacturers, we’ve got to work with the FIM, we’ve got to work with the other major Superbike Championships to try to find consensus. At the end of the day, finding consensus is a challenge. Keeping it is even worse. And so that’s why I believe that once that first set of rules is adopted it has to be handed off to the FIM and then we have to be willing to abide by it. Question: But aren’t they already a little closer to consensus than you are? Edmondson: That’s possible. That doesn’t mean they’re right. Right now we have some very competitive racing with very affordable machines. And I think that’s what’s going to make the difference in the long term regarding National Championships in Superbike racing. Question: When can the teams expect technical rules package for 2010? Edmondson: Well, right now if they built a bike according to the current rulebook they’re probably going to be just fine. Question: But when can they get those rules in writing? Edmondson: Later in the year. You’re not gonna pin me down to that one. Question: If they’re going to be that close what’s the hold up? Edmondson: I’m not going to go any further than I just went. We’re working on a set of rules that are going to take what’s been in bulletins and what we’ve had as feedback, and we’re going to incorporate that into a rulebook. And when we’re ready we’ll tell you. Question: Will the 450s be cheaper to run than a 600? Edmondson: I don’t know. I don’t know. That’s what you need to ask. But it’s my understanding that people are spending around $150,000 a year to run a 600 right now in SuperSport. That’s pretty ambitious. But there’s no reason to think that it’s better to have 30 kids show up with 30 different bikes and all of them having to pay all of that transport, all of those miles on the road and all that other stuff when they can show up, ride the bike, go home. That’s got to be more cost-effective. And again there’s other issues about what we’re going to award the winner. My goal is to come up with a program where the Champion would then have a sponsored ride in SportBike the following year, but we haven’t got to that yet. So I don’t want to go too deep into it. This thing has lots of potential and all I’m trying to say today is we’re going to spend the next few months working hard trying to put it together and when we have more details, when things are in pace we’ll tell you. Question: Will they be allowed to work on the bikes? Edmondson: The bike will contain a certain amount of adjustability that’s legal. The electronics will be fixed. The basic tuning issues will be fixed. Obviously one of the issues we haven’t talked about it weight. He’s a little guy. I’m a big, old fat guy. If we had the same skill set we probably would not be the same around the racetrack. So we’re going to incorporate the ballast program that going to try to eliminate that and use combined rider/bike weight limits. His set up on the rear shock might be different than mine. We need to allow that. Question: Payment, would you expect payment for the year up front or can they make installment payments? Edmondson: Well, we’re getting into details, but I’m talking to SunTrust right now to see if we can’t come up with a contract people can sign and make their payments to the bank. This is going to be a complete program when it’s rolled out.