Participation at the 2008 AMA Sports Road Race Grand Championships (RRCG) September 19-21 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course was low compared to previous events and compared to WERA and CCS events happening the same weekend. The 2008 AMA Sports RRGC, which was run under CCS classes and rules and by CCS officials, drew 61 riders and 200 race entries. The 2007 AMA Sports RRGC, which was run with WERA officials, had 194 riders and 572 entries. The CCS/ASRA at VIR last weekend drew 230 riders and 895 entries, the WERA Sportsman races at Summit Point attracted 121 riders and entries in the “high 300’s” and the WERA National event at Barber Motorsports Park gathered 118 riders and entries in the “mid 200’s.” Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association, a regional club that runs road races in Texas and Oklahoma, draws 160 riders and 500 race entries on a typical weekend, not including their popular mini-bike and big-bike endurance series. AMA Racing Senior Director Bryan Cohn agreed that rider attendance at the 2008 AMA Sports RRGC was down and he placed the blame directly on former partner WERA. “There was a line drawn in the sand by the folks at WERA,” Cohn told Roadracingworld.com. “So that hurt, but the flip side is the other events that WERA was running this weekend were very, very under [attended], as well. Summit Point was very low on entries, and Barber was horrible for entries, as well. “There was just too much going on. There were five races on the East Coast. And it’s the end of the season. People are broke, and the price of gasoline, none of it’s helping. “To be honest, we were ecstatic with the turn out, with the number of entries, with the quality of riding. We didn’t have any injuries in three days. Nobody even went to medical when they fell. The ambulance never moved for three days” Cohn said he is working with CCS boss Kevin Elliott on ways to increase attendance at the 2009 AMA Sports RRGC. One idea is to add a full compliment of CCS regional races on Saturday with the RRGC races on Sunday. “I won’t confirm that at this point, as such, but I also won’t deny it,” said Cohn, who then confirmed that AMA Sports is contracted to hold another RRGC at Mid-Ohio in 2009.