AMA Pro Racing’s decision to reduce the penalty of Josh Herrin from a one-event-weekend, two-race suspension to a one-race suspension has been criticized by some riders in the AMA paddock. Herrin, who rides for the Monster Energy Graves Yamaha team, was initially suspended for one event weekend (two races) for making contact with Dane Westby during the sprint to the finish line on the final lap of the Daytona 200, March 12 at Daytona International Speedway. That contact led to Westby and Taylor Knapp crashing at approximately 170 mph. The only injury to come of the crash was a broken left thumb for Westby, which may have been a miracle according to long-time participants in AMA Pro road racing. On May 3, AMA Pro Racing issued a press release reporting on an official two-day test at Miller Motorsports Park. Buried deep within that release was news that a meeting between AMA Pro Racing officials, Monster Energy Graves Yamaha staff and Herrin had resulted in Herrin’s penalty being reduced from two races to one race. “My question is do you think they would have reduced that [penalty] had one of those guys been killed?” asked Michael Barnes, a 21-year veteran of AMA Pro Road Racing and a current competitor in the XR1200 class. “It’s a valid question. We are so lucky we haven’t had somebody die at Daytona for some time, especially with the danger of the banking and everything. I’ve got a few miles around Daytona and that’s one of the things I respect the most is going down the straightaway. You don’t want to tangle with somebody and get shot off into the wall, because it’s not going to feel good. I was happy to see that he was penalized because it was obvious to everyone that he did something wrong, but I don’t agree with reducing the penalty they gave out. To give it out and then go back and change it just reminds me of the old AMA days.” Asked to explain what he meant by “the old AMA days,” Barnes said, “Inconsistency of our rules, the same rules don’t apply the same way to everyone all of the time. That’s been our biggest problem is (not) having a rulebook that covers absolutely everything and gets followed to the T, like an FIM rulebook does.” “I thought that [a suspension of] two races was a penalty that served the crime,” said National Guard Suzuki’s Roger Hayden. “I thought the AMA would have held their ground on this and sent the message across to people that dirty riding is not acceptable and here’s the penalty and there’s nothing you can do about it. But obviously this shows that when they give you a penalty the AMA’s penalties are pretty much negotiable. “It’s not like I want Josh [Herrin] to get penalized,” continued Hayden. “I don’t care if it was my brother. If you make a bonehead move you’re gonna have to pay the price. I’ve made mistakes racing, too, knocked someone down on accident. I don’t think Josh meant to cause that wreck whatsoever. He made a mistake and got too aggressive. I thought the AMA made a pretty good point and they put their foot down, but obviously somewhere along the line they changed it. When you say it’s not reviewable and then six weeks later you change the penalty, in my opinion, it shows that if you get a penalty or suspended or whatever happens all of it’s gonna be negotiable. Just go in there and complain long enough and they’re going to reduce it.” “If you whine enough you get whatever you want. That’s kind of what it feels like,” said Knapp, who rides for the Vesrah Suzuki team. “Yamaha is complaining to the AMA, and they [AMA Pro Racing] gave in. That’s not good. I’m not too happy about it.” Some riders compared Herrin’s situation to that of Clinton Seller, a South African who raced for the Project 1 Atlanta Yamaha team in 2010. During Daytona SportBike Race One last season at Virginia International Raceway (VIR), Seller got too aggressive in Turn One at the start and made contact with Herrin, knocking him down at the entrance to the first turn. For his actions, Seller was given a one-event/two-race suspension, which he served by sitting out the event at New Jersey Motorsports Park. “Seller had to pay a penalty. They stuck with his. He had to sit out a whole weekend of races,” said Knapp. “The same thing happened for Herrin, but they complained and complained so they could get it changed. They should have stuck with it. In my opinion, Josh Herrin’s was a worse situation than Seller’s. If anything Josh Herrin should have gotten a worse penalty than Seller, and Seller got the two-race suspension and now Josh just has the one [-race suspension]. It just doesn’t add up to me. I think they should have some consistency. I’m sure Yamaha is not gonna be happy, but that’s the consequences. Now, people think if you complain enough you can get what you want, and that’s not right.” Roadracingworld.com left a phone message seeking comment from racer Jake Zemke, who was an eyewitness to the incident at Daytona, but Zemke had not returned the call at post time. Daytona 200 race winner Jason DiSalvo declined to comment. Contacted by Roadracingworld.com and asked if he would comment on the feedback gathered from riders, AMA Pro Racing COO and Managing Partner David Atlas said, “We met with [Herrin at Miller Motorsports Park] and it was a confidential meeting. We did what we thought was warranted. We studied the entire matter very carefully and determined what was announced on Tuesday [May 3] was the best resolution of it.” As for comparing penalties given to Seller and Herrin, Atlas said, “What we have come to understand is how and when we mete out penalties and other actions we might take to address certain situations is something that needs a lot of precision. So I will be announcing at the next rider’s meeting at Infineon [Raceway] further specifics about how AMA Pro will address that going forward. You’re right in comparing one situation to another and saying what is the formula that was followed, and I’ll have something to say about that at the rider’s meeting at Infineon. It will be a central matter for us going forward. “It ought to be evident that AMA Pro is trying very hard to be the best sanctioning body we can be, and we take that real seriously,” Atlas continued. “In connection with that desire comes a lot of soul searching and scrutinization of how we do business going forward, and this entire chapter has caused us to take a very careful look at what our past practices have been as well as how we can optimize the situation. I am totally committed to make sure we are doing these things in the best and most thorough and fair fashion. We don’t want to be heavy-handed how we do any of this stuff, and it’s caused us to really examine what the dynamics are, and we will be addressing it further at Infineon.”