According to an e-mail sent to various race team managers by AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman, the AMA will follow the example of the FIM and try to sell the commercial rights for all AMA Professional Racing Series. The commercial rights available for sale to an overall series promoter include those for Superbike, outdoor motocross, dirt track, Supermoto and hillclimb. Live Nation already holds the series promotional rights to Supercross. DORNA holds the commercial rights to the FIM MotoGP Series, and FGSport holds the commercial rights to the FIM World Superbike Series. The e-mail, forwarded to Roadracingworld.com by a motorcycle company executive, follows: As a valued AMA stakeholder, I am writing you to share information on our future plans and seek your input. Earlier this week I presented a new vision for the AMA to the staff of the association which I have attached for your review. This announcement was also published in Cycle News. As you’ll see, I describe a new business model for the AMA designed to focus the association’s resources on the primary mission of serving as advocates for the interests of motorcyclists. As part of this plan, the AMA will be getting out of the racing promotions business. Moving forward, our plan is to partner with qualified series promoters for all disciplines. The AMA will continue to sanction events and provide operational staff while working closely to support our series. In the short term, it will be business as usual. As we identify and engage solid series promoters, we will gradually transition the management of the commercial aspects of each series to our promotional partners. While we are embarking on a major restructuring of our business plan, I want to take this opportunity to reassure you of the AMA’s commitment to the sport of motorcycle racing, overall. We will continue to govern the sporting aspects of racing and provide a range of services to the racing community. Similarly, our commitment to riders, teams, track promoters, and series sponsors is undiminished. Your role in the sport is invaluable and will continue to be so as we restructure the association. The AMA has a rich heritage of motorcycle racing and we will always honor that history. Our primary goal in this process is to strengthen the management of racing by partnering with series promoters who are capable of helping the AMA enhance the growth of the sport. We have established a special e-mail address for suggestions and comments. I would sincerely appreciate your feedback so please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the American Motorcyclist Association Regards, Rob Dingman President/CEO American Motorcyclist Association Questions and Answers Regarding Latest AMA Announcement Q: Is the AMA getting out of motorcycle racing? A: No. We are redefining our role in motorcycle racing so we can focus exclusively on race sanctioning as opposed to race promotion. We will continue to service the needs of our racing members while we partner with companies that have the ability to effectively manage motorcycle racing from the commercial perspective. Our role will be to sanction events and provide operational staffing where it is required. Q: Why is the AMA making these changes? A: The primary mission of the AMA is to service its members in the pursuit, promotion and protection of the future of motorcycling. Over time the AMA has drifted away from that mission because the association tried to accomplish too many things for which it didn’t have the necessary resources. This has resulted in disappointment and dissatisfaction with the AMA among the motorcycling community. AMA Senior management and the Board of Directors now recognize that it is not in the best interest of the company to continue in this direction and that it has become necessary to effect serious change to the organization. Q: It seems that the AMA has been in transition for a long time now. Will this situation be resolved? A: Yes. Simply stated, our goal is to restructure the AMA’s business plan so the organization can focus on its core competencies. By objectively identifying what we should be doing based on our mission statement, and utilizing our resources efficiently, we believe we can restore confidence in the association and become an effective membership organization again. Q: How will this help grow AMA Racing properties? A: We will actively seek and engage with companies that can professionally manage the commercial side of racing. This includes promotion, marketing and sponsorship, among other things. These companies will be highly capitalized and possess the necessary infrastructure to accomplish that specific job. The AMA does not have those abilities and past attempts in these areas have diluted the overall effectiveness and reputation of the organization. Q: How would you describe the future opportunities for motorcycle racing in the United States? A: Overall we have tremendous growth opportunities in each of our major racing disciplines. With each we face unique challenges, but we are confident that with the proper promotional partners our programs can flourish. Q: Is this new initiative similar to what’s already in place with Live Nation with regards to AMA Supercross? A: Yes. We have a great partnership with Live Nation which specifically defines their role, and ours, in the management of the AMA Supercross Series. Live Nation is responsible for all of the commercial aspects of AMA Supercross and the AMA is responsible for the sporting aspects. It’s an effective partnership that has resulted in the AMA Supercross series growing into the highest profile motorcycle racing series in the United States. We believe we can raise the awareness of all our racing properties by applying this type of management structure and this will strengthen motorcycle racing for everyone. Another good example would be NHRA’s recent announcement that the commercial aspects of their series will be run by a newly formed entertainment company. Q: What is the timeframe for the AMA to effect these changes? A: We have already started and expect the process to take two to three years. Therefore we will continue seeking series sponsorship until such time that we are no longer the group managing the commercial aspects of each series. Q:Will the AMA name continue to be associated with motorcycle racing? A: Yes. It is our intention that all racers will continue to pursue AMA #1 plates in all disciplines Q: Will the AMA still license riders? A: Yes. As part of the role of the sanctioning body, it will remain the responsibility of the AMA to determine rider eligibility and qualifications through a licensing process. Q: What will the AMA do with amateur racing? A: Our goal is to work with good firms to strengthen the entire infrastructure for the sport and grass roots racing is our most important group of activities within racing. Only a few riders get to run an AMA Supercross, Motocross, or Superbike event, but thousands of riders participate in our amateur racing programs. In a future with solid series promoter partners, our amateur racing series should grow and prosper. It is very important that our amateur and professional programs are prioritized equally, and where it’s appropriate, coordinated together as this is the foundation of the system that produces our annual AMA Champions. There are already AMA amateur and Pro/Am series where we work with other series and track promoters together so our new approach to racing overall, should continue to drive the growth at the grass roots levels. Q: How will these changes affect current partners and sponsors of AMA Racing? A: Our objective as it relates to our commercial partners is to increase the value they receive from their investment in the sport. We place tremendous value in the relationships we have built with our sponsorship partners. Any new business relationships we form in the future will recognize the past support and involvement of our sponsors. Existing entitlements and contractual obligations will be recognized and in the long run, all of our partners will benefit from a more efficient racing infrastructure. Q: When this restructuring is complete what can the motorcycle community expect from the AMA? A: The AMA will be rebuilt into a world class membership organization with a renewed focus on the core mission of the pursuit, promotion and protection of the future of motorcycling. We will be staffed appropriately and we will possess the necessary resources to excel. We will refine our purpose, enhance our offerings and communicate better with the motorcycle community. The overall result will a stronger AMA rededicated to the values, beliefs and services on which it was founded.