AMA Road Racing

Finally, some good news on the road racing front.

http://www.cyclenews.com/646/24985/Racing-Article/AMA-Road-Racing--Wayne-Rainey-In--DMG-Out.aspx

Sounds interesting...with some background support from MotoGP, maybe this new series will get more TV time. Currently, I can't find any of the AMA stuff to watch.

The devil will be in the details of the rules and what tracks they will have available to them.

"The Ohio-based AMA, the world's premier motorcycle advocacy group, will staff officials at each round of the professional series and develop an enforcement, appeal and rider license procedure. The AMA will be responsible for issuing professional road racing licenses for the series.

MotoAmerica, in consultation with the AMA, will develop classes, the rules of competition and event procedures. While details of the rulebook are still in development, classes and events will conform to prevailing international standards.

"The structure of our agreement with the AMA serves the goal of developing riders to be successful on the world stage," Rainey said. "It allows a framework that supports advancement from youth competition to novice, from novice to Pro-Am, from Pro-Am to National Championship contention and, for the best of the best, an opportunity to race for a world title."

I hope they do adopt international standards.

DMG is giving up road racing but retaining but retaining flat trac, motocross, and hill climb from what I have read.

20774 said:

Sounds interesting...with some background support from MotoGP, maybe this new series will get more TV time. Currently, I can't find any of the AMA stuff to watch.

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The articles I have read have talked about "ties or relations with" Dorna. Dorna is owned by Bridgepoint, a holding company. They we one of the key players controlling FIFA World Cup soccer. Let's hope the relationship brings US racing worth watching along with better MotoGP and WSBK coverage in the process.

Great news! Anything with Wayne Rainey involved will be just fine. He is a class act. The DMG was the spawn of the devil when it comes to road racing here in the US. Can't wait.

Dorna out in support at the Misano races. http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2014/Dorna+CEO+pledges+support+for+new+MotoAmerica+racing+series

Tewster2 said:

The DMG was the spawn of the devil when it comes to road racing here in the US.

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It didn't have to be.

Honestly, I sure don't know what the root cause was for the ultimate outcome... whether Roger Edmundson was the jerk that the manufacturers and American motomedia made him out to be or if it's just the nature of manufacturers and American motomedia to take a negative stance by default.

But man, I remember all the vitriol that was spewed in the pages of many a magazine and web site, to the point whether you wondered whether anyone actually wanted DMG to succeed.

Was it because they hated DMG, or the AMA and just wanted to destroy things, or did they see a better way? Through all the gnashing of teeth and rending of garments, I'll be damned if I can remember any alternative ideas offered. (that doesn't mean there weren't any, I just didn't hear them or don't remember them)

I also sense a big change in the wind, where American racing will get sucked up into one global enterprise with very large "Rights-holder" organizations grasping the bars and the FIM providing them with a fig leaf in an effort to eliminate the AMA from professional racing.



And... does anyone remember the Paradama debacle?

Ian

AMA has road racing????? Who knew???

Visian said:

It didn't have to be.

Honestly, I sure don't know what the root cause was for the ultimate outcome... whether Roger Edmundson was the jerk that the manufacturers and American motomedia made him out to be or if it's just the nature of manufacturers and American motomedia to take a negative stance by default.

But man, I remember all the vitriol that was spewed in the pages of many a magazine and web site, to the point whether you wondered whether anyone actually wanted DMG to succeed.

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I'm not sure who the brainiac was who decided to start running the Daytona 200 at night. Or who decided that what America needed was smaller, slower bikes being pushed as the premier series. But these two things (more the latter) made me lose interest in about 6 months. We'll see if motorcyclists running the sport can generate a positive outcome...cuz car people (NASCAR, the worst kind) sure as heck didn't know how or didn't care to promote it properly. Good riddance to those bozos. Not that I'm bitter or anything.

Ask six people why DMG is or isn't the spawn of satin and you will receive at least twelve different answers. The real problem is that after seven years the rest of the people in the room will be scratching their heads and wondering who is this DMG that has everyone up in arms, or spitting,and asking what is this road racing thing with motorcycles you are talking about?

The real questions are where do we go from here and can This or any group resurrect US road racing? The rules format and what classes are adopted will be key to getting fans back and developing teams/riders.

Consider me another "I'm not bitter" person.....I really tried to follow a lot of what was going on at the time as DMG took over, then got rid of Edmondson, etc. Many of us thought things would improve because 'maybe' the big guy really did want it to succeed. Well, he certainly could have made it a success rather than alienating not just the manufacturers, but the track owners as well. And for television, gee whiz, what a disaster for the teams these past years trying to sell sponsorship, let alone the fans. I live where neither WSBK or AMA is carried on any cable or satellite providers. Fortunately, Fox Sports still carries MotoGP. I am happy as a clam it is carried live (usually 5am for me) because I record it anyway and watch when I have the time. But to try to watch AMA live on a poor digital feed when I only have a 3mb T1 line anyway is just a joke. And the one race where there really was the ability to have professional camera work done (Laguna), they could not do a deal because they still owed MotoGP for last year's deal.

I am very hopeful about the future with MotoAmerica, I hope all the positive 'spin' comes to pass. They already have a '15 calendar they are working on and they just got the rights! DMG didn't have a '14 calendar until what, January? and then no television contract? and 6 or 7 races? Maybe Josh Herrin will be back to duke it out with Cameron and Hayes. And maybe Roger Hayden will come into his own this next year. More than anything, I am very hopeful that the new series will indeed provide the rider development springboard for up and coming riders.