Fresh off a couple years of record attendance and wild popularity for flat track racing the AMA has decided to destroy the successful formula that has created all that positive buzz. Whenever a race series becomes popular the AMA cannot stop itself from diluting and dividing it into numerically more, yet overall weaker championships. They are doing just that in flat track with the new Supertwins class.
The historic, fabulous, drama-filled heat race format is no more. You’ll not see a lightly sponsored privateer like No. 23 Carver on an obsolete XR750 whip the asses of the best factory riders and teams like he did a few years ago. You’ll not see it because the AMA has limited entries to 18 pre-approved teams. No more heat races, no more last chance qualifiers, no more excitement.
The AMA hopes that we won’t notice that the game is rigged but flat track fans know a setup when we see one. To get in the Elite 18 it will take lots of money along with co-branding with the AMA and your chances of getting picked are much better if you have a really nice race transport semi-truck and branded pit barriers. Rider talent only comes into play after all the other barriers have been surmounted.
The chosen few will run two semis and if I know the AMA and the power of money I’m guessing the first nine places of each semi will make the main. It’s NASCAR thinking run amok. The AMA wants a more professional product to sell to television audiences. They want recognizable teams and popular riders spoon fed to an audience they feel are too stupid to appreciate a couple of privateers pitching a heated battle for 8th place. They want us to be like NASCAR fans cheering on personalities and products rather than effort. To achieve this end they are tossing out the very things that have made AMA flat track the premier motorcycle race series in America.
The AMA has it backwards. Fancy transporters and branded awnings don’t mean shit to flat track fans when the flag drops. AMA flat track is popular because of the unpredictable rough and tumble racing, not in spite of it. It’s popular because of the lone wolf in his van taking on the biggest motorcycle manufacturers in spite of the fact that it seems hopeless. It’s popular because no matter how out-gunned any expert rider on any night can ride his ass off and make the main event or even win the whole shebang. It has happened more than once.
You haven’t heard a crowd roar like the throat-rattling cheer flat track fans make when an underdog rider beats the big guns in a main event. It restores your faith in hard work, man. I hear you when you tell me the same guys win all the races anyway. That’s because they are the best riders on the best bikes. It’s always been that way in motorcycle racing, but flat track fans still hope to see the improbable and we don’t need to dumb down flat track to make our hopes impossible.
The legalese mumbo-jumbo in the document above is the rider’s path to the Main Event now. Replace grit, determination and talent with money and you have the new rules pretty well down. Teams will need to be partners with the AMA, it’s so not like it used to be and frustrating as hell. What utter and complete bullshit.
The list of eligible engines for Supertwins is longer than the number of eligible teams!
Ah well, it was an exciting, if short-lived resurgence in American Flat Track racing. At least we still have the singles class and an interesting, if sporadic, ATF Production Twins class (the true Class C Championship). The powers that be cannot leave well enough alone. Success is not enough for today’s bottom-line economy. Branding, sponsorship and tight control of the final product are paramount. It won’t be long before the AMA sells the racing rights to an engine manufacturer and Supertwins becomes a one-design spec class. I guess nothing ever stays the same and we all get sold out in the end. Welcome to AMA Flat track 2020.
What the heck is so intrinsic in any bureaucracy to destroy what it is supposed to benefit? Who puts them in power and who keeps them in power ?
Where’s the “angry” emoticon to add? Urgh!
The AMA doesn’t own the Flattrack Championship any more. They sold it to the France’s of NASCAR. AFT as it is now known will suffer while it gets to its feet.
The only thing constant in the history of the Championship is change.
…..but how do you REALLY feel about it Joe?
I don’t think there’s enough cash in the Yoo-Hoo marketing budget to sponsor team….
Never been a big racing fan. But I’ve really enjoyed the couple of times I’ve attended a flat track race in Carson City, Nevada. Small venue, up-close action, fun crowd. This is part of a series produced by Western Flat Track that happens in California, Nevada, and a few other places here in the West. It’s rough and tumble and big fun.
https://www.westernflattrack.com/
Dang just when it was kind of getting interesting, and then the AMA changes everything up. I used to follow Superbike racing really closely until the AMA messed with it and then call 600 cc bikes super bikes and let the big boys run under some other class or something else and everybody just kind of shrugged their shoulders and walked away. The sounds like the same kind of thing. Well, I’ll still watch and see what happens and if it gets too NASCAR like I guess I’ll just do like I did with Superbike racing, just kind of walk away.
AMA has nothing to do with AFT rules. NOTHING.
Why do you insist on using the AMA moniker? The AMA SOLD their position in professional flat track motorcycle racing to the Daytona Motor Group, a division of NASCAR, years ago.
DMG initially ran races under the AMA PRO title, but a couple of years ago re-branded themselves as AFT, American Flat Track.
“Why do you insist on using the AMA moniker?” It’s AMA sanctioned which means they approve.
AMA is our group.
Farley,
AMA Pro racing runs AFT. AMA pro still uses the AMA logo on their site.
I corrected the title to reflect that (actually Berk did)
Since whoever is in charge of flat track uses AMA branding I figured adding “Pro Racing” all over the place would bog things down.
Think of AMA as shorthand for AMA Pro Racing.
If you can get past the AMA/AMA Pro thing, what do you think of the new rule changes?
Looks like they’ve done it to Flat Track much like they’ve done NASCAR, I walked away from it years ago. I realized they were charging an arm and a leg all the while diluting the product… Their last gasp was “have at it boys” and the the “playoff” championship zzzzzzz..
Aft=adios flat track. AMA now aft has been trying to kill this sport I love for years. Thank God for grassroots racing it’s what keeps the sport alive. I wonder what series lock will destroy after he is done wrecking flat track. Bring back purpose built frames. Bring back expert junior novice classifications. And if flat track really needed help, why not talk to real dirt track people like world of outlaws maybe. Not some idiot like lock who knows nothing of american flat track. Hey, lock is kinda like bidens son getting paid and dont know crap about the business he is in. Oh well it makes 2021 look interesting. God bless our real flat track family.
” Who puts them in power and who keeps them in power ?” Cash!
Same old story , If you want it screwed up let the NASCAR family get involved. Pretty sad for 2020 !
The good news is, there is a new series that addresses exactly what is going on with flattrack right now. I would stay tuned for some real big news out of this camp. http://Www.xtreemflattrack.com
“DMG” is death by a thousand cuts or a 1000 imbeciles!
Yes, American Flat Track is run by the Daytona Motorsports Group who previous fucked up AMA Superbike Racing and US Sports Car Racing. They like to “fix the show” just as they do in NASCAR.
AFT is managed by former Ducati North America director Michael Locke.
It is nice to see that Harley-Davidson is returning with s stong team effort in 2020 to take on Indain dominance. And NBC will continue with stong TV coverage. More at – https://www.americanflattrack.com/news/2
That’s what brought great personal satisfaction to the passion I grew up with.
I got to dance on the same stage as the national top expert riders from our local region at local races.
In 96 won a lil Podunk indoor championship on horse and cow shit in an open pro class that included the likes of Fay, Kopp, and other top nw pros.
It is a personally rewarding thing to someone like me who rode as a hobby of passion on junk mostly and still could compete with the best in the world in the sport.
One thing that remains constant with the AMA I’ve noticed after fifty years of riding is this, they will kill gift horses that come into their corral.
As a Kid from Dist.36 where we Raced on Short Tracks both Indoor & Out from polished Concrete to Arena’s at Monterey Pop Festival! A Short Track was that 1/4 Mile or Smaller!
Then the T.T. At Hayward, Vallejo or Tracks that we’re larger 3/8’s or a 1/2 that you could configure Left and Right Turns and a Jump. BELMONT Speedway operated by Ted Smith and Oscar built a tunnel and constructed a jump on top and at that point had the CALIFORNIA CUP TT for a Purse of $1,000.00 SILVER DOLLARS in a huge PICKLE JAR took 2 Cops to carry it down the from Grandstand Stairs!!!!
In the North – West from famed Castle Rock, home of the TT to Cottage Grove
The Portland Meadows to Gray Harbor and SKAGIT all tracks that really put those NW Riders in the map!
Then we went FAIR RACING sharing the venues with Stock Cars, Midgets and Big Cars known as Silver Crown Champ Cars and Sprint Cars with both Promoters Bob Barkheimer (NASCAR WEST) and J.C. AGAJANIAN (USAC Mogul) racing from Watsonville, Vallejo and at a Navel abase in Alameda, Pleasanton, Sacramento even a TT at Sacto, Santa Rosa , Lake Port, Anderson , Winters during the County Fairs Circuit .
I will include Dist. 35 El Centro , Fresno Hanford, Selma, Clovis all great 1/2 or 3/8’s in the early days and of course Dist.37 Ascot Park, Riverside, Corona, Perris Lancaster Apple Valley and the others .
THEN THEIR WERE THE MILES!
Bay Meadows, Tanforan, Golden Gatefields, Sacramento, San Jose Santa
Clara County, I will include Del Mar from District 37 and PORTLAND from the
North West and Arizona’s Mile of late.
The bottom line – point here is that these Race Venues were all SANCTIONED by the
AMERICAN Motorcycle Association which later changed its name to the AMERICAN Motorcyclist Assn. and the AMA became three! AMATUER COMP; Road Racing and Flat Track Racing all SANCTIONED
by AMA then the advent of MotoCross
Indoors , Outdoors, Land Courses, Arena or Stadiums and event held at established Oval Tracks and on Road Coursed. Finally a Split comes as too much Growth we met more Promoters AlanBecker ’s Pace Management of Texas, Mike Goodwin of LA, Mickey Thompson, AGAJANIAN & Mike Curb Corporations got involved like Clear Channel (Radio and later TV) Beverage Vitamins Welness Products major Auto Makers Toyota HONDA all came out to get in on the programs the
RJ REYNOLDS Tobacco started with in Motorcycles it was Camel Pro (Old Smoking Joe) and in Auto it was WINSTON RED and WHITE colors.
One thing was certain everyone had a DIFFERENT PLAN! That being said,
TV comes to the front with ABC’s WILD WORLD of SPORTS, CBS NBC were all
ready pitching their Shows when in comes a new one FOX ! They all hell breaks loose with the Wide World Web …… add new Cable Companies and new money – Turner Communications, Lucas Oil,
Monster Energy, Snapple and others
Winston – Camel, BUSCH, COORS and
are gone!
AMA OHIO; AMA Pro, MOTO AMERICA,
AFT Series, Hill Climb, Arena X, Super Cross, Feld Entertainment changes its direction, big time Promoters are now
gobbled into a board of Marketing Advertising Signage Audio Webmasters
Attorneys Accountants Funding Agents
and the countless Staff Members that must Build, Erect, and Facilitate Oh Crap!
It takes MEGA DOLLARS to Promote and make sure that you are selling our Sport (the Sport we have come to love-passionately) It’s no longer a given that
FRIDAY NIGHT is for FLAT TRACK RACING. Too many ways to spend a Friday Night! Too many demands Time, Work, Family, and no Extra MONEY!
The Moniker is now
LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU
Step Right Up – Buy A Ticket –
Start to Finish of a MOVIE is 1:45 minutes
They Play begins at 7:00 Intermission at 8:30 and Curtin Call at 10:00
The First Band starts at 8:00 the Headliner comes on 90 minutes later and encores at 10:30
”OH YOU CAN NOT MAKE THE RACES?”
Set your DVR; Set your Tapes; or Live Stream It SAD OUR LOVE FOR THE SPORT HAS LEFT US IN THE DUST!