2012 Athens AHRMA

We plan to make this one as my daughter wants to do some AHRMA racing in 2012!

She will be on her 79 Honda 125 & may see if she wants to race our 73 Maico 250 on Vintage day as that one is first on the winter restore list.
 
Unfortunately 16 & up is it.

Think long term that will be AHRMA's demise as when the old riders pass on no on is replacing them & youth are the future of any sport.

There are many riders out there with kids who could have been racing AHRMA but did not the past few years as they simply were not old enough.

Personally I was interested in racing AHRMA many years ago but did not get involved as there were no classes for my daughter to race in.

Sad for many of the old 60's, 80's, 100's & 125's to sit around rotting in barns or garages that could be out on the track being raced plus from what
I have seen once they get on them many of the kids actually enjoy riding the old bikes.

Back in the day at age 12 I had a 75 Honda CR 125 & later on a 75 Suzuki RM 125 that would be great for someone that age to race as today my
220 pounds would split thing poor thing into pieces.

With skyrocketing motorcycle prices this would have been a good way for little Johnny or Jane to start racing without breaking the bank as 800 to 1,500 buck
would get you a decent Jap vintage bike.

Think some of the no youth racing may stem from a bunch of old farts not wanting kids around as they have a list of excuses for not allowing them but in the
end it will be their death.
 
Let's say that the kiddies were given the green light to race with AHRMA. Seems fair enough to me.

I suppose that some of them could plug right into the existing classes.

What additional bike and/or age classes would need to be formatted to accompany those classes already available? I ask, because I don't know.

Personally, I think the current range of AHRMA classes and ability levels is far too tedious as it is. That's one of the reasons that at every event, determining the starting line-up is such an onerous juggling act for the volunteers.






VINTAGE CLASSES x3 Ability Levels

-Premier Lightweight: Certain pre-1965-era machines up to 250cc.
- Premier 500: Pre-1965-era machines up to 500cc
-Premier Open Twins: Pre-1965 twin-cylinder machines 600cc and larger.
-100cc Motocross: 88-100cc two-stroke and 88-120cc four-stroke production motorcycles manufactured as up to 1974 model
year machines and like-design.
-Classic 125: 125cc two-strokes and four-strokes up to 150cc, manufactured through December 1971 and any like machines.
-Classic 250: Specific 250cc and smaller two-stroke machines introduced just after the Premier Lightweight era (i.e., four-speed
motorcycles, twin-pipe CZ), as well as the heavy 350cc non-unit motorcycles, such as Matchless and BSA.
-Classic 500: Specific motorcycles from the late 1960s and early ’70s.
-Sportsman: 125, 250 and 500 classes for machines up to model year 1974.
-Sportsman Open Twins: Twin-cylinder machines up to model year 1974.
-Open Age: Any AHRMA-eligible rider on an AHRMA-eligible vintage machine.
-40+: Riders 40 years of age and older on any AHRMA-eligible vintage machine.
-50+: Riders 50 years of age and older on any AHRMA-eligible vintage machine.
-60+: Riders 60 years of age and older on any AHRMA-eligible vintage machine.
-70+: Riders 70 years of age and older on any AHRMA-eligible vintage machine.
-Women: Riding any AHRMA-eligible vintage machine.



POST-VINTAGE CLASSES x3 Ability Levels

-Historic 125: Certain 125cc and smaller motorcycles built up to and including the 1977 model year as the first-generation of
long-travel machines.
-Historic 250: Certain 126-250cc motorcycles built up to and including the 1977 model year as the first-generation of long-travel
machines.
-Historic 500: Certain 325-460cc two-strokes and four-strokes up to 636cc built up to and including the 1977 model year as the first-
generation of long-travel machines.
-Historic Four-Stroke: Certain four-stroke machines built up to and including the 1978 model year with up to 636cc. Overhead cam
machines are limited to 500cc.
-Gran Prix 125: Certain post-1977 motorcycles up to 125cc.
-Gran Prix 250: Certain post-1977 motorcycles 126-250cc.
-Gran Prix 500: Certain post-1977 motorcycles 325-500cc two-stroke and up to 580cc four-stroke.
-Gran Prix Four-Stroke: Certain 185-580cc four-stroke motorcycles that came just after the Historic Four-Stroke period.
-Ultima 125: Certain motorcycles up to 125cc that do not have disc brakes or power-valve type mechanism built directly into the
engine.
-Ultima 250: Certain 126-250cc motorcycles that do not have disc brakes or power-valve type mechanism built directly into the
engine.
-Ultima 500: Certain 325-580cc motorcycles that do not have disc brakes or power-valve type mechanism built directly into the
engine.
-Ultima Four-Stroke: Certain 200-580cc four-strokes that were produced either with a single-shock rear suspension or a newer engine
technology.
-Open Age: Any AHRMA-eligible rider on any eligible machine.
-40+: Riders age 40 and older on any eligible machine.
-50+: Riders age 50 and older on any eligible machine.
-60+: Riders age 60 and older on any eligible machine.
-Women: Female riders on any eligible machine.
 
Easy. Let them run 100. XR75's and such would not be particularly competitive but
YZ80s sure would.

I'm one of the many that hasn't run an AHRMA race in a couple years because
I'd rather ride/race with my son. By the time he's gone from the house, I may
or may not be in the mood for their crap. Still have the vintage bikes but
they're gathering dust.

Go fast. Take chances
Mike S.
 
It seems that it would be easy to add a "Mini / YOUTH" class and leave it open to many bikes. I doubt that there would be more than 10 kids at any event to start with anyway, and leaving it open to all past mini bikes would give any sized youngster the opportunity to ride in the class whether he's on a 50cc bike like an Honda MR50, a 60cc scoot like the RM and YZ 60, an 80cc bike like the CR, KX, RM, or YZ, or even the rare 100cc bikes like the RM / YZ again. Then open it up to all the XR 75's, 80's, and 100's out there too, and you have plenty of bikes to choose from for Mini Riders to get out on the track no matter what they're age or size.

Seems to me that the riders of this youth class would be there to ride with their Dad's anyway and not necessarily chasing a championship or points battle like Loretta Lynn's bound youth on current machinery. Just let them ride and have a place on the track so the whole family can come.
 
Take a look at the link in my original post. Action Sports is running youth classes at the end of the day.
 
We have a '80 yz50 and an '82 yz80 that my son loves to ride, and we find the atmosphere so awesome at the vintage events. The kids really get a feel for what it was like! He is only 9 though...
 
Check these out!
 

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We have a '80 yz50 and an '82 yz80 that my son loves to ride, and we find the atmosphere so awesome at the vintage events. The kids really get a feel for what it was like! He is only 9 though...

Those little YZs are cool. And the 50 is more advanced than a modern PW 50!
 
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