AMA BIG ANNOUNCEMENT ?

V

VLK943

PR Member
Does anyone know what AMA BIG ANNOUNCMENT about vintage racing series is going to be?? Face book page said one is coming!
 
I don’t know that I would call it a big announcement. A number of us spoke to Alex at the AMA Banquet last weekend, and also have figured out a bit more of the likely scenario this year. Firstly there will NOT be a National Vintage MX Series this year. The “National Championship” if you can call it that, will be based on the results of the VMD event at Mid-Ohio solely. There will be a number of standalone AMA sanctioned Vintage MX events, but they will be single events. Action Sports has scheduled their Vintage Weekend for May. I spoke to Jeff Bierbour and he said that he will have an event at Log Road. I believe there will also be an AMA Vintage event at Monster Mountain. I am trying to avoid forming an opinion until they announce the full schedule, however I really enjoyed the seven event series, and the ongoing challenge working towards a year end goal.
I still think there is a great opportunity for an OHIO Vintage & Post Vintage championship series in the future. Could be Action Sports, Smith Road, Sandusky Valley, Malvern, maybe even Briarcliff.
 
That would suck for me and screw up the ability to race vintage Saturday at Mid-Ohio then run to CTMX for the Battle on Sunday. Oh well.
 
I really enjoyed last years "VINTAGE MX SERIES" and hope that the plans for this year will be bigger and better. I am a big fan of the series concept, and to be honest after doing ok in a couple of events I really wanted to race each event with the possibility of a season ending award on the horizon. I think the AMA may have underestimated the significance of this in building ongoing interest and participation. I think the AMA gets a bit confused in their desire to promote VMD, which is a fantastic event and the opportunity to crown a champion months later after a season long series.

With that said, I enjoyed getting to know Alex Hunter and think he has good intentions and will continue to promote Vintage racing. So I'm cautiously optimistic and can't wait to see the schedule.
 
If the AMA is going to offer a "National Chanpionship" it should be based on a series of races & not just one event. Crap they might as well just sell the trophies.
Sounds like they are just padding their pockets on the biggest Vintage event without offering the racers a real series that would require point keeping.
Sadly not much bang for the buck for AMA Vintage racers. The AHRMA & AMA split was the worse thing to ever happen to Vintage racing looking at the years before
and after.
 
The AMA has been doing single weekend national championships forever. I crashed out
of the '77 AMA amateur roadracing Bantamweight class while leading. The dirt championships
are over a couple days, have been forever. The amateur roadrace championships are over a
weekend, have been forever. MX amateur championships are a one shot deal, though
you have to qualify because it's so popular, have been forever.

While a series is nice, nobody should expect the AMA to do that for vintage bikes.
It's not in their M.O.
 
The series was certainly fun, I'm glad I took the time to race both an AHRMA series and a few of the AMA series. Lots of good times and great memories.

But, there just isn't the support from the number of racers needed in order to keep the series going. I'm glad to see the "regional" type events continuing and hope I can make some of those. Mid Ohio of course is a given.
 
The 2 day, 3 moto format is clearly a money grab. I see no way this could benefit the riders that are currently active in the vintage seen and it certainly is not a selling point for new riders. I personally have lost interest in vintage racing with low turn out and all the politics of AMA vs. AHRMA vs. that D-bag that sued them. The bikes that I had rebuilt are long gone and the one that's left is now nothing but a garage mistress.
Too bad, the people at a vintage race were the best people I have even met at a motocross race. Maybe some day I will jump back in, but right now it just sounds like another scam to make money off a few people that both love the sport and the machines.
 
I like the 3 moto format, but 2 days to do it in is a mistake if you ask me. Not everyone has 2 bikes and run 2 classes, now if you ride 0ne class you will set around all day one day to ride 1 moto, maybe Saturday or Sunday. Why fix something that was not broken.
 
I still think the AMA as our largest representative should do every thing possible to support all forms of motorcycle riding and racing including series for the vintage crowd as it is alive and on the race track!
 
You guys don't think that the majority race 2 or more class's ?

Taking an optimistic view on this, if a guy usually races two vintage class's on Saturday (I do), and then 2 class's on Sunday (I do), you are going to line up on the gate 6 times on Saturday and 6 times on Sunday. And the single minded obsessed moto-maniac that races 3 classes might as well park his rig at the gate staging area cause that's where he'll be all day.

And for those of us that race the Cross Country on Friday, that is 1, 2 or 3 more opportunities to race his machines at 45+ minutes per scramble.

You certainly are not gonna be able to complain about "not enough seat time", for the long day you spent at the track. And for many people that Nancy and I have met at Mid-Ohio, Vintage Days is their only V/PV race's of the year, saving it all up for that weekend.

I absolutely won't complain about the 3-moto format, which is a rarity these days it seems. (actually this will be my first). My only complaint will be that Vintage Days isn't a week long 7 day event so that we can take it all in without being speedwalkers trying to cram it all in over 2-1/2 days. (which will be even harder now).

I'm sure there are many who only come in for just a single day's racing and then go home, but from my perspective the majority are getting more bang for their buck. If you get some really good battles brewing between racers this could make for an exciting weekend and plenty of benchracing and bragging to follow down the road.

Another benefit is you will only have hang out for one MX award ceremony...on Sunday.
 
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I'll be at Ashland now that I have an appropriate dirt tracker:

BSA 1.JPG
 
That's nice! What's the story that goes with it?

Is your championship fancy frame four stroke MX Honda still around? 60+ for you this year?
 
1956 DBD34 replica, engine made in Holland with modern machinery to '56 BSA spec.
Built and raced by George Singler of Smith Road Raceway fame. Needs tires and
jetting so I can run it on gas, he was running methanol, otherwise ready to race.

The C&J still sits forlornly in a corner of the garage.

Yep, +60 in 6 months.
 
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