I think the big problem with the AMA is hiring of Rob Dingman as President. It seems obvious that
he is naive and incompetent for this very important position. I use this fiasco with the Superbike
racing as evidence. This has served to alienate many loyal and long time AMA members who are race
fans and the OEMs which have supported the AMA for many years. He apparently did not have any clue
what he was doing and all of the Motorcycle Community will suffer for many years. I also am very
unhappy with the AMA Board which hired him and has let this happen. Although all AMA members are
not race fans, it is a very visible part of the AMA and the Motorcycle Community and it important
for this reason.
I urge all AMA members to send emails via the AMA Website expressing their displeasure and ask the
Board to relieve Dingman his duties until a qualified President can be found.
I actually agree with a lot of what the new AMA president is doing - I agree that they aren't in the business of running a racing series and that it should be handled by a professional organization. I simply disagree with what most of the one that 'bought' the series is doing...
I disagree. This issue with DMG is not over. He has also fired and harassed many long term AMA employees.
I think he needs to go now before he can cause any more harm. His incompetence goes far beyond just the
AMA racing program.
I guess it would depend on if the initial proposal from DMG included the changes that they have made or if it was just a vague outline.
On second thoughts, I've changed my mind. It looks as though not enough research was done prior to awarding the deal to DMG and that must fall at the feet of Dingman. However it is too early to call for his head. The final story on this won't be written for a few of years yet. The determining factor on whether this change is a success or not will the condition of the series 2-3 years from now.
I agree that so far Dingman has done some good work at the AMA and should be allowed to work his plans for a reasonable amount of time before he's judged too harshly.
BTW......I did send an e-mail to the AMA regarding DMG and requested a reply but after two weeks I have had no response.
that's the problem with selling your soul to the highest bidder.
Right again, zoot. The AMA executive board most likely didn't care WHO was awarded the contract, but WHO'S PAYING THE MOST... the AMA wanted out of the racing business, they got what they wanted. Edmonson is exacting his revenge.
I have a friend who worked at the AMA until they laid off a bunch of the "old school", as one blogger put it. This re-org had nothing to do with replacing the "old school" at the AMA. Most of the people who were laid off had been there for less than 7 years. And many of the layoffs were strange. Like the VP of racing. He was replaced by a new guy who had ABSOLUTELY NO KNOWLEDGE of racing, event management, AMA rules or anything, prior to this promotion. THE ENTIRE REASON FOR THE REPLACEMENT??? MONEY!! His salary is HALF of the previous VP's. Do you want someone in this important position who has NO KNOWLEDGE of how to do the job????
If you knew the details of every decision made for this re-org, you'd demand Dingman's resignation. The WORST example I can give is the new Chief Operating Officer of the AMA. This guy's previous job was a soccer coach of a girl's soccer team. Now I ask you, how does someone move from "soccer coach" to "Chief Operating Officer" of the AMA ?? It's simple...all you have to do is be a college roommate of Dennis Rhee, Sr VP of the AMA !!! And all of this was approved by Dingman. Talk about your "old school" network. Dingman doesn't give ANY consideration to competence or knowledge....it's all about money. Sorry to inform all of you, but THIS IS the epitome of incompetence.
The AMA's board of directors, like Carl Reynolds, needs to chuck DINGMAN before he screws EVERYTHING up!!
Dingman is trying to rescue a moribund enthusiast organization that claims to represent the American motorcycle rider, but can't even count the same number of members as the Harley Owners' Group, let alone all the other marque specific groups. Too much of the Association's resources were being tied up in litigation surrounding racing of one form or another. It was fiduciary irresponsibility with members' money.
Now some of what Dingman is doing seems harsh - the firings and all, and bottom line may be driving some of it, but AMA really needs to be eatin' ramen noodles for a couple of years to build back up the treasury of its members' squandered money. Remember, the people who were sacked were the ones asleep behind the wheel while the thing was headed for the ditch. The only one I know enough about to truly regret losing is Larry Lawrence, the archivist, who has done some decent stuff for Cycle News.
I have been involved in preserving OHV access to public lands in the west for the last couple of years. AMA seems to place a lot of focus in aspects such as health insurance discrimination and what not, while the federal agencies are determined to see that OHVs get booted off trails we have ridden for decades. I wish the AMA had the resources to really go after stuff like this. We could use all the help we can get. If what Dingman is doing makes the AMA more effective in fighting the issues that threaten motorcycling (not just racing), then giving up control of racing is a smart move. i don't just want to watch the best riders on TV, I want to engage in the sport myself.
None of this post means I agree with what Edmondson is doing with road racing; it smells like he's scratching kitty litter over the ###### tracks so promotors don't have to spend any extra coin. He's gonna kill one of the three prestigious national championships in the world so that Daytona and Fontana and Mid-Ohio can stay on the schedule on the cheap. And he's gonna endanger the lives of riders in the process.
What I don't understand is why this huge deal is a sale of the racing properties - why not a lease? AMA keeps ownership and can pull the plug if the AMA name starts getting damaged by the racing promotion. The US is doing the same with the nations's airwaves - selling instead of leasing/licensing, and it just seems stupid and short-sighted.
