Perhaps inspired by the Dorna and FGSport models in MotoGP and World Superbike, the AMA has now announced its intention to sell commercial rights.
Following AMA news for the last couple of years has been like reading a countdown to meltdown. There have been firings, hirings, resignations, and restructurings…furious activity that has proved as meaningless as the pairings list for the team shuffleboard tournament on the RMS Titanic. These are my observations as an outsider with a European perspective (in the interests of full disclosure, I worked for Dorna from 1991 until 1997, 'the fun years' before Dorna finally managed to gain the upperhand…back when I found myself, clad in Dorna maroon, giving the finger to the German promoter just back of podium at Hockenheim as we fought the grand battle for the VIP rooftop hospitality and static signage rights. I still have the funny fax that Ecclestone sent me after he received his report from his much-aggrieved Teutonic promoter. Those were the days!).
But, getting back to the AMA, if you want a detailed review of the events that take us from the sudden departure of Scott Hollinsgworth (CEO and President of AMA Pro Racing for six years until February 2006) up to the present, I recommend going to the archives of (in alphabetical order)
Cyclenews.com,
Roadracingworld.com, and
Superbikeplanet.com, but probably the most succinct view would be at the end of this
link. Or, if you want more recent history, read
this. The fuddled fumblings of the AMA's Pro Racing division (Paradoma Productions) make a good read as we all wait for the other shoe to drop. The first clog to hit the deck was the announcement that the AMA was planning to sell all commercial rights and now we await the thud of the name of the buyer.
The fact that American Honda resigned on the same day of Hollinsgworth's departure should be troubling to the AMA, especially after Honda issued a press release, which contained the following language:
"…conflicting interests within the AMA organization have caused a division of ideology and a blurring of the vision that American Honda has always supported. Recent issues, including the departure of dedicated individuals from AMA Pro Racing and its inability to stand by its own rulebook with regard to recent Formula Xtreme considerations, have been particularly alarming.
Honda believes the rulebook is a sanctioning body's most important asset. When a governing body violates the sanctity of its rulebook, it loses credibility with everyone associated with racing -- the teams, the riders, the sponsors and, most importantly, the fans who rely on sanctioning bodies to create racing environments which ensure fair, balanced, and exciting competition. Honda believes the AMA and other sanctioning bodies must be responsible for coordinating the efforts of all participants to ultimately benefit the sport. Honda also believes that all manufacturers, through technical committees, must participate in, and collaborate on, development and harmonization of technical rules for each class of competition."
Much more recently, and under Rob Dingman's authority, riders from the M4 EMGO Suzuki and Jordan Suzuki teams were mistakenly disqualified for crankcase breather tube routing modifications in the Supersock and Supersport classes that had been specifically approved by AMA technical personnel. When the decision was reversed upon appeal, it was blatantly obvious that the situation should have been resolved at the track and not eleven weeks after the event, giving to the casual fan the impression that the two teams had cheated.
The words of a highly respected crew chief, Keith Perry of M4 EMGO Suzuki, imply that these teams were singled out:
"This situation happened when some AMA people who were not on the technical side of things had a knee-jerk reaction for what we firmly believe were political, retaliatory reasons. They wanted some big notches in their gun belt and didn't care how they got them, and took the one opportunity they had to stage a phony enforcement action when a factory team Suzuki was not on the Superstock and Supersport podiums."
This is the kind of incident that caused fans in Europe who follow AMA roadracing, which is covered both in magazines and on TV in many countries, to question the professionalism of the series.
