Youthstream Replies To False Allegations

FUNCHAL, 23 February 2008 – Following allegations against Youthstream appearing on a few web-sites where the clarity, honesty and behaviour of Youthstream concerning the ‘Bill Amick Case’ is questioned, Youthstream feels it necessary to take a clear position and respond immediately if those allegations are created by opposition in the bid for the AMA National Motocross Championship who attempt to destroy the clean image of Youthstream.  

The position between Youthstream and Heartland Media and Events LLC (the company owned and managed by Bill Amick) is so clear and transparent that Youthstream and Heartland Media and Events made a press release on the 28th May 2005 (below) announcing their partnership, and then again another press release on the 10th June 2006 (below) announcing the agreement with Budds Creek.  Youthstream had a contract with Heartland Media and Events in order to find a competent promoter for the organization of the FIM Motocross of Nations in USA and eventually for future FIM Grand Prix (Motocross and SuperMoto).  All relationships between Youthstream and Heartland Media and Events are legally made by contract.  Between 2005 and 2007 Bill Amick had several meetings with AMA, US promoters and media concerning the 2007 FIM Motocross of Nations.  Everybody clearly knew the role of Bill Amick regarding this issue.

Youthstream reserves itself to take legal action against anyone, who with their allegations damage Youthstream’s image.  

Mr. Giuseppe Luongo, President of Youthstream commented, “We are offended by these allegations especially after long work and the professional relationship with FIM and many National Federations to develop and defend the value of the sport and to promote Motocross worldwide.  Youthstream is recognized by many governments for its high quality of work and by partners for its fairness in business relationships.“ 

“I understand that in this moment there are some people who are very interested to try to discriminate our image, but using the resignation of Bill Amick to question our integrity is really not acceptable.” Mr. Luongo continued to say, “The work made by Youthstream is always in full respect of the International law and of the law in the country where it operates.” 

“We do not want to comment on Mr. Amick’s choice to release publicly his letter of resignation but this is an internal problem between AMA and Bill Amick and we are not involved and we do not intend to be involved.” 

“We have success in our work because we believe in true competition and in equal chance for everyone, which is why we never favour one rider / team / organizer or another because we believe when the starting gate drops until the chequered flag the strongest will win and this is our philosophy for business and for life.”

Mr. Luongo ended by saying, “Time is a gentleman, it will always give reason to the fact”.

Youthstream is the company that manages the exclusive television, marketing and promotional world wide rights of the FIM Motocross World Championship, the FIM Motocross of Nations, the FIM SuperMoto World Championship, the FIM SuperMoto of Nations, the FIM Snowcross World Championship, the UEM Motocross European Championship and the UEM SuperMoto European Championship.

www.MotocrossMX1.com
www.SuperMotoS1.com

Previous Press Releases

US consultant retained to represent
FIM Motocross & Supermoto Championships

GENEVA, Switzerland, 28 May 2005 -- Heartland Media & Events LLC has been retained by Youthstream, the promotions company that holds global marketing and broadcast rights to several motorcycling world championships, to consult on the development and future direction of those championships and provide media relations services in the United States.

Under a multi-year agreement with the Geneva-based Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) – the world governing body for motorcycle sport -- Youthstream promotes global championships including the Motocross of Nations and the World Individual Motocross and Supermoto Championships.

Heartland Media and Events will help to build broader awareness of those FIM championships in the US market, which is the world’s largest in terms of motocross bike sales and rider participation.

The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), FIM’s exclusive US affiliate, conducts the highly successful AMA Motocross Championship Presented by FMF and the THQ AMA Supercross Series through its AMA Pro Racing subsidiary; and more than 10,000 riders participate each year in AMA Sports’ Air Nautiques National Amateur Motocross Championship program.

“We hope that the agreement we have made with Heartland Media and Events will be an important step in the relationship between the FIM Championships and motocross in the United States,” said Youthstream President Giuseppe Luongo. “Our goal is to work with the AMA and the US industry to build relationships and programs that will benefit all involved.”

Heartland Media and Events President Bill Amick was on staff at the AMA for 30 years before launching his company in 2004. He has been a member of the FIM Motocross Commission since 1986 and is the author of Motocross America, a book tracing the history of motocross in the United States which will be published this summer.

“I’m extremely happy to work together with Bill Amick in this effort,” Luongo added. “He has enormous experience and will surely be the right person to better link the FIM World Motocross Championships with motocross in the United States.”

FIM Motocross Commission President Wolfgang Srb endorsed the initiative to raise the profile of the FIM’s championships in the United States and establish closer relations with the AMA racing community.

“I’m excited about this cooperative effort of Youthstream and Heartland Media and Events to bring FIM Motocross and Supermoto closer to the United States,” Srb commented. “Giuseppe Luongo and Bill Amick know the sport very well and will use their experience and assets for programs that I think fans in America and throughout the world will enjoy.”

Since the first-ever US Grand Prix of Motocross in 1973, the FIM and AMA have cooperatively presented 45 grand prix motocross events and the 1987 Motocross of Nations in the United States, but for a variety of reasons there have been no FIM World Championship events in the US since 1999.

“There’s a long and rich tradition of international motocross racing in America, but FIM and AMA motocross programs have grown apart in recent years,” Heartland President Bill Amick commented. “I’ll seek to work with Youthstream, the FIM Motocross Commission and the AMA in an effort to identify ways that the FIM’s prestigious world championships and America’s strong domestic program can better complement each other.”

One of the top priorities of Youthstream and the FIM Motocross Commission is to expand the global reach of the FIM’s championships, which historically have a heavy European focus. In the past two seasons Youthstream has successfully expanded the World Motocross Championships to the Japanese and South African markets, and further expansion is anticipated over the next several years.

Under the agreement between Youthstream Action Events and Heartland Media & Events, Heartland will represent the FIM championships in the US market through the 2007 competition season.

Youthstream is located at Rua Dr. Brito Camara 20-1, P-2000-039 Funchal-Madeira, Portugal. Youthstream manages the marketing, promotions and broadcast rights to the FIM Motocross of Nations, FIM Individual Motocross World Championships, FIM Individual Supermoto World Championships and FIM Snowcross World Championships .More information is available on the Intenet www.MotocrossMX1.com and www.SuperMotoS1.com.

Heartland Media & Events LLC is located at 118 East High Street, Suite A, in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, 43050. The company specializes in development of international motorsports properties and event promotion, and offers a wide variety of media-related and editorial services. More information is available from billamick@earthlink.net.

YOUTHSTREAM PRESS RELEASE

MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS 2007

2007 Return of FIM Motocross of Nations to America

MONTEVARCHI, Italy and SOUTHWICK, Massachusetts, 10 June 2006 -- A long-anticipated return of the famed Motocross of Nations to the United States was confirmed today (June 10) at press conferences scheduled during the Italian round of the 2006 World Motocross Championship Series in Montevarchi and the AMA National Motocross Series’ only event in New England.

(from the left) Giuseppe Luongo, Youthstream President; Wolfgang Srb, President of the FIM Motocross Commission; Bill Amick, Chairman of Heartland Media & Events

Youthstream, which promotes the World Motocross Championships on behalf of the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), confirmed that agreements are in place for the 62nd Annual Motocross of Nations to be held at Budds Creek (Maryland) Motocross Raceway on the weekend of September 21-23, 2007. This will mark just the second time that the famed event will have been held in the United States, and only its fourth appearance outside of Europe.

The FIM Motocross of Nations is a competition for national teams often referred to as the “olympics of motocross” by fans of off-road motorcycling. The event typically attracts 30-plus national teams, with Great Britain, Belgium and the United States the traditional powers. Those three countries have combined to win 46 of the 60 Motocross of Nations heading into the 2006 renewal at Matterley Basin near Winchester, England, this fall.

America’s only previous experience hosting the Motocross of Nations came in 1987, when Team USA scored a hard-earned victory in difficult muddy conditions at New York’s Unadilla Valley Sports Center. That victory came during an unprecedented 13-year American win streak that lasted from 1981-93.

“I am very pleased that we will present the 2007 Motocross of Nations at Budds Creek,” said Youthstream President Giuseppe Luongo. “It’s great to have the strong backing of the FIM and the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) at one of America’s finest motocross circuits. The friendly rivalries created by the Motocross of Nations are something really special, and we invite motocross fans from throughout the world to come to Budds Creek and cheer for their teams.”

Announcing the 2007 Motocross of Nations

For event promoter and Budds Creek Raceway owner Jonathan Beasley, the event represents “a lifelong dream” and the biggest challenge ever for a track that has hosted numerous high-visibility events including FIM Grand Prix, AMA Nationals, AMA Amateur National Qualifiers and All-Terrain Vehicle Association Nationals.

“My staff and I are thrilled to have this opportunity and determined to make the event a memorable one,” Beasley added.

Budds Creek Motocross Raceway is located just 35 miles south of the nation’s capital of Washington, D.C. in rural Maryland.

The Motocross of Nations will be sanctioned by the FIM with the AMA as the host federation. FIM Motocross Commission President Wolfgang Srb and AMA President Robert Rasor, who is also an FIM Vice President, expressed enthusiasm about the announcement.

"I am sure that fans not only in the USA but worldwide will be happy that the world’s most prestigious motocross event will be held at Budds Creek,” Srb said. "The Motocross of Nations is the showcase of our sport and deserves to be staged on the best circuits of the world. The FIM congratulates all the partners who concluded this deal."

“The AMA is excited to help bring the Motocross of Nations back to America on the 20th anniversary of AMA Team USA’s victory in New York,” Rasor said. “Budds Creek Raceway is a proven grand prix circuit and will be an excellent venue. We look forward to welcoming teams from throughout the world to the USA in September of 2007.”

Saturday’s formal announcement will conclude a process that began early in 2005 when Youthstream retained Ohio-based Heartland Media and Events to seek an American venue for the Motocross of Nations. The negotiations were coordinated by Heartland Media and Events’ Bill Amick, who previously served on the professional staff of the AMA and who since 1986 has been a member of the FIM Motocross Commission.

“We announced in May of 2005 that Heartland Media and Events had been retained to begin work on this project,” said Youthstream’s Luongo. “A number of venues were consulted, but Budds Creek Raceway was our first and our favorite possibility. The close relationships among Bill Amick, Jonathan Beasley and the AMA made it possible to solve the negotiations with minimum difficulty. Now, along with the FIM we can focus on the job of making the event a great success.”

“It’s a privilege to play a role in this project,” Amick said, “and we intend for the 2007 Motocross of Nations to usher in an era in which the event will occur more frequently on this side of the Atlantic. As the FIM and Youthstream move forward and motocross becomes more and more a global sport we can build upon traditional rivalries and cultivate new ones with the active involvement of all of the FIM’s Continental Unions.”  

A number of physical upgrades are already in progress at Budds Creek Raceway in preparation for its traditional AMA National Championship event on Father’s Day weekend and for the 2007 Motocross of Nations.

More news on the FIM World Motocross Championships and the Motocross of Nations are available at www.motocrossmx1.com; news on AMA racing are at www.AMADirectlink.com.

CONTACT

Heartland Media & Events LLC

+1 (740) 397-1647
billamick@earthlink.net