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Edited Date/Time
11/11/2020 8:54pm
There's plenty of criticism thrown around on the AMA, especially in relation to officiating the pro SX/MX series. I'm interested to find out what members think they do well at the regional and local level as an organization.
Also, what about outside of racing? It seems they are very proactive on the political lobbying and activism front (actually more aggressive on the no-helmet thing than I think is smart).
I've seen them raise awareness about unfair traffic policies in New York that I thought was good. They seem to provide some decent structure and sanctioning at the amateur racing level. And, they seem to do a good job at lobbying against shutting down public lands.
What else?
Also, what about outside of racing? It seems they are very proactive on the political lobbying and activism front (actually more aggressive on the no-helmet thing than I think is smart).
I've seen them raise awareness about unfair traffic policies in New York that I thought was good. They seem to provide some decent structure and sanctioning at the amateur racing level. And, they seem to do a good job at lobbying against shutting down public lands.
What else?
I know what you are saying and god knows it would be great if it could be done but that ain't happening.
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That doesn't guarantee it to be the case. AMA tells promoters what they need to do, but the AMA does not usually have anybody going to the events to verify that the promoter is following rules/procedures. But a promoter who regularly violates protocols can lose their sanction for future events.
It also doesn't mean that a non-AMA promoter WON'T have a safe event. I'm sure there are some great promoters who have nothing to do with AMA.
I wish they would help motocross out but I think we're just a revenue stream for them, which is pathetic when you think of how many years we have all paid our dues.
I have no idea who said that on here but it’s stuck with me since 😂
Genuine question: what riding areas/tracks faced shutdown that the AMA and its donations prevented? Seems like local and industry riders/advocates have been at the front of that fight.
Collecting requisite fees.
They sent out new cards, but only got mine, not the rest of the family. Called again..finally in September everything arrived correctly..
Do they "fight" in DC for motorcycle laws? Probably, but i don't know a single Motocross track on public land. And we have to wear helmets...
People outside Columbus Ohio get butt pucker every time they see topic titles like this. They think "Oh crap, is this the time people figure our we have been sitting in our office playing solitaire for 40 years?"
The AMA takes money from promoters and track owners for the "right" to hold a sanctioned event. They then take money from the members in dues for the "right" to enter a race. When one of those tracks are in trouble and about to close, do they step in and offer help... of any kind...? Nope. Well, they can get a 20% discount on a hotel... That's something I guess.
When pro racers are complaining about a fair payback and maybe a little profit sharing, do they help?.... Nope... but you can get a 10% discount on a cheap Chinese made helmet.
When there are obvious safety concerns with a track, do they step in a require it corrected for the safety of the members? Nope, But you get a discount on a car rental.
Can we change a rule or class structure? Nope, MX Sports controls them. But you get road side assistance.
Can we change venues for the "AMA" amateur motocross championship? or Any of the Pro Nationals? Nope... See above. But you get a magazine that may as well be about knitting sweaters for cats.
The riders / racers need an organization for them. Not looking out for both sides of the fence. Just the MX racer.
AAA membership gets you the rest of the stuff.
And the AMA never has been and never will be that organization.
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What they aren't good at:
- protecting off road riding areas
- enforcing racing rules with consistency and transparency
I am genuinely interested, and would like to believe they are beneficial in some way.
Looking on their website, they have some information about insurance provided for events. They conveniently leave out what the prices are for any of the insurance I assume a track would need/buy, but for an off road event it looks like the sanctioning fee is $325 for the $1Mm option and 250-999 participants.
Is that good? I dont know. It sounds ok to me, but is that not something a promotor or collective group could work out with a company themselves? I would like to hear from people in the know, I'm just some internet guy.
https://americanmotorcyclist.com/sanction
Here's a quote I think is funny based off of our experience in pro racing dealing with their rules:
"The group can then receive all the benefits of hosting an AMA-sanctioned event, one of which is the signaling to the local community and others that their event embodies the principles of fairness, responsibility, and competitiveness that characterize AMA-sanctioned events."
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