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I've only heard of one guy getting a factory bike that way in AMA Pro MX.
But, it has happened.
Generally, if you race against another guy, and you finish, you have the right to claim, or buy, I thought the winners bike.
The AMA sets the price.
At this point in time, the guys above say it's twice what you'd pay if you paid full price at a dealer.
If 2 or more guys claim, the referee holds a draw. Kinda like short straw wins.
You have to have the money right there.
Unwritten word is, there is an agreement between the factories.
Some privateer tries to claim a factory bike, all the teams claim, and hope one of them win the draw, returning the bike back to the other team later in the week.
But, I vaguely remember a privateer claiming a factory bike back in the 80s, a sweet factory Honda 250 I think,
and winning the draw, and he did get the bike.
It's a rule designed to keep the playing field kinda level for all, but in reality, doesn't happen.
You mess with the factories, ur out as far as they and anyone under their influence is concerned.
Or so goes the rumor.
24 May
2014
The AMA Claiming Rule Controversy
Marty Tripes 1979 factory Honda RC250M, the only bike ever successfully claimed in AMA competition.
The AMA Claiming Rule
The AMA claiming rule was originally written for dirt track racing to keep the equipment fair in a sport that was relatively static as far as equipment was concerned at that time. It was written long before motocross had arrived and long before the Japanese factories were developing very expensive works bikes for research and development that was supposed to filter down to the companies production bikes.
AMA Championships equaled increased sales and while motocross in the US was relatively young at this time, it was growing at an exponential rate. During the seventies, motocross was in a hyper-evolution phase with engine, chassis and suspension design. The factories were not only trying to win on Sunday and sell on Monday with their factory teams, they were competing against each other to build the best production bike to sell to the public. It was not uncommon for a production bike to be outdated in six months after it was released and at the works bike level this could occur on a week by week basis. The price of some of the Japanese works bikes in 1976 was approaching the price of the national median home value of $44,000.00. The Type 2 Honda's probably exceeded that while a production 125 sold for less than $1000.00. While all this was going on the claiming rule in the AMA rule book remained, in fact it was virtually forgotten until May 23rd 1976, when privateer Mickey Boone shocked the world and attempted to claim Bob Hannah's factory Yamaha OW27 at Red Bud. In a near miss, Yamaha was spared of losing a very expensive motorcycle.
The Rule
The rule stated that any rider in the race with another rider could purchase the bike the other rider was riding for a sum. In 1976 the sum for a 125 was $2500.00. If rider A wanted to own rider B's bike, both riders had to compete against each other in the same race. Rider A had 30 minutes from the time the checkered flag fell on the first place rider to notify the AMA referee of the claim of rider B's bike. He then had to give the Ref the required funds in the form of a Certified Check or Cash. If rider B wanted to keep his bike he could also file a claim on the bike, put up the cash and then there would be a lottery or drawing to decide who would get the bike. In 1976 the factories worked together to counter claim any bike that might be claimed by having all of their riders that were in the same race as the bike being claimed, file a claim on the bike. The mistake both riders made in 1976 was filing too soon. Had Boone waited till the last minute to file the claim on Hannah's OW27, he would have owned it.
The first successful claim
On Sunday March 25, 1979, a factory works motocross bike was successfully claimed for the first time at a professional AMA sanctioned motocross race. The 1979 AMA rule book stated "The objectives of the association have always been to foster strong and fair competition…..to administer the competition program with impartiality….
The only time the claiming rule had ever been used before was in 1976 when the 125 national series went into a meltdown when Mickey Boone unsuccessfully tried to claim Bob Hannah’s #39 works OW27 Yamaha and another privateer also unsuccessfully tried to claim Marty Smith’s works RC125 Type 2 Honda.
To claim a 250 all a rider had to do was be entered in the same race as the rider who’s bike he wanted to claim, put up the required dollar amount in the form of a cashiers check within 30 minutes after the checkered flag fell and the bike was his. The rider whose bike was being claimed also had the right to counter claim his own bike as well as any other rider in the same race. If this happened, and there was more than one claim, there would be a drawing of numbers and whom ever drew the high or low number (depending on how the AMA referee determined the lottery), that person would win the bike. The price for a 250 in 1979 was $3500.
To protect their expensive, one-off and experimental equipment, the factory teams had an informal, unwritten understanding-that if any works bike is claimed, the riders on the other factory teams will enter claims against the bike in question; this reduces the single privateer’s chance of getting the machine.
An attempt by privateer John Roeder had been made earlier in the year at the Oakland Supercross, the first supercross of the year. John Roeder tried to claim Steve Wise’s factory RC250 Honda. Roeder paid another rider who was in Wises race $1000.00 to file the claim and Roeder provided the only check against the bike. The AMA commissioner Mike DiPrete was on the spot as Honda did not want to lose the bike but did not bring any counter claim checks that day, nor did anybody else. There was an issue with the check that allowed the commissioner to side with Honda. Roeder’s check did not say "cashier check" on the front. Instead it read "guaranteed check." Any bank teller would have recognized that the check was good but the decision went Honda’s way.
The factories had a close call; unprepared to counterclaim, they had almost lost a bike. Mike DiPrete was satisfied and technically his position was unassailable but he had gone by the very words of the rulebook. Honda kept the bike and Roeder went home empty handed.
At the next supercross in Seattle, Mike DiPrete made mention of a misplaced rule that was mysteriously left out of the rule book. The reason was a printer’s error. The mysteriously misplaced rule restricted prospective claimants to only rider who qualified for the main event. Roeder was not good enough to qualify for the main event and the few privateers who were would not jeopardize any chance of ever getting a factory sponsorship by claiming a bike. The "missing" rule, once in place, insured that the bulk of the privateers could not use that rule to file a claim against the factory works bikes.
The outdoor national series was to open March 25th at the place it had for years in Sacramento California. For the opening round everyone had to qualify and the claiming rule was in effect and this was on everyone’s mind.
The official rule stated; Any rider can enter a claim on any motorcycle which races against, either in a qualifying race, or consolation race or a final-provided that the motorcycle in question eventually finishes in one of the top three positions in the national. At the first national of the season the factory bikes were in the greatest danger of being claimed because everybody had to qualify for the main event. After the first round, the top 10 ranking riders would not have to re-qualify; their ranking automatically transferred them into the final.
John Roeder was in the second qualifier and did not transfer to the final. Factory Honda rider Marty Tripes was in the same moto and did transfer. While Roeder was on the track in his qualifier word spread fast that the "Claimer" was on hand and intended to claim a bike that day. When it was all over, Bob Hannah won the 250 national and Marty Tripes and Kent Howerton finished second and third. After the checkered flag for the second moto dropped, Butch Lee, the referee for the event, thought there was something unusual. Hannah’s victory seemed common enough, but Lee soon found himself surrounded by factory team managers.
Their interest in Lee was not misplaced. Roeder intended to claim a bike. He learned from his Oakland experience that if he was going to claim a bike successfully, he would have to follow every letter of the AMA rulebook. When Hannah received the checkered flag from the second moto, Roeder started two stopwatches to accurately monitor the 30 minute claiming period. He also brought a second check that a friend would use to claim the same bike. At 29 minutes and 40 seconds into the claiming period, Roeder presented the referee with the two claims. " I’d like to claim Marty Tripes’ Honda, number 14 in the 250 class."
Factory team managers Kenny Clark of Yamaha, Steve Johnson of Kawasaki, Mark Blackwell from Suzuki and Gunnar Lindstrom representing team Honda also filed claims and submitted cashiers checks for the number 14 Honda. A total of 11 claims had been made on one motorcycle. Startled, Butch Lee gathered the checks and took the interested parties away from the crowd that had gathered. A lottery would be held to determine who would own the bike.
With the factories nine and Roeder’s two checks the odds were 4.5 to one against Roeder. By using starting line position chips, numbers one through 11 were put into a sack and mixed up. The rider who drew number one would own the bike. Roeder went first. He reached over his head and into the sack and drew out chip number one. He owned the RC250.
After Roeder won the bike, he agreed to let Cycle magazine tear it down and do a story on it. The bike graced the August 1979 issue and remains one of the more popular collector magazines. After a short test ride, the bike was stored in a trailer in Idaho where it sat for over 25 years until it eventually found its way into this collection.
This was the first time the public ever got a real peak inside a works bike and Cycle magazine did a fantastic job covering the teardown. Once the bike was opened up all the special handmade parts were weighed, photographed and compared to the stock counterpart. It became obvious that not many parts would interchange with the stock CR and the bike was special in every way. The works Showa cartridge forks alone were worth several times as that of a stock CR250. Even small pieces like the chain guide showed much attention to detail. Every part on the RC250 was made to be a part of an RC250.
The next week in Southern California, behind the scenes meetings were going on all week and at the following national at Saddleback Park under pressure from the factories not wanting to lose another mega dollar works bike, the AMA suspended the rule with this memo.
"Please be advised that an interim ruling suspending the claiming rule at motocross events for an indefinite period is in effect."
The rule was never reinstated and another era in the history of US motocross had come to an end.
Just my opinion..
To be honest I dare say the reasoning behind the rule is to stop the big manufacturers running one off factory prototypes in what is supposed to be an ametuer championship, And don't start me with that injected 150R of Mumford's... They are a dog of a bike, who would want 150 that would cost the same as pro level 250 to keep running when you can buy an 85sx and build what could be arguably be a much better bike for less than what it cost for them to do 3 days of dyno tuning on that stupid thing... There's a reason there's only one of them getting around.
Pit Row
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