No mas AMA Superstock...

[Mongo]

Wow, your last post proves my point even further.  You really are clueless.

[spyderchick]

My point was that the whole point requirement change threw a major wrench in my plans.

OK. But how about the hundreds of others already racing and part of the series who perhaps asked for the change? The reason you are getting beat up over your comments, is because this sounds awful self-serving, and not related to the good of the sport.

And I think the point change is bs an non-merited.

Based on what? Personal opinion? I am not trying to be obtuse here. You need to understand that 2 people who have responded to you in this thread are part of the Rules Committee, which is made up of a number of industry people. They take the rule changes very seriously and everyone on that committee has a great deal of background in the sport.

They did not get up one morning and decide,"Hey lets make some racers really angry and upset, lets make it harder to get an AMA license!"

Mongo sees first hand who has potential and who does not as part of his daily life as he runs WERA with his wife.  weggieman, AKA Gordon Lunde Sr, has been a racer, race director/official, parent of a racer, mentor, creator & life force behind the Wegman Benefit Fund to support injured racers, and now (in his "retirement"), AMA rules board member. These guys have made this sport their career.

They are not asking you to agree with the change, but you should probably respect the fact that when these changes are made, it is not arbitrary nor is it with the intent to throw "a major wrench" onto any racers plans. Instead, it is to make the sport more safe, more marketable, or a combination of both.

[Mongo]

It's funny, I'd actually agree with him on the change messing up plans if the posts weren't so self centered and totally ignorant of what the sport at the Pro level is like.

[spyderchick]

Yeah, but he's stomping his feet. You know that every single racer in the AMA paddock is a consummate professional. 

[G 97]

Another small thing to take into consideration is that prior to the AMA making changes to their licensing points requirements they changed their percentage numbers for qualifying.

Supersport used to be at 115% then it went to 112% it is now at 110%.  SuperBIke went from 112% to 110% to 108%.   Looking at it this way the AMA simply re-aligned their licensing obtainment qualifications to reflect more accurately to what their qualifying cuts offs are.   

One thing is for sure you are getting a ton of informed and knowledgeable feedback.  Whether this feedback fits into your agenda or not,  is up to you.  I guess I can't understand the concept of trying to race as least as possible at the club level in order to obtain an AMA license.   

[onedwn5up]

It's funny, I'd actually agree with him on the change messing up plans if the posts weren't so self centered and totally ignorant of what the sport at the Pro level is like.

It's a little hard not to be self-centered when the changes effect you and your personal goals and plans. I wouldn't care if I was 16 and had my whole motorcycle racing life in front of me. But I'm not. I'm almost 30 and this change means that it will take me another season or two to get there as well as the additional costs of spending that time at the club level rather than putting those funds into a pro-level effort. its no secret that a pro-level effort requires siginificant financial backing or investment.
My plans were originally:
season 1, 2005: first season starting at lrrs which uses novice/am/ex groups. raced novice, won 6 of 10 and advanced to am and did a small handful of races.
season 2, 2006: Entered about 80 or so events, won about 65 of them in 3 separate regions and 7 lrrs am titles along the way.
Season 3, 2007: advance to expert, get my 100 required points, obtain ama license, attempt to qualify at east coast ama rounds Mid-Ohio, VIR, Road Atlanta & Road America rounds.
Season 4, 2008: Full season AMA effort depending on 2007 results.

These were my plans. This is what I have been focusing on since early last year. So yeah, I am upset that I can't follow that course of action that I laid out for myself. Like I said, if I was 15 or 16 years old I wouldn't care. But being that I am 29 this means that it will be another season or two until I have enough points to just attempt to qualify and who knows if my ability will be the same at that point. I might be worn out by then or be out of money to do it. It just stinks that a rule change may have closed my window of opportunity and it is upsetting. I won't stop riding or racing or working towards my goal, it's just upsetting that I won't be able to do it as planned. And had I known that this change was coming, I would have gotten out of the AM class at the start of last season and had enough expert points to get my pro license before the change went into effect. I could have changed my plans had I known a rule change was coming and I am sure there were others that won multiple AM titles that would have done the same. Then we wouldn't be having this discussion.

[tstruyk]

If the timing where so important in your plan why did you stay in the AM ranks so long.  Most Org's will bump a deserving racer from AM to EX if warranted, and requested, soundsl like wouldnt have this problem if you had moved up sooner.

AM results mean nothing to the AMA... you had to have known this.  Also I would think the learning curve would be steeper racing against experts and occasionally some of the same folks you'd be racing at AMA events... so how does beating up on the "rooks" for your 2006 season prepare you for a pro racing career?

I agree the change sucks being that you had this all planned out, but I think if your intent was to be at the pro ranks ASAP, an overall accelerated plan would have worked better.  You dont get from A to Z by hanging out at "B"...

[spyderchick]

The best way to get to your goal would be to run a national series like ASRA or the WERA nationals. Running LRRS is fine, but it's still regional. Not at all the same as traveling far and wide, dealing with all of the different organizations, seeing new tracks, and doing testing in between. Running regionals will not prepare you for the AMA. Doing a national circuit will.

Seriously, at 29, your skills will only get better, if you keep learning. You can mature into a self-confident experienced rider. Then you will be ready for the pro ranks. Trying to short-cut the process is never beneficial, unless you are an extraordinary talent. Could you run out of money? Yes, but then you'll learn how to garner sponsorship. Will you get hurt? Maybe, but that's a risk all riders, at every level will and has taken. Use the blocks in the road as opportunities to learn something new. It will make you a better rider and a better ambassador for the sport.

[onedwn5up]

we had a good group of competitors in 06 and the racing at the front of the am group was in many cases faster than half the expert field at most of the regional events. I enjoyed this competition and since I had never finished anything to completion before (changing classes and series previously in everything else I raced from motox to roadracing and never racing in 1 series enough to build points towards a title) hung it out since this rule change wasn't on the plate publicly. I started as an am and wanted to finish the season that way so I could for once have something to show for my efforts. And I wanted to get that experience under my belt before moving on towards the next goal. I was just taking things by steps. I know am results dont mean anything to the ama and i never said they should or did. I think my plans and expectations were pretty reasonable in both time and experience. I also didn't race only LRRS events. I raced in the southwest, midatlantic and northeast. I am also running as much as the ASRA series as possible. An unfortunate mechanical issue kept me off the grid in daytona but I would have been out there otherwise. I know you won't get anywhere running around one track.

This is my last post on this subject. I'm sorry for hijacking this thread and changing the direction of discussion. This should have been a separate thread all together. Sorry.

[spyderchick]

Hey, discussion is good, even in hijacked threads. 

It's just many of us has been around the block a time or two, so when someone is in a hurry, they will get the prudence and patience talk. Racers burn out fast because they get over eager and over reach. It's to the benefit of the sport to keep as many talented riders around as possible.

Good luck with your plans. And most of all: remember to have fun.   

[tstruyk]

I helped hijack my own thread!!  

65 0f 85 event wins doesnt sound competitive... sounds more like an ass whoopin.

regardless, good luck this season... see ya at topeka

[weggieman]

Good luck wherever you go.......