Why is AMA licensing the way it is?

[SVbadguy]

Specifically the requirement for have  done X # of weekends as an expert, now 20 (used to be 10).  Does a 1-race weekend make it a weekend?
It's easily possible for someone to have much more track time and experience in far less time.  Seems odd to me.

[Garywc]

i do belive 1 race a weekend will be ok if you get the points but i do belive it has to be in an ama like class

[bambam]

i also think they changed it so that you cannot just do a bunch of weekends and then go for it .. i think it has to be a complete season as an expert with a minimum number of weekends during that season.

[Super Dave]

You still have to have the points though under the AMA points program.  They added some of the event weekend stuff after some riders were allowed into AMA Pro racing without a lot of experience. 

As it is, the current system doesn't allow a lot of opportunities for a sixteen year old kid to race AMA supersport coming from a road racing background.  Tell me what organizations will allow a 14 or 15 year old to race a 600?  If you're an AMA GNC dirt tracker, fine, you can get a license. 

There's always that talk that the Europeans are a head of the US kids, and this is one of the reasons why.  How old was Rossi when he started FIM 125GP racing?

[tzracer]

Who needs the AMA.

PJ Jacobson and Cameron Beaubier raced with the USGPRU and have now been selected for  the Motogp Academy.

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=30736

[Super Dave]

And on the other side...

McLean turns down Red Bull to race USGPRU.

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=31110

[weggieman]

That's another avenue to a racers goals but the AMA is probably the way to go for most club racers. Not a lot of two stroke racing outside of USGPRU

[Mongo]

Lots of kids can ride a 600 by 14. 

It's not that hard to meet the requirements and they are a really good balance of experience and speed.  The AMA level is something you need to work to achieve and being a pro requires more than just speed.

[tzracer]

And on the other side...

McLean turns down Red Bull to race USGPRU.

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=31110

Rookie Cup is not the same as the MotoGP Academy.

[Jimmy_D]

Im 19 and when I was 14/15 there wasnt too many 600 opportunities.  My brother was racing a 600 in wera at 14 and 600 in ccs expert last year at 15/16 now he is 16 and already got his ama license coming for this season.  All we had to get to qualify for ama was 20 weekends 10 amateur and 10 expert.  Along with 300 points.  20 weekends is reasonable to me it ensures that uve atleast raced with the experienced racers and can handle racing and ur not a danger to racing in ama.  (or something like that)

[SVbadguy]

I started racing in '97, have 4 consecutive seasons, 35 weekends and ~150 races as an expert and it doesn't count for shit with the AMA because it's not on a bike on the extremely limited list of approved bikes. 

[LMsports]

Im 19 and when I was 14/15 there wasnt too many 600 opportunities.  My brother was racing a 600 in wera at 14 and 600 in ccs expert last year at 15/16 now he is 16 and already got his ama license coming for this season.  All we had to get to qualify for ama was 20 weekends 10 amateur and 10 expert.  Along with 300 points.  20 weekends is reasonable to me it ensures that uve atleast raced with the experienced racers and can handle racing and ur not a danger to racing in ama.  (or something like that)

Racing 20 weekends will in no way ensure that you are a safe fast rider that is capable of competing at the AMA level. Also, if you do run 20 weekends and you don't score 300 points there must be something wrong. I don't understand that part of it at all. I know riders that will score 300 points in only a few weekends that run times that would qualify for AMA events but cannot be licensed because they didn't run enough events/year (9). I don't like the system, I don't think it works. Slow people that don't belong get to be there while fast people are left out. Not always, but there is definitely some of that. I'm lucky that I do so much racing that it was easy for me to get my license with this criteria. But there are plenty of talented riders that are jumping through unnecessary hoops. The AMA needs a class dedicated to up and coming privateers to prove themselves worthy of the marquee classes where the factories compete.

I started racing in '97, have 4 consecutive seasons, 35 weekends and ~150 races as an expert and it doesn't count for shit with the AMA because it's not on a bike on the extremely limited list of approved bikes. 

I agree with the AMA on this one. They don't race SV's in the AMA. Get on the platform that you want to compete on professionally and prove that you can manage that machine well enough to share the track with the other talent out there. I don't think anyone will disagree that doing well on an SV has nothing to do with how you will ride a 600 or a 1000.