In our July issue, Henny Ray Abrams wrote about Daytona Motorsports Group's purchase of the AMA Superbike series and how DMG was making sweeping changes to the existing class structure and rules ("Future Shock"). In the same issue, Kent's column dealt with the implications of the takeover and how the switch to a 600cc feature class and "dumbing down" the racing could hurt the sport more than it may help.
A lot has happened since July, with news of ongoing changes to the class structure and rules package practically every day for the last few months. Some of the manufacturers were understandably not happy with the original rules and threatened to withdraw their support of the series. Alternative rules have since been proposed and rejected. Currently, the 600cc Daytona Superbike class will be joined by the American Superbike class (similar to the current Superstock class) and Factory Superbike, which resembles the Superbike class. It's the rules for Factory Superbike that are the current sticking point, and a number of variations have been proposed and rejected by both parties. Some of the manufacturers are also concerned that DMG-holding the rights for promotion, sanctioning, rules making and rules enforcement-has too much control as a single entity. It's obvious from the almost endless interviews and press releases on the subject that DMG wants to push the factories out of the series. Equally obvious is that the factories want to promote their flagship models by competing in a 1000cc feature class with as few spec items and restrictions as possible.
The MIC (Motorcycle Industry Council, a group consisting of the manufacturers and aftermarket companies) went as far as to issue a press release stating it was "evaluating whether to issue a request for proposal seeking a series promoter and sanctioning body for a premier professional road racing series in the United States," as an alternative to the AMA series. The FIM has expressed its concern over the dissension. Riders are worried about safety issues, especially since the AMA announced that tracks previously deemed unsafe in the rain are, without any changes, now safe. And more recently, the Road Race Industry Council, consisting of several of the series' promoters, has been formed and has asked to meet with DMG principals.
It seems to me that manufacturer involvement in the series is necessary at least in the short term, even though it makes the competition lopsided and leaves the private teams with little hope of winning. Many of those private teams currently rely on factory support to make it to the races. The manufacturers sponsor many of the events and tracks, and advertise on the television coverage of the races. If all that support was to disappear, there would be a huge void to fill. DMG's vision is that outside-industry sponsors will step up to replace that missing support, and with no factory involvement everyone will have an equal chance of winning. While that may be the end result a few years down the road, I can't see such a wholesale shift happening overnight. The catch-22 of the situation is that if the series is popular, the manufacturers will be involved because it will be a valuable way to promote their products. And it will be very difficult for the AMA to restrict that involvement or prevent the factory bikes and riders from doing exactly as they are doing now: dominating the feature class, whether it's 600s or 1000s.
While many of the negotiations have gone on behind closed doors, there is plenty of public diatribe that rivals Days of our Lives for drama. Tempers are flaring as it's a tough situation for everyone that has a stake in the outcome-there is a lot of money, corporate pride and even people's jobs at stake. For the most part I can see the merits of both sides of the various arguments. As I've written before in these pages, I know that change is necessary if our sport is going to grow in the USA and that change can be painful. What worries me most is that, with all the bickering going on between the various entities, time is quickly running out to form a credible championship series for next year. Riders are looking to Europe for opportunities rather than dealing with uncertainties here. Teams can't budget for the season if they don't have a complete rules package. And I'm sure that potential sponsors are wary of becoming involved until things shake out.
Of course, everything may change again by the time you read this, with finalized rules published, details about the spec components in place and the manufacturers on board. But at the rate the situation has deteriorated over the last few weeks, the damage may already have been done and the series will pay the price in '09-and perhaps beyond. As a fan and someone that has friends working and racing in the series, I hope for everyone's sake that a resolution can be found quickly and we can get on with what we all want to see: good racing.