The 2009 AMA Roadracing Season - Uncertain Times

The rule, when it is announced--it was supposed to be made public soon after the early December tire test, but wasn't announced in early January--allows for kit pistons as long as they're the same weight as stock and use stock wrist pins, rings, and piston clips. The Honda kit piston uses a slightly shorter wrist pin.

More troubling to the dissident factories is that DMG has said they will adjust the rules to fit the machine. Already Buell has an allowance for updated forks on the 1125R in the Daytona SportBike class. The Ducati 1098 needs a kit swingarm to work with the Dunlop tires. What will Aprilia need to make its RSV1000R competitive? The major players feel that the DMG is marginalizing them in favor of the smaller factories who come and go from racing without leaving a mark (anyone remember Buell's ill-fated XB-RR campaign from 2006? Or Ducati's serial comings and goings?). And the established manufacturers see little upside in constantly changing the rules to improve the "show." But in the new AMA, racing is entertainment first and foremost, and having one brand win 47 races in a row isn't going to fly.

The word during the tire test was that manufacturers would need to import only 30 versions of a model to be homologated. Some time later a much vaguer rule was announced. The fee is $500, but the homologation number isn't set. Rather, the form states that, "There must be sufficient quantity available such that any person wanting to buy one for racing purposes can do so in a timely fashion." And the machine must be available through August 1 of the current race season. What happens, then, if a certain machine isn't "available?" The first year of its release, the Ducati 1098 was sold out well before Aug. 1. Will those that have already been completed be pulled off the grid? Will their points be erased? Having a set number would certainly be the most efficient way to negate these issues. The rationale for the vagueness is that it allows smaller manufacturers to be involved. That it further alienates the established factories doesn't register.

Because of all the uncertainty and lateness over the technical rules, the word filtering through the race community was that the AMA wouldn't strictly enforce the rules at Daytona and possibly a race or two more.

There are other more troubling signs. As the New Year arrived, there were rumors that the series would be short of the announced 11 races. Of all the stakeholders, track promoters have been the most maltreated. From the start they were left out of the loop and have been consistently ignored. Two track promoters said they'd heard nothing from the DMG after October 8, despite promises to the contrary. The tracks have as much to lose from the withdrawal of the OEMs as anyone. They rely heavily on OEM support, and with Honda withdrawing from roadracing, is there any reason for the company to continue its sponsorship of the races at Mid-Ohio, Barber, or Miller Motorsports Park? If Suzuki, which sponsored VIR, Road America, Road Atlanta, and Fontana, reduces its funding, who's going to make up the shortfall?

The shortfall will be magnified this year by the increased purse. The two premier classes, American Superbike and Daytona SportBike, will pay $125,000 per race. Seven months ago the purse for the middleweight class was announced as $150,000, with $50,000 to the top scorer and $5000 for Superpole. Now the winner gets $15,000. It is, however, a considerable upgrade for the heavyweight class. SuperSport, the beginner's middleweight class, and Moto-GT divisions will pay $12,000 and $24,000, respectively. That adds up to $286,000 before the premium is added that could boost the sanctioning fee considerably.

Tracks are already suffering. NASCAR races are losing their sponsors. Roger Penske canceled the Detroit Indy Car race and auto manufacturers are bailing out of race series around the world. Besides Honda pulling out of F1, they're also out of All Japan Superbike and the domestic motocross series, and they won't field a factory team in the all-important Suzuka 8-Hours. The factory Audi and Porsche teams have left the American LeMans series and Suzuki and Subaru are sitting out the '09 World Rally Championship.

The path to destruction is all too predictable. Asking professional roadracing in America to suddenly become self-sufficient at the drop of a hat is not in the best interest of the sport in a time of deep financial crisis. Tracks rely on fans to spend their discretionary income at the track, at the local hotels and restaurants. Manufacturers know that most motorcycles are discretionary purchases and when there's no money or no credit, there are no sales. And no sales means less marketing dollars to fund their race teams. The race teams need money to pay the star riders. The stars can't race without stable rules and profitable racetracks and a television schedule where the races can be seen live, and where the manufacturers, if money exists, can advertise.

As the '09 AMA roadracing season approaches there are too many ifs and not nearly enough certainties.