News about the AMA CCE split...

[mxracer724]

I got this off of Ronronmx.com who got this from motonews.com.

News about the AMA CCE split - from Motonews.com
Bauer made a reference to a news item on Mototalk about AMA Pro Racing's CEO Scott Hollingsworth having previous unhappy business with SFX (which ran supercross until CCE bought it). Motonews sources say its true. For a week or too this has been kicking around and news people are watching the story carefully. Motonews will try and get some detail this week. If it is true that part of the motivation for the CCE/AMA split was someone at the AMA settling an old score and dragging supercross into it, this could become a liability for the AMA. This split has already angered a lot of industry people and they won't welcome the idea that their job is changing for the wrong reasons.

There is one point in the supercross wars that all the factories can agree on, and that is there will be just one supercross series in 2003. There is zero support for the prospect of splitting between two competing series, and all the factories are for now waiting this thing out. They are hoping one side will give up and make the decision an easy one. If not, they will wait and compare notes until it is time for them all to commit. There will not be twice as many supercross races to see in 2003. The factories will not let that happen.

This sounds like good news that the factories are going to stick together. It sounds like If AMA and CCE don't get back together then 1 of the series is going to die quickly without factory support.

 

[BSWIFT]

I would like to see CCE fall to the way side myself. It is highly unlikely that there will be two different SX series. JMO

 

[mxracer724]

I also want to see CCE fall. It would be wierd not having AMA behind it all.

 

[spanky250]

I would like to think that the factories would follow the AMA, but the simple fact is they will go where the money is. There is no way two seperate series will survive, but CCE has the money to promote their series, and the media outlets to show the races. I don't think they are just going to roll over. I'm sorry to say, I think this means some serious problems for Supercross for the near future.

 

[XRpredator]

The Clear Channel series will be the series. The AMA still has not named venues, only cities. This is just a big pissing match, and I hope it doesn't end up like the baseball strike when there was no World Series (i.e. no SX series at all! :scream: )

That won't happen. Someone will fold. Maybe the series that doesn't make it can become an "Amateur" series, or bigger Arenacross series.

Who knows . . . the war of words is going to get really heated in the coming months.

 

[wardy]

I really should not get in this one

BUT, i hope like hell your wrong XR. AMA may not be perfect, but i highly doubt they will have three or four races in southern Cali just because they can. CCE only cares to sell out stadiums, which is good, however its very near sighted. Many of the other places in this country will support a following if given half a chance. I think that if AMA/jam continues this they better get this one right, or they will loose all creditablity and will never recover from it.
All the crap that is being spewed over at that other board is nothing more then a bunch of people who have alot to loose if CCE goes away, there are alot of people at this point taking sides. Lets see what happens if things don't straighten out the way they see it.
If CCE was to be such a great promoter why the hell did it take AMA to tell them sorry but "NO thanks". THEN CCE comes up with all the rider perks and incentives. Give me a break, they may be the current big boy on the block but it seems like its all about greed. Riders of that caliber should not have to worry about things like medical insurance, decent payouts, hell for that matter race entry fees should be eliminated. But you look at posts from a year ago they cry the "poor farm". In fact last year at this time they got busted big time on purse amounts, I mean what PRO racer at NASCAR or NHRA would even suit up for the purses Supercross offers?
Not saying AMA is the answer either, but this sport as a whole needs to stand up and get in line if it ever wants to become a main stream form of entertainment.
The higher the level the harder it is to reach the next plateau. lets see who can climb the best.

wardy

whats that name now? CCE? SFX?PACE? hell who is going to be the next bidder to buy it up.

lets just hope that the riders win in this one.

 

[XRpredator]

Re: I really should not get in this one

Originally posted by wardy
BUT, i hope like hell your wrong XR. AMA may not be perfect, but i highly doubt they will have three or four races in southern Cali just because they can. CCE only cares to sell out stadiums, which is good, however its very near sighted. Many of the other places in this country will support a following if given half a chance. I think that if AMA/jam continues this they better get this one right, or they will loose all creditablity and will never recover from it.

Excellent points, Wardy! I couldn't agree more. I don't follow the knee-draggers or the left-turn only set (road racing and flat trackers), but hasn't PACE/SFX/CCE kind of turned those series on their ear? I know they're in it for the bucks, and they seem to have Davey Coombs in their corner:

Below me I see a stunning display of sponsors, both on the track and on the riders’ bodies. The recent success of the sport is evident in all of the companies and sponsors located on the riders’ jerseys, helmets, fenders and side panels. It’s a good thing we have going here — anyone who says that this company Clear Channel Entertainment is abusing these riders ought to actually come to race and see for themselves that they are not. To even suggest so is a ridiculous, uninformed notion. Maybe they should talk to a few guys who actually race now or have worked in or around this series in the last half-dozen years or so. It’s hard to believe that on the eve of what should be the best series in motorcycling, the people who consider themselves the caretakers of our sport are preparing to dismantle it and start anew. It still boggles my mind that this is actually going to happen.

But I guess there's no love lost between the Coombs family and the AMA, since Big Dave started the GNCC's since he didn't like the AMA's off-road series.

Personally, I hope they bury the hatchet, get over each others' bad feelings, and work it out.

 

[wardy]

OH MAN

don't even get me going there! holy cow your perception is off exaclty 180 degrees with that particular subject.

I just CAN"T talk my feelings on that one DAM.

e mail me i will clue you in on a whole thought that i have on that deal.

I can say this much people don't get appointed to a ama board position because they aren't liked, and that whole group has had the ama gravey train stop in many MANY times at that station.

oh there is a post on another board that shows just how tight this group is in tangled in the AMA and lets face it they are watching out for who?

dont' be surprised if i delete this all together. :think

wardy walkin the tight narrow rope!

 

[XRpredator]

Don't shut it down over me! I'm just throwin' stuff out there. I'll step away from the speculations now . . . :eek:

 

[WoodsRider]

Pred - The whole Coombs family AMA disagreement is quite different from the AMA and CCE dispute. When Dave Coombs Sr. started promoting his original cross-country series the AMA stepped in and literally took control away from him and started the National Hare Scrambles Series. Dave Coombs Sr. (Racer Productions) eventually started the GNCC series to compete with the Nat'l HS series. In some ways the GNCC is the premiere off-road series in the U.S., for eastern riders. However Racer Productions still maintains relations with the AMA for things such as event insurance.

To me the AMA/CCE split has more to do with CCE wanting to take control away from the AMA. They know that SX is a cash cow and don't want anybody telling them how to run it. I mean let's get real here. Four SX's in Southern California. As if those Kalifornians (no offense) didn't have enough reasons to think they're the center of the dirtbike universe already.:scream:

I have never been a fan of all the AMA's decisions. And there are certain thing they are involved with where I personally think they shouldn't be, but I strongly support their decision to split from CCE. Personally I think they should get rid of about half the SX events and hold a few more outdoor Nationals. That's just my opinion though.

 

[mxracer724]

I want AMA to win the battle. I know that AMA has there problems, but when I think Professional MX/SX I think AMA not CCE.

I also don't like the fact that there are so many SX races in southern Cali. Why do they need more the one race in the same stadium? I have nothing against SoCal (I love it there and want to live there someday), but they need to spread the wealth a little more:mad:.

Something I've been thinking about though is the record books. What series will hold all the records that have been set? That would suck if they had to start over. Then Jeremy wouldn't be 7 time champ anymore if they went to the series that didn't get the records. He would just be another guy racing. MC's/RC's win streak would be gone, Jeremy's 72 wins would be gone, and most importantly the entire history of the sport that they have been making for decades wouldl be gone! They would have to start all over!

 

[Payday2]

Wardy - you want the riders to win in this one? In that case, NEITHER series should be run. There should be a series run with rider input, and I'm not talking about factory riders either. Both AMA and CCE have bent over the riders for years. I have a friend who is a privateer, and the treatment the AMA gives him and the cash payouts CCE gives is a complete and total joke.

Yeah, the AMA is great...if you have a top 20 number.

CCE is the bomb if you have a top 20 number.

See a connection here?

The sad thing is, most of the time my friend could have made more money staying home and smoking the local guys. That is sad.

J&K

 

[mxbundy]

Wardy,
I have been a loyal AMA member since the early 80`s. And I have never payed much attention to the interworkings of the AMA.
But I dont get it, do you have some info on the AMA?
If so why are you being secrative about it?Do you have ties to the AMA?
Why would you delete this thread if we talk about the AMA or CCE and any, if at all,misdealing they may or may not be involved with.
Should not we as AMA members be previy to any info, both good and bad,about our club and or the officers of that club?

thanks mxbundy

 

[Okiewan]

Wardy is the D17 MX Boss, promoter and track owner. I guess he has some involvement with the AMA :)

 

[wardy]

not secretive for any other reason

but that I know alot of things that I shared with XRpred in an e mail. mainly stuff that is somewhat personal feelings as to the way some people have made ama out to be their personal bank. I also have very strong feelings towards promoters (of which i am a small one) that use AMA for a stepping stone only to cast them aside the minute they get big enough that they feel they don't need them anymore. then turn around and blame ama for all their troubles.
I have worked for over ten years to better our sport here locally, regionally. Worked as congress delegate at ama for 6 years and seen many things that are not right, but I hope that I have worked to improve things. It seems like AMA is getting blasted for some of their decisions, and mainly from people who have ties to the "other side". Its really funny that all the "good stuff" (contract improvments) shows up after the decision was made, so typical. I have discussed this in detail til i was screamin mad with another individual from this area who has different views about what ama does.

I have real problems with people sitting on their butts and taking pot shots at AMA from within. Its real easy to sit and critize, or poop in the nest so to speak and then point to your brother and say "its his turn to clean up".

I totally aggree with the statment above that the riders are not being treated fairly, and they can ride locally and "clean up". I hope they like to do that at my races since I pay the most purse around and its always guaranteed. Its a shame that our PROS aren't treated better then rank amatuers in any other sport.

One last thing is this, many people will be affected by this, some of them indirectly I have to work with on certain things. things that in my mind are very important. SO for me to further the big bru ha ha any further isn't something i care to do. ANd like forrest.......forrest gump says..........
"thats all i got to say about that".

:think

 

[KWJams]

NEWS

<<--HERE-->>

Wardy,
Thank you for all the hard work and dedication.

 

[XRpredator]

And thanks for shedding a little light my direction, Wardy! :)

The AMA isn't all that strong a presence up here (yet). Most of us are heavy into the BRC, and most racing is local. There are moves being made by some newer track owners to get more involved with the AMA, so we'll see how everything pans out.