Racing Review
RACING REVIEW
AMA COMPETITION CONGRESS
In just three short days, Nov. 16-18, the American Motorcycle Association Competition Congress met and worked out the majority of problems and proposals before it. In one of the six committees, there were a total of 248 proposals on the agenda. Had some of the latter items not been closely related to earlier ones, that committee might well have been in session for another couple of days!
Basically, the Competition Congress is divided into committees, each of which is delegated a specific responsibility. For example, there is a committee covering rules and equipment for Amateur Road Riders and one for Amateur Competition Rules. A Professional and Amateur Safety and Engineering Committee decides what equipment can be used for racing and other events.
Each committee has an agenda which must be thoroughly gone through in committee meetings, and decisions must be made on the usefulness and validity of each proposal. Any proposal may be dropped by the committee before being brought to the General Business Meeting, which means that said proposals must wait a year before being brought up by the committee again.
After two days (and often nights) of committee meetings, the results are brought before the General Business Meeting in the committee chairman’s report. Items not thrown out in the separate committee meetings are brought before the meeting, discussed if necessary, and voted upon. Even though the task often seems insurmountable, the Competition Congress usually ends its session with almost all the work done, and almost all the people happy.
Some of the more important rule changes are listed below, but many of these are still subject to change at the AMA Executive Committee Meeting in December.
MINIMUM AGE LOWERED
In 1972, the minimum age for applicants for a Class C competition license has been lowered from 18 to 16. The other conditions regarding application remain unchanged; the applicant is required to obtain a written consent from his parents or guardian and to show proof of Sportsman motorcycle activity, or obtain a letter of recommendation from his district AMA Referee.
In professional motocross, riders will be listed as Experts and Novices. Class C Experts and Juniors are automatically classified as Expert motocross riders if their Class C designation was earned before 1972. Novices in other Class C competition are classed as Novice moto cross riders. Because motocross is going to be run under professional rules, each Novice license applicant must follow the same procedures as for any other Novice Professional License.
MOTOCROSS STARTING GATE
Aligning itself with FIM regulations, each 1972 AMA National and International Motocross event will be started using a starting gate. The final design for the gate has yet to be decided on, but regardless of the gate’s design, there will be a shallow ditch 3 ft. behind the gate and a limed penalty line 2 ft. behind the ditch. Any rider crossing the penalty line before the starter’s flag drops will be penalized one finish position.
Pre-start procedures will be similar to present AMA road race practice with 2and 1-min. boards being displayed. After 50 sec., the 1-min. board will be turned to a horizontal position and the race will be started any time thereafter.
FIM SCORING FOR MX
Motocross will be scored using the FIM system. The first rider gets one point, the second gets two, etc., with the rider having the fewest number of points being declared the winner. Both Novice and Expert professional moto cross riders must have their names dis played on their jerseys at the shoulder line using block letters.
PROFESSIONAL LICENSES
There will be four categories of professional competition licenses in addition to hill climbing: road racing, dirt (which includes short track, half mile, mile and TT), motocross and speedway.
92-DB NOISE RULES
In view of the difficulties of meas uring and enforcing a noise nile, the AMA has declared that all machines participating in AMA-sanctioned Ama teur competition events, including mo tocross, must be equipped with mufflers (silencers) which will produce sound no louder than 92 db on the A scale at 50 ft. However, no professional events are included except where local restrictions apply. In the future, we may expect to see noise levels varying for different types of events: e.g., Bonneville, no restriction. Half-mile racing within the city limits, so many db (A scale), road racing, so many db (A scale), etc.
SANCTION FEES RAISED
As with the price of everything else, sanction fees for professional events have been raised, but so have purses. Both are to be finalized when the Internal Revenue Service sets forth its Wage and Price Guidelines soon.
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PRO RULE CHANGES
Many professional competition rules were changed, including the following: The rider who earns the pole position in all events may choose the outside if he so desires. The balance of the field must line up accordingly. This choice must be made known to the official in charge of lineup prior to lineup on the starting line. -
Any rider who, for any reason (be cause he fell off, etc.), is deemed to be the primary cause of the race being stopped may be disqualified by the Referee and not permitted to restart. When at all possible, a standing restart must be used.
At any event where a flag start is employed, the starter must be on a platform and be visible to all the riders. The starter must have both feet on the platform before starting an event.
THREE MX EQUIPMENT CLASSES
In motocross events, there shall be three equipment classes based upon engine size: 0-125cc, 126-250cc and 25 1 cc-open. A Novice rider may enter either the 125cc or the 250cc class, and an Expert rider may enter either the 250cc or the Open class. In National Championship motocross events, a rider may enter only one class.
CLAIMING RULE REVISED
The claiming rule, the use of which sparked such a controversy at Ontario in October, is still with us, even though the Competition Congress voted at the last minute to accept the FIM's Formula 750 rules. The FIM has no provision for claiming a motorcycle.
Under the AMA system, any profes sional race (except a hiliclimb) is con sidered a claiming meet, and the prices have been raised somewhat from last year, but not enough many feel. Any type racing machine up to 250cc can now be claimed after an event for $2000; 25 1cc-Open dirt track machines and all motocross racers are $2500; and 25 1 cc-Open road race machines are $3500. Many, however, feel that these revised prices are still too low.
MANUFACTURER'S AWARD
In order for factories to receive more publicity worldwide, a manufacturer's award has been started which will award points to the highest placing machine of each brand at national championships.
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Points shall be awarded to only one of each brand, and the number of points awarded the brand shall be the same as those awarded to the rider. The awards will be separate for motocross.
NOVICE MACHINE DISPLACEMENT
Although a very interesting proposal was brought forth and passed regarding the sizes of Novice machines, it won't become a rule until 1973 at the earliest because of the AMA by-laws which state that a change of such magnitude must allow lead time for competitors to obtain equipment. This rule would change the present 250-cc two-stroke! 350-cc four-stroke Singles rule to allow Novices a maximum displacement of 250cc for multi-cylinder two-strokes and 3 60cc for single-cylinder two strokes and all four-strokes. This pro posal would open AMA Novice competi tion to a few more factories, but we'll have to wait at least a year to see what will happen.
NATIONAL NUMBERING SYSTEM
Another change involves an issue of great controversy for the past season, the national numbering system. For 1972, all riders who were nationally ranked in 1970 will go back to that number, and that number will be retained unless the rider becomes Grand National Champion, or unless he fails to finish in the top 65 riders in national points or is not one of the top 25 in non-national points. In this system, No.
1 will be held open for Dick Mann while he carries the No. 1 plate, and Gene Romero will revert back to his 1970 No. 3; Bart Markel will again carry his No. 4; and Roger Reiman (by virtue of his having been a Grand National Champion) may take No. 5. Mert Lawwill may take No. 6, Nos. 7 and 8 have to be filled, and Gary Nixon will get No. 9 back. Jim Rice, Dave Aldana, Don Castro and Mark Breisford will not get numbers in the Top 10 unless something else is worked out. Aldana and Castro were not nationally numbered in 1970, but you can bet they’ll get one for 1972! As in 1971, there will be confusion for a while, but many of the riders will be riding under their old numbers, and the paying spectator will be a lot happier.
Other interesting rule changes include: the approval of water cooling, providing the motorcycle in question was fitted with a water-cooling system as standard equipment. The approval of the use of any number of transmission speeds, if the motorcycle came that way. The banning of titanium frames, although that metal may be used for handlebars.
