Outrage over last-minute changes in AMA Pro Thunder rules regarding displacement and minimum weight has escalated, with several racers charging that AMA Pro Racing seems determined to kill the class for good. Typical reaction to the changes announced in December comes from J.D. Hord, an AMA Pro Thunder racer from Bucyrus, Ohio. “I can’t believe what the AMA is doing to the Pro Thunder class,” wrote Hord in a letter to Roadracing World. “I’ve raced in the AHRMA Battle of the Twins Series for the past four years, where I won four National Championships aboard a Honda Hawk. I’ve also raced a little bit in the AMA Pro Thunder class over the past two years. I’ve never been (or will be) a threat to win an AMA race, but it was fun to harass the fast guys on an underpowered machine. For 2001 I planned on running a lot more AMA, and bought a Ducati 748 in hopes of being more competitive. I’m not a wealthy person, so this was a rather substantial investment for me. “I’m a motorcycle mechanic by profession, and besides my own bike I’m building two others destined for limited AMA Pro Thunder action, a Ducati 748 and a Suzuki SV650. The plan for my customer’s 748 was to punch it out to 800cc, and reconfigure the heads and bottom end to suit. The SV is being punched to 700cc, hopefully making up for less displacement with lighter weight. I was about 51 percent certain that my 748 would be an 800, also. That is, until the AMA whipped out their Pro Thunder rule changes. “By the time I heard about the rule changes, it was too late to do anything about the 800cc mods to my customer’s Ducati. The crank had come back from balancing at Falicon, I obviously already had the custom pistons, the cylinders were already bored to 91mm, custom gaskets, etc. Luckily I hadn’t started on the heads yet. The AMA stated that the rule changes were intended to ‘reduce costs.’ Excuse me, but how does changing the rules in the middle of rebuild season reduce costs? My customer has spent around $2000 on a now-worthless 800cc kit! Now he’ll have to buy stock cylinders, 88mm pistons, and have the crank balanced, AGAIN. And so far no luck finding stock cylinders! By the time it is back to 748cc, he’ll have spent nearly $4000. This is only one story, how many others are there? What about the racers that spent untold dollars honing their 800s to perfection last season? This is cost cutting? “Now let’s look at the SV I’m building. It might make 90 horsepower, which is 30 horsepower down on the top Pro Thunder bikes, but theoretically a lot of that deficit would be made up with lighter weight. Oops, here comes the AMA again! A new 380-pound minimum weight limit, for ALL bikes? Are the Ducati 2-valve, SV and Hawk guys supposed to add 40-80 pounds of ballast to their bikes? What about the folks who run Thumpers? Where do you stuff 130 pounds of ballast? Lead bodywork? “Finally, there’s me. I am least affected by this. The rule changes didn’t hurt me, since I hadn’t started any engine mods, and I wasn’t going to spend thousands of dollars pursuing light weight. However, what have I gained via the rule changes? Absolutely nothing! Am I not the guy they had in mind when they tried to level the playing field by ‘reducing costs?’ Well, it seems to me that the racers with 120-horsepower, mega-dollar Ducati 748Rs and factory-backed Buells will still whoop my ass. Assuming any Buells finish, that is; does anyone really think they’ll de-tune their bikes now that the playing field has been ‘leveled?’ “The AMA has created a Ducati 748 class when it was their stated intent to rein them in, ironically enough. I’ve already talked with a number of lightweight racers who will NOT be racing AMA Pro Thunder next year. No 2-valve Ducatis, no SVs, no Hawks, no Thumpers, none of those interesting bikes will be legal for the class without large amounts of ballast–and who’d want to race a 70-horsepower, 380-pound SV against a 120-horsepower, 380-pound Ducati 748 anyway? It looks as though a lot of Ducati 800 owners are bailing out, too, by the looks of the classifieds lately. Leave it to the AMA to steal a good concept, (from AHRMA) then bastardize and ruin it. They have proven once again that they lack intelligence, common sense, and common courtesy. “Why did the AMA not communicate its intentions earlier? Why did the AMA not ask for some guidance from its racers? (Why did they allow 800cc 748s in the first place?) You’d think they would at least consult the Pro Thunder Champion, Jeff Nash, but they did not. Instead they pop a small blurb about the rule changes onto their website, in a spot where you could barely find it, and then wait for everyone to find out (weeks) later. Their methods make no sense, their rules make no sense. I understand their intent to stop the 748’s dominance of the class, (and agree with it) but all they’ve done is turn it into a 748/Buell class instead. And to top it all off, now we find out that they are dropping Pro Thunder from the double-Superbike rounds at Road Atlanta, Road America, and Mid-Ohio! Again, without any sort of TIMELY official announcement to the racers or media! Gee, thanks AMA, thanks for ruining a lot of racers’ best-laid plans for a 2001 race program. And congratulations on reaching your goal of killing off the Pro Thunder class for the 2002 season.” Racer Bob Poetzsch, an AMA Life Member, wrote to AMA Pro Racing about the rule changes, stating “I weighed my SV650 at the last race weekend and it weighed about 375 pounds with about a gallon of gas. This is using a Supersport-spec motorcycle, which essentially means that the street-legal lights were removed. In order for my motorcycle to be competitive in the Pro Thunder class, I would need to increase the performance of the engine from 65-70 horsepower to probably around the range of 80-90 horsepower, which is still quite a bit less than a Ducati 748R that puts out over 100 horsepower. Having a weight restriction is a good thing, as long as the majority of motorcycles in the class don’t have to add more than 10 or 15 pounds to meet the rule. A Suzuki SV650 in Superbike-spec trim should run around 340 to 360 pounds. Forcing an underpowered motorcycle to add upwards of 20 to 40 pounds to meet the weight rule is counter-productive to the spirit of competitiveness.” Racer Rich Desmond wrote Roadracing World, “Originally Pro Thunder was intended to allow a bunch of different bikes to compete on semi-equal terms, 748s weren’t allowed and you had some interesting grids with air-cooled Ducs, Buells, offbeat Singles, Ledesma’s EX and so on. Then they let in the 748 (at 800cc), which made it tougher for everybody else. I still thought it possible to build a competitive SV (95+ horsepower, 315 pounds) and a buddy has a killer Skorpion (90 horsepower, 290 pounds) that would be good enough on the tighter tracks. Now with the across-the-board weight minimum there isn’t a chance in hell of anything but a 748 or a hand-grenade Buell finishing on the lead lap.” Racer and AMA Charter Life Member Mark Hatten told Roadracing World, “I raced Pro Thunder at Mid-Ohio in ’99 and ’00 on my BBM 500 (a 500cc Honda Single in a TZ250 chassis). I did okay for a 200-pound guy on a 50-horsepower Thumper, finishing 15th in ’99 and 19th in ’00. Both my racing partner and I bought Ducati 748s this past fall with the idea of doing all the 2001 AMA races east of the Mississippi (we’re in Ohio). “Like most folks, I first read about the rule changes on the internet. Even after being directed to the AMA website, it was very difficult to find the rule change announcement. The release was dated November 28th, it popped up on the internet about a week later, and I finally received the bulletin in the mail three weeks later (I live about 30 minutes from AMA headquarters).” Hatten included a message he sent to AMA Pro Racing, which read, in part, “I still can’t believe…that changes this sweeping were made a mere three months prior to the first race of the season. It’s no secret that the majority of 748s running in the class are running at 800cc. While I don’t disagree with restricting the Ducatis to 750cc, I strongly disagree with making this change 90 days before the start of the season. Do you realize what is involved in this change? Cylinders–rebored and plated. New pistons. Crank rebalanced. Fuel injection Eprom change. Head modifications. To change that back, you have new cylinders ($1500), pistons ($600), crank rebalance ($300), fuel injection Eprom ($200). If you’ve increased the valve size to take advantage of the larger bore, add the cost of a new set of heads into the equation (minimum $1000 used). That’s $3600, excluding the labor, to make a bike legal for the first race in three months. Sure, maybe you can sell the used pistons/cylinders/heads to offset some of the costs, but I don’t think there will be a bull market on used, now-obsolete 800cc parts. This doesn’t seem to me to be achieving your stated goal of ‘help reduce costs.’ “Again, I don’t disagree with the new displacement limit–in fact, I wondered why it was raised to 800cc in the first place. I do disagree with making this change so late in the game. Other sanctioning bodies try to give advance notice when making such a substantive change. Perhaps now would be the time to announce this change for the 2002 season? “By imposing a 380-pound weight limit on the entire class, you’ve eliminated any single-cylinder motorcycle from the class. I finished 15th in 1999 and 19th in 2000 on my 250-pound Single. Sure, I wasn’t anywhere near the front (although Ducati SuperMonos and the Wood-Rotax bikes have run in the top five before), but I was one more bike on the grid, and added some interest to the class. You’ve also eliminated those folks who ran two-valve Twins like 900 Ducatis (including Squalos, Bimotas), who use light weight (approximately 320 pounds) to try to overcome sub-100 horsepower. Not to mention the SV650s, Honda Hawks, etc. etc. Did you really mean to do this? “Aside from narrowing the field down to two motorcycles, the 380-pound weight limit really doesn’t impact the majority of the riders on the 748. Other than a few of the class leaders, you’d be hard-pressed to find too many 748s that are under 380 pounds. It takes a boatload of carbon-fiber, magnesium and money to get a 748 below that. “I realize the AMA takes heat no matter what they do. Hell, I worked for Pro Racing way back when, so I know what it’s like from both sides of the table. But it’s decisions like this, that appear to be not-too-well-thought-out and made without perhaps fully realizing the ramifications, that make me join the rest of the people out there who scratch their heads and say, ‘What the hell was the AMA thinking?'” In responding to racer inquiries, AMA Pro Racing Director of Competition Merrill Vanderslice admitted that “since the inclusion of the Ducati 748, Pro Thunder has certainly suffered competition-wise. These new regulations are aimed at pulling some of that back and keeping this class viable. We believe that the weight requirement is an achievable minimum for the motorcycles that are truly competitive…It is our opinion that the SV650 is much more limited by its displacement than by this weight requirement. A change was clearly needed to help level the playing field and keep this class viable. One can never be sure that an overall weight requirement is the answer, but it has worked for us in Superbike and Formula Xtreme.” In his specific message to Hatten, Vanderslice stated that he really didn’t think “the rest of the people out there” are scratching their heads and wondering “what the hell was the AMA thinking”, and that he thought Hatten could join that small group or Hatten could look at the big picture and realize that the days of Pro Thunder are limited if there isn’t more multi-brand competition up at the front of the class. Vanderslice’s reply made Hatten wonder: “Considering that a total of three non-Ducatis made it to the podium (two thirds and one second) in Pro Thunder in 2000…why it took until November 28 before this decision was made. If it wasn’t obvious at the end of 1999 that the 748/800 was the bike in the class, shouldn’t have the light gone on sometime during the 2000 season?” Hatten continued, “If the AMA doesn’t think another season of one-brand competition is going to be healthy for this class, how in the world will a 380-pound weight limit, which will basically eliminate any bike other than the 748 and the few Buells that show up, do anything but ensure Pro Thunder is a one-bike class? You’ve basically eliminated all the other bikes, and you certainly aren’t going to find people jumping ship from Ducati to Buell. “Vanderslice said if they don’t get some close competition up at the front with more than one brand in this class, its days are probably numbered,” wrote Hatten. “Seems like they’ve created a self-fulfilling prophesy to me. BTW, after cooling down (barely) regarding the short-notice displacement and weight changes, I recently learned they’ve dropped Pro Thunder at the three most popular AMA weekends–Mid-Ohio, Road America and Road Atlanta. How did I discover this? From the AMA website? A Pro Bulletin sent to license holders? Nope. As always, they sent a season entry form with the new year’s license package. Careful inspection of the 10-point type on the entry form showed there was no ‘PT’ box to check for those three races. Sigh.” In off-the-record communication with Roadracing World, several members of the AMA Pro Racing Board of Directors have mentioned revisions in AMA rule-making procedures, including timely notice and an opportunity for participants to comment before rules are approved and finalized. But AMA Pro Racing has not made any official, public announcement of any such revisions, which are strongly opposed by AMA Pro Racing staffers, especially Vanderslice.

Chris Carr and Mike Himmelsbach are scheduled to ride RSV Mille R Aprilias for the first time at Roebling Road Raceway in Faulkville, Georgia on Saturday, January 20 and Sunday, January 21. The two will break in four machines and test tires, in their first outing with the Blackmans Cycle team they’ll ride for in Formula USA competition. While Himmelsbach will campaign the entire Formula USA Unlimited Superbike season, Carr will ride only at the two Daytona rounds in the series, due to conflicting dates with the dirt track events Carr concentrates on. At conflicting dates, Blackmans will field Vincent Haskovec, a Czech immigrant now living in Temecula, California. Haskovec is slated to fly to Pennsylvania to meet with Blackmans Cycle Racing Manager Kris Bickford the week after the tests at Roebling Road.

Race Directors, Referees and Safety Directors from all regions of the country are meeting today in Fort Worth, Texas at the start of a three-day National Operational Summit designed to streamline and standardize at-race operations at Formula USA and CCS events nationwide. Formula USA and CCS are owned by SFX Motor Sports Group, part of SFX, which in turn is a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications. SFX claims to be “the world’s largest promoter, producer and presenter of live entertainment events.” According to a press release issued by SFX Motor Sports Group, “The focus of the first annual Formula USA summit is continuity of the Formula USA program nationwide, communication, customer service, and of course safety. The first of its kind program will fly in dozens of full-time and part-time officials well in advance of the season, resulting in a cohesive race management team creating a familiar, quality expectation for both racers and spectators at CCS and National Road Race events.” The release quoted SFX Motor Sports Group Road Race Manager Ken Abbott as saying “This is an attempt to unify all of our CCS regions and associates nationwide to insure that the programs from one region to another are consistent. We are also trying to raise the bar for safety and develop consistent safety procedures when dealing with anything from fallen riders, weather-related decisions, or pit road and paddock speeds. We also want to instill the entertainment value of what we do week-in and week-out. If we concentrate on having fun, and providing quality entertainment for spectators, with the participation of riders, teams and sponsors, then we will see the sport grow exponentially over the next few years.” Asked if the Big Mac Theory will be discussed at the summit, SFX Motor Sports Group Director of Road Racing Bill Syfan answered “Yes. That’s what it’s all about.” The Big Mac Theory holds that a major reason why people go to McDonald’s is because they know that the Big Mac will look and taste the same no matter where they are, from New York City to Tokyo. Applied to road racing, the Big Mac Theory states that all functions at a given organization’s events should be the same and predictable at all its races, regardless of region, including sign-up and tech procedures, the time between first and final calls to the grid, officiating, penalties, etc. The Big Mac Theory was formulated by Roadracing World Editor John Ulrich in 1994, following a series of incidents in which his racebike would pass tech in one region but not in another region of the same sanctioning body, despite being identically prepared in all cases.

The back-straight crest at Road Atlanta has been lowered and smoothed out to decrease the chances of cars losing downforce and flipping over backwards. The crest was formed during construction of the track in 1970, when crews encountered a rock formation and paved over it instead of removing it, due to time considerations and an approaching Can-Am car race. During the years at least four race cars have flipped over backwards at the top of the crest. Work to smooth the crest began at Road Atlanta the week before Christmas and was completed early in January. The crest is now about 4 feet lower and the transition from the crest to the rest of the straightaway is smoother.

A January 17 public hearing held in Charles Town, West Virginia over planned expansion and proposed limits on racetrack operations at Summit Point Raceway was cut short when it was announced that the racetrack and its opponents had reached a compromise agreement. Details of the agreement were not revealed although a spokesman said that the track has agreed to certain restrictions on hours of operation and sound levels, which will be revealed after the deal is finalized and signed. Opponents had originally demanded a strict curfew and a 65 dBa noise limit on racetrack activities, including a ban on anything happening on track before noon on Sundays. (For reference, most tracks with noise rules limit racing vehicles to between 102 and 105 dBa). The track had been seeking permission to expand by building a new 2.0-mile road course in addition to the existing main racetrack and adjacent Jefferson circuit, which is mostly used for schools and track days. The main course is heavily booked for driver training programs catering to police and federal agencies. Meanwhile, opponents of a proposed new racetrack in Lake Elsinore, California are continuing to wage a vicious smear campaign based on disinformation and scare tactics, including claims that allowing the complex to be built will cause nearby property values to plummet, produce catastrophic pollution levels, attract drunken race fans who will clog city streets and run down citizens, and generate extreme noise that will be heard 15-20 miles in every direction. Opponents also claim that the track will not be financially viable and cannot possible attract enough business to stay afloat. Anyone interested in seeing the new facility be built–especially anyone who would be interested in renting the track for testing or would be interested in locating in an adjacent industrial complex–can help by writing or calling Lake Elsinore City Hall prior to January 25. Reality-based comments related to personal experience with racetracks, racing, race fans, and property values near major projects would be helpful. Estimates by team or business owners of how many rental days they might use the track in a given year would also help. Contact City of Lake Elsinore, 130 South Main Street, Lake Elsinore, CA 92530, phone (909) 674-3124, extension 5 for the City Manager or extension 4 for the City Clerk.

Current AMA Chairman Rick Gray has been re-elected and former AHRMA Executive Director Jeff Smith elected to the AMA Board of Trustees, representing the AMA North Eastern Region and North Central Regions, respectively. Smith is a former 500cc Motocross World Champion. Despite Gray being an incumbent, both men took reform positions in statements they provided to Roadracing World and which were published in the December 2000 issue. Gray ran against road racer Jerry Wood, who also ran a campaign based on reform of the organization.

World Sports will field Jimmy Filice in the 2001 AMA 250cc Grand Prix Series with backing from Mike Corbin, a manufacturer of custom motorcycle seats and electric vehicles. The official team name will be Team Corbin Racing. World Sports owner James Siddall, himself a former racer, will manage the effort and has signed Ed Toomey as race engineer and Mike Montoya Sr. as mechanic. The combination of Filice and Toomey won the AMA 250cc Grand Prix Championship in 1991 and 1993. Filice has won 23 AMA 250cc Grand Prix races as well as winning one 250cc World Championship Grand Prix race at Laguna Seca and winning a Ducados Open 250cc race at Jerez. He has also won four AMA Grand National dirt track races. World Sports won the AMA 250cc Grand Prix Championship with rider Chuck Sorensen in 1999 and 2000. Sorensen is now riding for GP Tech Yamaha in the AMA series.

Representatives of the U.S. motorcycle press have gathered in Homestead, Florida to ride the latest versions of the Aprilia RSV Mille and RSV Mille R on Tuesday, January 16. After a technical briefing, four riding sessions are scheduled for the morning and four for the afternoon at Miami-Dade International Speedway. Press representatives attending the new model intro hosted by Aprilia USA include John Burns, Don Canet, Kent Kunitsugu, Paul Carruthers, Leo Venega and Chris Ulrich. Canet, Kunitsugu, Venega and Ulrich are licensed racers. Conditions in the Homestead area were 80 degrees F and sunny when the journalists arrived.