Post by Mr Moto on Sept 3, 2006 12:56:49 GMT -5
this is from the Factory Spectator......
I'm going way out on a limb and saying the new license qualifications are long overdue
I'm sure everyone will find plenty to fuss about with the new license requirements, but this is something that's been talked about for years, and worked on a lot in the last 12 months.
It has been too easy to get into SX. AMA officials have to watch the first practice and tell people they are not ready based on what they saw. That's not how the top of the sport needs to be. It's supposed to be the big show, not amateur day one day, and big show day the next.
How many times has the board erupted over why is it this guy or that was in SX anyway? I remember one that nearly died in Atlanta from a head injury. He was a fast local pro in Florida and trying out his first SX. We followed this guy's struggle to survive for weeks.
The LL's part of qualifications for MX is good. That's the AMA's amateur championships.
A lot of people may disagree, but the AX part is valid too. Sure they specify the AMA AX series, but that's their deal. There needs to be a series to develop people for SX anyway and AX is all we have. As this develops, I think AX will grow and make its way into more regions.
What happens now is SX becomes more like a professional league of riders with a highly developed skill set. The ones making it in are understood to be ready. They don;'t need to double or triple the number of riders or hold a an extra day or qualfying and practice. Eventually you will see 60-80 per class, not 100s. The pits get smaller, and just about everyone will be riding out of a semi.
They are keeping vets out of Lites, and saying hey if you are going to race at the top, that class is SX. Lites is how you get there, not where you stay if you land a good gig.
We talked a little this morning about riders or teams that may have made their decisions for 2007, and now look at this and see problems.
-If you blew off LL's this summer or were hurt, and wanted to race SX Lites in 2007, you need to get to AMA AX when it starts in November and get ready for east SX.
-For vets that didn't land a 450 ride yet and were looking for a Lites ride, they better watch out, they may not get in. AMA Pro doesn't want those guys in Lites in SX.
-FIM guys like Townley don't have to worry. The new qualifications are for AMA licenses. FIM guys have a different way in that's covered in the rulebook
I'm going way out on a limb and saying the new license qualifications are long overdue
I'm sure everyone will find plenty to fuss about with the new license requirements, but this is something that's been talked about for years, and worked on a lot in the last 12 months.
It has been too easy to get into SX. AMA officials have to watch the first practice and tell people they are not ready based on what they saw. That's not how the top of the sport needs to be. It's supposed to be the big show, not amateur day one day, and big show day the next.
How many times has the board erupted over why is it this guy or that was in SX anyway? I remember one that nearly died in Atlanta from a head injury. He was a fast local pro in Florida and trying out his first SX. We followed this guy's struggle to survive for weeks.
The LL's part of qualifications for MX is good. That's the AMA's amateur championships.
A lot of people may disagree, but the AX part is valid too. Sure they specify the AMA AX series, but that's their deal. There needs to be a series to develop people for SX anyway and AX is all we have. As this develops, I think AX will grow and make its way into more regions.
What happens now is SX becomes more like a professional league of riders with a highly developed skill set. The ones making it in are understood to be ready. They don;'t need to double or triple the number of riders or hold a an extra day or qualfying and practice. Eventually you will see 60-80 per class, not 100s. The pits get smaller, and just about everyone will be riding out of a semi.
They are keeping vets out of Lites, and saying hey if you are going to race at the top, that class is SX. Lites is how you get there, not where you stay if you land a good gig.
We talked a little this morning about riders or teams that may have made their decisions for 2007, and now look at this and see problems.
-If you blew off LL's this summer or were hurt, and wanted to race SX Lites in 2007, you need to get to AMA AX when it starts in November and get ready for east SX.
-For vets that didn't land a 450 ride yet and were looking for a Lites ride, they better watch out, they may not get in. AMA Pro doesn't want those guys in Lites in SX.
-FIM guys like Townley don't have to worry. The new qualifications are for AMA licenses. FIM guys have a different way in that's covered in the rulebook