The Arizona Motorcycle Riders Association is a non-profit, volunteer run organization. We are making an effort to promote off-road motorcycling in Arizona. Our intent and purpose is not to compete with other cycle organizations, but to help organize and cooperate with clubs.
AMRA's founders maintain their goal is to keep the costs down so more people can participate, to keep it safe and to have fun.
Register on the AMRA Rider's Forum; a place where new riders can gain information about our series, where current racers can connect, and to answer any questions you might have about AMRA.
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by Don Hood, AMRA President
Hello AMRA Riders,
Well, I just got voted in as the AMRA President and, of course, the first thing I need to do is write a little article for the President’s Corner. Well, let’s see…
The first thing I would like to say is “THANK YOU” to the outgoing AMRA Officers for
all their hard work and dedication over the past year. If you have been to an AMRA
meeting you know the kind of passion and dedication the AMRA Officers feel for this
organization and, while everyone is busy, these folks make the time to keep AMRA
going. I especially want to recognize a guy who has been a driving force behind AMRA’s successes…Geoff Brownell. Geoff is heading off to Reno to pursue his career and while we all wish him and his family the best of luck, he will be missed. Geoff has been involved with AMRA from the beginning and would have deservedly been elected as AMRA President this year if things were different. Here’s to good times in Nevada Geoff…don’t be a stranger in Arizona.
Luckily, the well does run deep so next I’d like to congratulate the following folks who
were elected and appointed to AMRA officer positions for the next year. Please notice
that the Head Referee position has been eliminated with those responsibilities being
picked up by the Mini and Big Bike Stewards.
• Todd Davis – Vice President
• Kara Hutchinson – Secretary
• Vance Kennedy – Treasurer
• Adam Johnston – Mini Steward
• Eric Zite – Big Bike Steward
• Keith Johnson – Sponsorship Coordinator
• Dan Hayakawa – Webmaster
• Kara Hutchinson – Media Relations
Personally, I am excited about the upcoming year and I’m looking forward to working
with all the AMRA officers and clubs to elevate and grow the AMRA series. This will
not necessarily be an easy task as long as the economy is gloomy but if we can continue to provide quality and value at AMRA events I think we have a fair shot at increasing participation and being there, ready to go, when things improve. Speaking of quality and value, I have two very important announcements regarding the future of AMRA.
As you know AMRA racing has always been “AMA racing” and we have followed AMA
rules and adopted AMA practices from the very beginning. Well, now your AMRA
officers and representatives are ready to elevate that relationship by pursuing a
Partnership with the AMA which, if successful, would result in AMRA adding “AMA
Off-Road District 31” to its name. You will notice that I used the word “if” above and
that was on purpose because at this point all we have is constructive discussion and
positive intentions. Also, notice that I used the term “Partnership”. This is probably not only the most important aspect of the project, but also the most important ingredient in a possible successful conclusion.
For those of you familiar with the traditional AMA Recognized District Organization, the AMA’s Partnership program is similar but uses a different approach to creating the district. Instead of following 35-year old AMA policies and procedures, AMRA would negotiate with the AMA to develop a Partnership which would help each organization grow and be successful. For AMRA this could mean negotiating anything from working with the AMA to reduce the financial cost to AMRA participants and promoters, to help with contingency and sponsorships, to having access to AMA marketing resources. It’s these kinds of benefits along with the respect and recognition that go with being officially associated with the AMA that I believe will help AMRA not only increase event participation but also our series schedule and contingency and sponsorship opportunities. As of right now AMRA is waiting to hear from the AMA if the Partnership program has the approval to move forward. As soon as we hear from the AMA all the information will be provided to the AMRA clubs for discussion. In the meantime, if you have a comment or suggestion please contact an AMRA Officer or your Club Representatives.
Another big announcement is that AMRA has changed its racing season calendar from the usual January - December timeframe to something more conducive with where we live and race. The AMRA series calendar will now start July 1st and run through June 30th. The main reason for this change is our long summer months when the competition event schedule typically slows down and interest in the series starts to drop. The new fiscal series calendar will address those issues by keeping the AMRA series a constant stream of events over our prime winter months with minimal down time so folks stay competitive and interested in the series. The change also allows AMRA to pursue banquet venues which in the past were either totally booked up, or way too expensive in the winter months. The Biltmore here we come…
All the details regarding the calendar change will be coming shortly and emailed directly to AMRA members and posted on WWW.AMRACING.COM for everyone to see. In the meantime here is the basic overall plan.
• The last points paying event for 2009 will be the November FASTR event.
• The first points paying event for 2010 will be the December event.
• The 2010 season will go thru June 2010 with the Year End Banquet soon after.
I’m sure this change will have its share of challenges in the short term but long term we are confident the change will have a positive affect on the AMRA series. I’m also sure there are a billion questions popping up as folks read this but if at all possible please give us a chance to publish the details before bombarding your Club Representatives or AMRA Officers with questions.
Well, that’s probably enough of an update for now. Hopefully everyone is planning to
head north to Monticello for the WEBE/AMRA Co-Sanctioned event on August 30th. If
past events are any indication, you’ll miss a good race if you don’t.
Take care,
Don Hood
AMRA President |
