AMD 252 July 2020 American Motorcycle Dealer 252 July 2020 | Page 16

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NEWS
BRIEFS
The AMA has postponed its 2020
Vintage Motorcycle Days (July 10 -
12, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course at
Lexington). The event will be
rescheduled for 2021.
Triumph Motorcycles is to fire
400 employees in response to
the economic impacts of the
COVID-19 health emergency.
Some 240 of them will be from
the company's already much
reduced UK workforce at its
Hinckley, Leicestershire "Centre
of Excellence for Research and
Development". CEO Nick Bloor:
"These are not only challenging
times for everyone as
individuals, but also for the
company. No business could
have anticipated the scale of
the coronavirus crisis and its
economic consequences."
Triumph recently announced that all
remaining volume production was
moving to one of its three factories in
Thailand. Turnover grew to £529.5m
in the year to June 2019, when
worldwide production was put at
60,131 bikes - at that stage only
some 6 to 7,000 were thought to
have been made at the UK factory.
Pre-tax 2019 profits rose from £9m
to £9.5m, while the amount spent
developing new models rose from
£36 to £43.4m.
The AMA has cancelled its 2020
Hillclimb Grand Championship,
being organized by the Valley
Springs Motorcycle Club and
scheduled for Aug. 7-9 at the
club's grounds in Bay City, Wi.
The club will host the 2021
edition of the AMA Hillclimb
Grand Championship on a date
to be determined. The club's
500-foot-high hill was the site
of AMA Hillclimb Grand
Championships in 2012 and
2014.
Torch Eyewear has been named
Official Sunglasses of AFT. The
Florida-based company "marries the
precision of an American design
team with unparalleled
craftsmanship and experience of its
development team in Italy to produce
a world-class product that is backed
by generations of industry
knowledge."
AFT Is Back?
American Flat Track racing is to
finally get underway, with a
relaunch of its 2020 race
schedule featuring doubleheader
race weekends and
kicking off on July 17 and 18 with
the Volusia Half-Mile at Volusia
Speedway Park in Barberville,
Florida.
The revised schedule features 18 races
over nine doubleheader weekends and
culminates in a two-day finale during
Biketoberfest in Daytona Beach.
In addition to NBC Sports coverage on
NBCSN and live streaming of all 18
events via TrackPass on NBC Sports
Gold, AFT has worked diligently
toward the goal of having fan
attendance at all of its venues. This
would include the implementation of
new health and safety protocols that
will help provide a safe environment
for fans, competitors and staff,
including reduced capacity, staggered
seating, mobile ticketing, cashless
transactions and enhanced
sanitation.
AFT officials continue to collaborate
with public health experts to develop
this comprehensive plan in
accordance with all federal, state and
local requirements. All race-day
procedures have been thoroughly
reviewed and will continue to be
examined and updated to follow
specific guidelines set by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) and local authorities.
THE NEW GUIDELINES AND
PROTOCOLS WILL INCLUDE:
• Reduction in ticket availability to
conform with state and local
guidelines for sporting events.
• Reserved seating areas to include
buffer zones to provide ample space
between fans.
• Fans entering the venue will be
provided with complimentary facial
coverings.
• Enhanced sanitation and
disinfection protocols with frequent
cleaning throughout the facility.
• Enhancements to mobile ticketing
and elimination of printed tickets.
• Cashless, contactless transactions
for concessions and merchandise.
• Regular medical screening of staff
and competitors.
As an additional precaution, there will
be no public access to the paddock
area and AFT officials have suspended
Fan Walk, rider autograph sessions
and paddock upgrades for the
remainder of the season.
Careful consideration has been given
to secure a full 18-round race schedule
that is logistically possible for riders,
teams and staff, while also providing
the opportunity for fan attendance.
Following a thorough review of state
guidelines and consultation with local
officials by AFT’s promoter partners,
certain events that were originally
scheduled for 2020 have been
cancelled. All ticketholders for
cancelled events are eligible to receive
a full refund or a credit for use at future
events.
www.americanflattrack.com
UPDATED 2020 AMERICAN FLAT TRACK SCHEDULE*
1. July 17 (Fri): Volusia Half-Mile I - Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL
2. July 18 (Sat): Volusia Half-Mile II - Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL
3. July 31 (Fri): Lima Half-Mile I - Allen County Fairgrounds, Lima, OH
4. August 1 (Sat): Lima Half-Mile II - Allen County Fairgrounds, Lima, OH
5. August 28 (Fri): TBA, Northeast U.S.
6. August 29 (Sat): TBA, Northeast U.S.
7. September 5 (Sat): Springfield Mile I** - Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, IL
8. September 6 (Sun): Springfield Mile II - Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, IL
9. September 11 (Fri): Williams Grove Half-Mile I - Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA
10. September 12 (Sat): Williams Grove Half-Mile II - Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA
11. September 25 (Fri): Dallas Half Mile 1, Devil's Bowl Speedway, Mesquite, TX
12. September 26 (Sat): Dallas Half Mile 2, Devil's Bowl Speedway, Mesquite, TX
13. October 2 (Fri): Atlanta Short Track I - Dixie Speedway, Woodstock, GA
14. October 3 (Sat): Atlanta Short Track II - Dixie Speedway, Woodstock, GA
15. October 9 (Fri): TBA, NC
16. October 10 (Sat): TBA, NC
17. October 15 (Thu): AFT Season Finale I - Daytona Beach, FL
18. October 16 (Fri): AFT Season Finale II - Daytona Beach, FL
Wheels and Waves - Biarritz,
France, September 3 to 6
After the inevitable
postponement of the originally
planned June event, the
organizers of Wheels and Waves
have confirmed September 3 - 6
as the new dates for the 9th
edition of the Biarritz, France
based weekend of all things
'Moto Culture' and
scrambler/hill climb/flat track
racing.
Located just 20 minutes from downtown Dallas, AFT is to return to the
popular Devil's Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, TX - for its Dallas Half-Mile I
and Dallas Half-Mile II doubleheader weekend on Friday, September 25 and
Saturday, September 26.
Staged at the 'Jaizkibel', the
superbly named 'Punk's Peak'
will see mild to wild, the serious
and the downright optimistic
racing for fun and kudos as the
highlight of "this joyful and
very artisanal" and hugely
popular Millennial showcase
where art, motorcycles and
surfing come together in an
alliance that taps the spirit of
*As the situation, regulations and protocols
regarding COVID-19 progress, dates and
venues listed above are subject to change.
**AFT Singles presented by Russ Brown
Motorcycle Attorneys will participate in the
Springfield TT on Friday, September 4.
the times.
"Since 2012, obstacles have
often been a source of
creativity. This year the
challenge is huge, but the
messages of support that we
have been receiving have made
us realize that the void created
by the virus this year needs to
be filled."
www.wheels-and-waves.com
16 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - JULY 2020 www.AMDchampionship.com