On The Pegs February 2018 - Volume 3 - Issue 2

On The Pegs case, a local AA series rider may not be classified as AA nationally. In this case, these A riders can’t compete in the highest classification. Many observers then conclude that since these A riders “drop down” (even though they don’t), then B riders drop down, as well as C riders. This is also not the case. There are only 3 classifications in AMA: A, B and C. AA- and pro-designated classes are just additional A classes added by the series. They’re still A riders. Furthermore, “pro” in this case is not a reference to AMA Pro Racing, which requires an AMA Pro Racing license for the relevant discipline. In AMA-sanc- tioned off-road racing, we only need an AMA membership to compete. We do not have to buy or qualify for an AMA Pro Racing license, which is required for professional motocross, Supercross and the MotoAmerica-promoted AMA Superbike Championship. In all off-road AMA National Championship Series— AMA National Enduro, GNCCs, AMA Na- tional Hare and Hound, the AMA/NATC National MotoTrials Series—the “pro” classes are the designated top classes. They are still an A class. The AMA rules are very clear on clas- sification. If you’re an A, then you’re an A, you’re an A. There is no way to have dual classification, unless you are an off-road racer racing motocross or track racing or vice versa. In that case, you can vary by one skill level. For example, if you are an A enduro rider and you would like to race motocross, you can race no lower than the B class. If you are an A motocross rider, you can race no lower than B in GNCC, etc. If you’re caught riding out of class, the penal- Vol. 3 Issue 1 - January 2018 P 41 ties are severe and can be as high as a one-year suspension. So, don’t do that please. The AMA wants to keep competition fair and balanced for all classes. Sand- bagging will not be tolerated. Everyone isn’t piling into the C class for some trophies while the true C riders are left scratching their heads. The riders themselves need to help police this for the good of the sport. If you see a rider riding down a class, let us know. Also, if you see this happening, don’t wait until halfway through the season. That just sucks for all parties involved. For riders who feel they are improp- erly classified, there is an entire clas- sification/appeal process outlined in the AMA rulebook (section 2.1 in the off-road version). But whatever you do, don’t “move yourself down.” You must follow the procedure in the rulebook. The 2017 rulebook is online now, so download it, save it on your phone and keep it with you! Finally, the AMA Results Center is full of all the results sent to us from across the entire United States. This is a great way to see where you and your com- petition stand! If you don’t see results listed from an AMA-sanctioned race you know happened, contact the orga- nizing club and remind them to submit the results to the AMA so you can track yourself throughout your entire racing career. n Thanks always to Don Williams for the use of the phrase “Section 8”!

On The Pegs February 2018 - Volume 3 - Issue 2 | Page 41