So you head up the ATV Series, how did that
come about?
I have been running an ATV national for almost 20 years.
When the ATVA was formed we (the Promoters) met with
Doug Morris and all agreed we wanted to do everything
possible to help the ATVA succeed. We felt this was
an important step for ATVs and ATV racing. We discussed
all aspects of the ATVA - racing, membership, factory
involvement, sponsorship, and long-range goals. Somewhere
in one of those early meetings I was selected to help
out with the series.
ATV Racing has shown a lot of growth over the
last five years. What made it happen?
Yes, it sure has, and we believe this is just the beginning.
One of our first goals in working with the ATVA was
to separate the MX and TT events from being one championship.
We wanted to have a good series of MX races and the
same for TT. How many events does that take? We’re
still working on that magic formula. So far in motocross
we have gone from 6 to 8, then to 10, and then to 12,
and now we are at 14. The new events are strategically
selected to open up new markets that will introduce
new fans and riders to our sport. Each time we add on,
the number of riders grows and the ATVA membership grows
with it. As those aspects grow, racing grows with it
and that is our goal. There are more ATV shows, more
ATV magazines, more machines made, and yes, more rounds
to the series. But so far it has all been positive growth.
We feel that with the manufacturers producing new machines
and hiring riders, it will only get bigger and bigger.
We believe we are only at the beginning and the best
is yet to come.
So is 14 the magic number??
I can’t say 14 is the ‘magic number’,
but we are moving slowly to find that number. It may
be 14, it may have been 12, or it could be 16, who knows?
However, I do know that the manufacturers sell 800,000
plus ATVs a year, but most ATV owners have never seen
an ATV race, not even on TV. We need to grow ATV racing
for the sport to grow. We need TV coverage and we will
have that in 2006. We need more exposure, we need more
racing, we need to build stars, and then ATV racing
will grow to what we all know it can be.
Did you say TV in 2006?
Yes, we partnered with Gear Media for 2006. We watched
what they did with GNCC in 2005 and felt it would be
a good move for the ATVA MX Series. For 2006 the entire
series will be televised - 14 half-hour shows, one for
each round highlighting the event. We really believe
this will bring ATV racing to a new level.
How will the shows air?
Shows will air weekly and I think they will start in
April. I know we are working with two networks right
now to get the best time slots. Either way, it will
be a big step forward.
You mentioned Gear Media, which is owned by
John Ayers. Where does he fit in all this?
John has a company that deals with the industry in both
ATV’s and motorcycles. The Promoters hire him
and his company to do special services for us. They
help with lots of things from sponsorship sales and
implementation to parking at the events. It’s
good to have someone who knows the ATV and motorcycle
industry from many aspects. If you look at it this way,
you work for a magazine and that’s your job. I
promote races and that’s my job. John goes to
many races - bike and ATV, pro and amateur - and works
with many different companies and people. From that
he has relationships you and I don’t have, and
he has introduced a lot of them into our ATV world.
We have found our relationship with John beneficial
in our efforts to grow and improve the sport.
With gas hovering over $2.00 a gallon, how will that
effect racing in 2006??
We think the added rounds will help that in 2006. An
east coast rider can now ride 8-10 rounds and not travel
more than 500 miles to any of them. Our information
has shown us that riders like to compete in 10-12 events,
this year they can get the 10 scores they need as an
amateur rider and not have to travel across the country;
I think it will be much better. In the coming year a
northeastern rider can skip the events in the west and
the far south, and still get 12 races in. A rider in
the south may skip CA, NY and/or Michigan. The idea
is to give the riders enough events that they can have
a good full summer of racing at quality facilities and
not travel 25,000 miles to do it. 14 rounds will really
help the situation in 2006. I feel sure the series will
take well to the 14 rounds in 2006.
Many riders feel all we need is PR and ATV racing
would be mainstream. What’s your take on that?
Each year we have spent more money on advertising and
promotion of the series and 2006 will be no different.
In fact, we have hired Harlen Foley, an ATV racer with
great promotion ideas, as our media agent for the series.
In 2006 he will be providing PR services both to the
GNCC Series and the MX nationals. We hope to have open
houses at all events, radio and newspaper coverage,
and the most aggressive magazine campaign we have ever
had. You will see ATV racing in all forms of media this
coming year. It should really be good.
Who will be the series staff in 2006??
Great question. We have always worked hard to have the
best people representing the ATVA series. For 2006 we
are working with several new announcers. David Screws,
Robbie Whitehead, and Rodney Tomblin are all on board
for 2006 - sometimes all of them at once, and that will
be as good as it gets. They are all really talented,
love ATV racing, and will do a great job. Smitty will
continue as the referee. As I said, Harlen will be the
media guy. Dean Vanleeuwen of Moto Tees will be the
sponsor coordinator. John Ayers through his Gear Marketing
and Media, Inc. (GMMI) will produce the TV package.
And of course, Doug Morris will be representing the
ATVA. All said, a really topnotch team.
Who makes the rules and picks the classes?
In the end the ATVA does, but we all work together.
It used to be that those decisions were left mainly
to the ATVA, but over the last couple years we have
developed a good working relationship with Doug (ATVA).
Now at the end of the season the Promoters meet with
the ATVA and we go over the year and make those types
of decisions together using our collective knowledge
and experience. A lot of the Promoters run other ATV
events in addition to the nationals, and they bring
that experience to the decision-making process. We also
include rider and team input. We started having a preliminary
meeting at the Loretta Lynn’s event for the pros.
We also invite rider representatives to attend our formal
meeting in the fall. This year John Natalie, representing
the pros, and Rich Hetrick, representing the amateurs,
attended. We feel this is a good system. It bonds the
ATVA with the promoters and the riders to make the right
changes needed for the series to grow. This is a system
developed by the NPG (National Promoters Group).
What is the NPG?
The NPG is the promoter group for the motorcycle outdoor
nationals. There are 12 members for the 12 outdoor nationals.
They started the group in 1998, and through trial and
error over the years have developed a professional and
effective system for managing the series, securing and
successfully activating sponsorships, and meeting the
needs of the riders and fans. Several of our promoters
are NPG promoters, and they have brought their system
to our group. We are very fortunate to have this type
of relationship with the NPG. I guess we are lucky that
most of the kinks have been worked out. But it’s
an ever-changing work in progress. That’s what
makes it fun.
How did you pick the new tracks?
Finding the right tracks has always been very important.
The riders don’t want to feel like they’re
at just another motorcycle track; they really like it
when we take them to a really nice facility and they
have a great weekend. The goal has been to get the events
to the tracks that can hold 1000 riders, have good parking,
a spectator base and the staffing to put on a good event.
Sometimes we have had to go to motorcycle track and
ask, or should I say convince, the promoter to work
hard and learn ATV racing. Jonathan Beasley at Budds
Creek was one of them. This year it was Unadilla. It
was their first ever ATV race and was one of the best
events all year. The other ATV promoters worked closely
with them in the pre-event stages to help prepare them
for the event and educate them on the different needs
of ATV racing. That’s another big benefit to the
ATVA Promoter Group. Unadilla was a tremendous race,
great track, thousands of spectators and an overall
huge event. We feel good about that - a motorcycle track
producing a fantastic ATV event the first time out.
Again, all part of our growth and what we are trying
to accomplish.
What about the new MXi Series? What’s
that all about?
You probably know just as much as I do. All I know is,
a flier was handed out at the banquet announcing the
8-round series. I don’t believe they have announced
any dates, locations or purse. Other than that, your
guess is as good as mine.
Where do you see aftermarket companies in all
this?
Aftermarket companies have always been a big part of
ATV racing. Teams like Duncan Racing, Nac's Racing,
Hinson Racing, Leagers and Baldwin Racing helped the
promoters carry this sport for a few years when ATV
racing was all but illegal. We really feel they are
important in the development of the machines and the
sport. We try hard to work with them and help them do
their job, while we do ours. We all play a part in the
ATV racing community. We are both builders - they build
machines, we build events - and both take their role
in this sport seriously. Due to the nature of ATVs,
aftermarket companies will always be an important part
of ATV racing.
How about Sponsors? There seemed to be a lot
in 2005?
Yes, 2005 was good for sponsorship. The series had more
sponsors than ever, and the riders had more options
than ever before. Last year Parts Unlimited and Moose
racing joined us. That was a big step and their effect
will be felt even stronger this year. I think sponsorship
for everyone is doing well. Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki
all have supported riders in this series and more are
going to join in. I think that maybe for the first time
in ATV history there were three manufacturers supporting
pro teams. We also have companies like Cobra making
a big difference in ATV youth racing. I know more will
be coming too.
Anything else new for 2006?
Oh yeah! Tons more. The Pro Purse will be $10,000. We
will still seed the top 10 pros, but the top 5 will
also have top 5 gate picks. We will have reserved parking
in the pro pits for the top 20 pros. We will be issuing
pro hard cards, as well as Media hard cards. The Pro
hard card will allow the pros a “Fast Pass”
at rider registration. We’re running both ProAm
Production motos on Saturday, and both ProAm Unlimited
motos on Sunday to help the top level riders participate
in more than one class if they’d like. On the
amateur side we massaged the youth classes to make them
more in line with rider ability. We added a 4-Stroke
Stock Production class to encourage new riders into
the sport – this actually was Doug Gust’s
idea. We changed the names of the Women’s classes
(Women and Womens Sport) so that the “A”
women are not penalized at the local level – this
was John Natalie’s idea, and we agreed. We increased
the throw-aways for amateur and youth to account for
the extra events. There will be no increase in fees.
We will redesign the practice schedule to try and avoid
as many conflicts as possible. We moved up Riders Meeting
up on Saturday to 7:30 am so that we can get started
racing sooner. And we’re working with Debbie Bartosek
to get Doc Ragon a mobile medical unit that is designed
for him.
Final words?
We all love what we do - the riders, the ATVA, the promoters,
the industry as a whole loves this sport. We all try
hard to make it better and I feel the record stands
for itself. The racing has grown to an amazing level
- factory semi’s at the events, 1000 riders at
our largest event this past summer. Think of that -
1000 ATV racers at one event! I feel the work everyone
has done has paid off. Unfortunately, change always,
upsets someone and it’s usually because they are
only thinking of it from their own perspective - whether
it is their time schedule, their budget, or just their
opinion. We feel a responsibility to the sport and the
rider base as a whole. Some live in New York or Massachusetts
or some may live in Florida or Georgia and we want them
all to have a place to race their ATV in a professional
environment and have fun. We hope they will begin to
see the bigger picture and the series will be a lot
better off. Over the next few years there will be more
teams, more riders, more TV, more growth and more happy
ATV riders, and that’s what it is all about, having
fun on an ATV. That is what we are committed to, so
let’s all go have some fun.
Okay then Sam, I’ll go do that.