DAYTONA, FL (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — NASCAR's Daytona Motorsports Group, led by Jim France has purchased the professional racing component of the American Motorcycle Association.
According the Denver Post, the deal will include all racing series with the exception of supercross and arenacross, both of which are under contract with Live Nation until 2019. DMG is reportedly expected to negotiate with LN about honoring the contract while AMA "steps aside."
"I'm optimistic that it's a good thing," privateer racer Ricky Orlando of Erie told the Post "What France has done with NASCAR, if he can do just 10 percent for AMA racing it will be huge. Just look at his results.
"It's a major shake-up. It's been status quo for many, many, many years, and I don't know one racer that was satisfied with the AMA."
The transition for the road various racing series will take place over the course of 2008 and classes will follow next year. While NASCAR has become a wildly popular sport for many Americans, motorcycle racing has remained a niche. One reason for this is the lack of competition as factory-sponsored race teams compete at a considerable advantage against independent or "privateer" teams, and it is expected that DMG will likely try to revitalize interest in the sport by introducing parity in equipment – IE making the bikes all meet certain criteria.
"Right now, if you go to the track you know who's going to win the race — Mat Mladin, Ben Spies — and it gets old for the spectators," Orlando told the Post. "But if they massage the rules and we all have comparable equipment like they do in NASCAR where any of 20 cars can win it makes for tighter racing, it makes it more exciting for the fans." – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
