A Guide the Clubs

A GUIDE THE CLUBS

Want to Try Pavement Racing? Here’s Your One-Stop Shopping List

If there's one single picture that emerges after an attempt at making some sense of the U.S. amateur road racing scene it's that there is no one single picture. Almost everyone seems to have his own idea of how a road race meeting ought to be conducted, and there is plenty of bickering going on among these various everyones.

However, territorial disputes or no, if you’re interested in pavement racing there’s plenty of opportunity in most parts of the country.

And there are also certain fairly universal things to expect. For example, no matter which of the clubs you turn to, you should be able to actually race your first time out. The procedure is fairly simple. You apply for your license, which will generally be a novice ticket of one sort or another, unless you can demonstrate a substantial amount of previous experience. Then, having paid your license and entry fees, you show up at the track with your bike, where you’ll usually get some instruction and a little riding time under the watchful eye of an experienced club member. If you don’t do anything too strange, you’ll be ready to run.

The license fees quoted in the listings that iollow usually include club membership. This will entitle you to a variety of benefits, ranging from the basic rule book and newsletter to some discounts at racing shops and corporate discounts at motels. WERA—the Western Eastern Racing Association-boasts the latter, and even claims to be able to swing special three percent-over-cost deals on Dodge vans for club members.

However, beyond some of the basic commonalities—instant racing and the general brotherhood of motorcycledom—U.S. amateur road racing is a regular Tower of Babel. The larger clubs all offer a large number of competition classes, each of them drawn up a little differently. The California-based American Federation of Motorcyclists, for example, has 20 categories to select from, broken down roughly around engine displacement figures. The WERA has some displacement-oriented categories plus a large number of formula brackets, in its GP classes. In these brackets the bikes are matched against one another on a basis of presumed performance potential rather than displacement. In the Connecticut-based Association of American Motorcycle Road Racers (AAMRR, popularly known, for obvious reasons, as the Alphabet Racers) the categories are all drawn up to formulae.

Do you have to worry about these in advance? Not really. Not as a beginner, anyway. If you’ve got a motorcycle to race, it’ll fit in there somewhere.

Insurance arrangements vary from club to club and can even vary from meeting to meeting. Inquire locally.

The AFM is one of the bigger organizations and the California climate allows it to have the longest season of any of the clubs, stretching from February into November. In league with clubs in Washington state and Oregon, the AFM offers its members racing opportunities all up and down the Pacific Coast. The AFM’s reciprocity arrangements also extend to the East Coast. If you hold an AFM card you’re eligible to compete in AAMRR events and viceversa.

WERA is an ambitious organization with several satellite clubs operating under its leadership. It acts as licensing body for its affiliates as well as its own members, which means that a WERA license will get you onto a substantial number of race tracks.

Ultimately, the WERA leadership hopes to be able to impose some sort of cohesive structure over all amateur road racing in the U.S. However, it seems possible that the American Motorcyclist Association may pre-empt this ambition, despite its indifferent efforts in this direction in the past. The AMA is currently studying the feasibility of cooperating with some of the major clubs to put together a series of national points races culminating in annual national championship runoffs. Such a plan would require a major sponsor to help racers defray expenses, and sources inside two of the major clubs feel this may not be far off. It’s possible a program of AMA-backed amateur nationals may be launched by 1979.

In the meantime, there’s still plenty of amateur racing available. The guide that follows is perhaps some w'ay from being perfect, but at the least touches most of the high points and should help you get going. Have a good season.— Tony Swan

ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE ROAD RACERS (AAMRR)

Contact: Steve Ross 268 East St.

Hebron, Conn. 06248 (208) 228-3863

License fees: $22; $12 for special “Ms.” license.

License categories: Novice, Junior,

Expert, Ms.

Entry fees: $20 first entry, $10 second entry, $8 third, $5 each additional; $5 entry for special “Ms. Match” race. Reciprocal licensing agreements: AFM, Florida GP Riders.

Circuits: Bryar Motorsports Park,

Loudon, N.H.; Bridgehampton, N.Y.; Thompson Speedway, Thompson, Conn. 1978 race dates: 11

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CLUBS

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MOTORCYCLISTS (AFM)

Contact: Harry Bresach (L.A. Chapter) Los Angeles Chapter: 4996 Argyle Dr. Buena Park, Calif. 90620 (714)523-3892 San Francisco Chapter: 631 Caldwell Rd. Oakland, Calif. 94611

License fee: $ 18 License categories: Novice, Expert Entry fees: $18 first entry, $8 each additional entry. Add $2 to each figure for late entries.

Reciprocal licensing agreements: AAMRR, OMRRA, WMRRA.

Circuits: Ontario Motör Speedway, Ontario, Calif.; Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, Calif.; Sears Point Raceway, Sonoma, Calif.; Willow Springs Raceway, Rosamond, Calif. 1978 race dates: 18

CENTRAL ROAD RACING ASSOCIATION (CRRA)

Contact: Marie Eide P.O. Box 22472 Robbinsdale, Minn. 55422 (612) 933-3619

License fee: $ 15 License categories: One Entry fees: $25 first entry, $5 each additional entry (these are 1977 fees; 1978 fees were undetermined at press time). Reciprocal licensing agreements: Accepts AMA licenses. Circuit: Brainerd International Speedway, Brainerd, Minn. 1978 race dates: 5

CENTRAL ROAD RACING CLUB (CRRC)

Contact: Dennis Kalmers P.O. Box 3828 Austin, Tex. 78764 (512) 447-3746

See WERA for licensing fees and categories. Entry fees: $13.50 ($18.50 at Texas World Speedway) for first entry, $7.50 each additional entry. Reciprocal licensing agreements: WERA licenses only. Circuits: Greater Southwest Airport, Dallas, Tex.; Hallett Raceway, Tulsa, Okla.; Oakhill Raceway, Henderson, Tex.; Texas World Speedway, College Station, Tex. 1978 race dates: 10

MANNING RACING Contact: Pat Manning 3407 W. Olive # 102

Burbank, Calif. 91505 (213) 842-7433

License fee: $ 10 License categories: One Entry fees: $16 first entry, $8 each additional entry. Late entries are $20 for the first entry, $10 each additional entry. Reciprocal licensing agreements: None Circuits: Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, Calif.; Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, Calif.; Willow Springs Raceway, Rosamond, Calif. 1978 race dates: 9

MIDWEST CAFE RACING ASSOCIATION (MCRA)

Contact: John Parvis P.O. Box 16591 Clayton, Mo. 63105 (314) 863-3597

See WERA for licensing fees and categories. Entry fees: $25 first entry; $10 second entry, $5 each additional entry. Reciprocal licensing agreements: WERA licenses only. Circuit: Mid-America Raceway, Wentzville, Mo. 1978 race dates: 3

MOUNTAIN ROAD RACING ASSOCIATION (MRRA)

Contact: Linda Petrow 15628 E. Gerard PI.

Aurora, Colo. 80013 (303) 751-2663

See WERA for licensing fees and categories.

Entry fees: $22 first entry, $7 second entry, $5 each additional entry.

Reciprocal licensing agreements: WERA licenses only. Circuits: Aspen Raceway, Aspen, Colo.; Pueblo Motorsport, Inc., Pueblo, Colo. 1978 race dates: 4 firm; 2 or 3 Pueblo dates still in negotiation at press time.

OREGON MOTORCYCLE ROAD RACING ASSOCIATION (OMRRA)

Contact: Hugues Gervat P.O. Box 13454 Portland, Ore. 97213 (503) 774-2214

License fee: $25

License categories: Novice, Expert Entry fees: Trophy Class—$15 first entry, $10 second entry, $5 each additional entry; $10 late entry fee. Money Class— $20 per entry; $10 late entry fee. Reciprocal licensing arrangements: AFM, WMRRA.

Circuit: Portland International Raceway, Portland, Ore.

1978 race dates: 4

WASHINGTON MOTORCYCLE ROAD RACING ASSOCIATION (WMRRA) Contact: Bruce Lind 4360 S. 178th St.

Seattle, Wash. 98188 (206) 243-6246 License fee: $25

License categories: Novice, Expert Entry fees: Trophy Class—$15 first entry, $10 second entry, $5 each additional entry; $10 late entry fee. Money Class— $20 per entry; $10 late entry fee. Reciprocal licensing arrangements: AFM, OMRRA.

Circuits: Seattle International Raceway, Kent, Wash.; Spokane International Raceway, Spokane, Wash.*

1978 race dates: 7*

*Single Spokane event is contingent on track availability.

WESTERN EASTERN RACING ASSOCIATION (WERA)

Contact: Dr. Peter Frank P.O. Box 387 Valley Forge, Pa. 19481 (215) 687-8422-8423

License fees: $30 Entry fees: $23 first entry, $ 11 each additional entry. Note: For certain oneday events, the WERA entry fee is $10. Fee for practice only is $5. License categories: Novice, Junior, Expert Reciprocal licensing arrangements: WERA is also the licensing body for CRRC, MCRA, MRRA and H-D Promotions. Circuits: WERA lists the following courses as race sites, past and present— >

Bryar Motorsport Park. Loudon. N.H.; Bridgehampton, N.Y.; Pocono International Raceway. Mt. Pocono, Pa.; Summit Pt. Speedway, Summit Pt., W. Va.; Rockingham International Speedway, Rockingham, N.C.; Charlotte Motor Speedway, Charlotte, N.C.; Savannah International Raceway, Savannah, Ga.; Palm Beach International Raceway, Palm Beach, Fla.; Nashville Speedway, Nashville, Tenn.; Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio; Grattan Raceway, Grattan. Mich.; Milwaukee State Fairgrounds. Milwaukee, Wis.; Indianapolis Raceway Park. Indianapolis, Ind.; Atlanta International Raceway, Atlanta, Ga. At press time it was not clear how many of these courses would appear on the 1978 WERA Schedule. 1978 race dates: 28 meetings projected at press time.

MISCELLANEOUS

As our May deadlines closed in, we found that some of our club information was incomplete, some of it tentative and some of it not readily classifiable in the ordinary sense of clubs. Nevertheless, the sources listed below offer potential for exercising that pavement racer of yours, so we’ll pass along what we have and leave the balance of the spade work to you.

Nelson Ledges Contact: Don Bartram 1609 E. 44th St. Ashtabula, Ohio 44004 (216) 993-7361

Nelson Ledges is a race course and also the focal point for a loose confederation of road racers who get together periodically— they plan to do so six times this year—and organize some low-key club-style racing. No competition license is required. Entry fee is $20.

H-D Promotions Contact: Henry DeGouw 3782 S. 57th Ave. Green Acres. Fla. 33463 (305) 968-0983

Henry DeGouw operates within the WERA orbit, staging occasional races at Palm Beach International Raceway, Palm Beach, Florida.

Florida GP Riders Contact: Duane Williams 238 N. Florida Ave. Lakeland. Fla. 33801

This AAMRR-associated group operates at Palm Beach International and also at Dade County Raceway in the Miami area.

Team Chicago Contact: Richard Elarde 1637 Verdin Ln. Naborville, 111. 60540 (312)357-3708

Team Chicago is a club, but at press time its future was in doubt owing to difficulties in getting race dates at Indianapolis Raceway Park, its former home course. When we contacted Team Chicago, it had one firm date, at Grattan. Michigan. The best method for finding out what’s going on this season is to get in touch with club HQ.

Utah Road Racing Contact: Dordee Woodruff 2693 S. State Salt Lake City, Utah 84115 (801) 467-4742

This fledgling WERA-affiliate has put together one racing program and plans for 1978 were nebulous at press time.