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Edmondson to Leave AMA Pro
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (December 30, 2009) – Roger Edmondson will be leaving his position as Chairman, Managing Member and Chief Executive Officer of AMA Pro Racing effective January 1, 2010.
Edmondson, a pioneer in motorcycle racing and one of the original Managing Members of the AMA Pro Racing organization, will be leaving to deal with some unforeseen health issues that necessitate his full attention.
“Roger’s health is first and foremost in our minds,” said David Atlas, Chief Operating Officer, AMA Pro Racing. “Roger’s significant, multi-decade contribution to motorcycle racing is well known but nothing is more important than his health.”
Edmondson will available to consult with the management of AMA Pro Racing but his official duties will be reallocated among the other current Managing Members, David Atlas, Tom Bledsoe and Chris Harris.
The 2010 AMA Pro Racing season will again open at the famous Daytona International Speedway, March 3-5, headlined by the Daytona 200 held under the lights at the 2.5-mile World Center of Racing followed by a full season of Road Racing, Flat Track and Motocross events.
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Merry Christmas. The most arrogant punk in 2-wheel sport has left the building. Give him his health, but other than that: leave and stay away.
Strange that he seems to still be the president of grand am.
While I don’t wish ill health on anyone, having RE out of the way at DMG can’t be a bad thing. With dwindling budgets and in some cases, fans, the timing of DMG’s takeover of AMA racing could not have come at a worst time. However, if DMG had not stirred the “factory pot” so vindictively and tried to re-invent roadracing, perhaps we would have more of a race series to look forward to in 2010. As it is, under RE’s leadership, we have Chuck Graves Yamaha, Yoshimura Suzuki and Erion Honda(?) as “factory” teams. Little or no purse money for superbikes and the possibility of stupid rolling starts etc. etc. RE, don’t let the door hit you too hard on the derriere on the way out! It really makes you wonder how this could all happen? There are so many good business models of roadrace series for DMG to copy. I would have thought that running any series was hard enough without reinventing the whole concept. From a racer’s perspective, messing with machine eligibility and other homologation topics isn’t going to physically hurt you. “Experimenting” with race procedure, flag positions, starts etc. certainly can hurt you. Years have gone into refining established roadrace procedures worldwide and lives have been lost during this process. To arrogantly ignore this and try to adapt NASCAR procedures shows a complete lack of understanding of our sport.
Lets hope 2010 will be less traumatic and a starting point to return to proven procedures.
However if Colin Fraser is in control….
Edmondson is gone…Honda please come back !!!
Dear Roger,
Sorry about your health problems, I hope you get well soon. That being said, is it asking to much that the France Family have “health problems” as well? They could then take their bad ideas and their out dated track (Daytona) and go do something that makes them happy, like watch “stock” cars go around in a circle.
Your friend,
Billy
I agree with Mick Ofield on this one. But I’ll add one comment that Mick left out. It’s possible that the legal war between RE and AMA that existed years ago were never forgiven (or forgotten) and that RE has held a “grudge” all this time. It’s also possible that RE decided to destroy AMA Pro Racing to have his revenge. Far-fetched? Look at the DaMaGe he’s done in just one year. It was either revenge or to paraphrase Mick, “Arrogant lack of understanding…”
Let’s not forget what the Memo said “Edmondson will (be) available to consult with the management of AMA Pro Racing…………. “. This can only mean that he is still able to stir the pot and mess things up. How can one person fairly manage anything and have so any titles “Chairman, Managing Member and Chief Executive Officer “? Say it like it is DMG. Is it ill health (hopefully not) or was he really demoted, fired or laid off with a consulting position or what and is he still mismanaging the Grand Am Series?
Get well soon RE, but stay away from the coma you put American Roadracing in……. it can still have life breathed into it if you are not part of the care. Hopefully, this will be a good sign for American Roadracing, still not convinced, but hopeful. DMG, the next step is yours… all is not forgiven and forgotten, you still messed things up with the manufacturers, promoters, teams, racers and us, the hardcore fans!!
YOU owe us DMG; you owe all of us big time. You’ll know you’re on the right “Track” when we start showing up again and spending money and going to the races again. I want to, I want to support those who race, the teams, owners, manufacturers, promoters, venders etc and to see good racing with Superbikes being SUPERbikes…….. Now that the biggest mistake and stumbling block has been kind of moved aside; fix it DMG and make it right this time.
RE has done to AMA what Barrack O is doing to the country… If you like AMA racing now you will love the new USSA