Last month's Santa Rosa Mile was unforgettable for a number of reasons, good and bad. We've covered the bad, now the good. This race was something special. 25 miles of incredible skill, tension and groundbreaking performance.
It marks the beginning of Indian era.
Click Santa Rosa Mile 2016 to watch it, and you really should. G

This email was sent from AMA Pro Racing, which I thought was now American Flat Track. Maybe that new name is being saved for next season, or perhaps they're using the old name, and header on the email, to keep the tragic accidents linked to that organisation's name. It was an AMA Pro Racing event, so I suppose it keeps it in the same house.

The stand out for me is that Santa Rosa has be dropped, only one week after it was confirmed on the 18-race 2017 schedule.

Here is the communication in full...



Yours faithfully

Michael Lock
CEO. American Pro Racing

Photo: Brian J Nelson/ AMA Pro Racing

We hate to post bad news but sometimes it just has to be done. This weekend, at the Santa Rosa Mile, there was a couple of horrific accidents in the GNC 2 support class. I woke up yesterday to the news that it had caused #35L Charlotte Kainz to lose her life. she was only 20 years old.

This morning the news was that a second young GNC 2 racer 17 year old Kyle McGrane #99A has also died from injuries sustained in a separate accident.

Our thoughts are with the families and friends at this very difficult time and we offer our deepest condolences. It is tragic loss of two talented, up and coming pro racers.

Motorcycle racing is such infectious fun that it is very easy to dismiss the very real dangers involved. As racers we accept the risk yet always think it won't happen to us. High risk for low reward.

Dave Skooter Farm

Following on from last week's blog post about Bryan Smith's disqualification, the AMA have reversed the decision. Below is their official release...

AMA Pro Racing announced today that an independent Appeal Board has heard and considered the appeal of a technical protest filed by No. 1 Jared Mees against No. 42 Bryan Smith on August 20, 2016 at the Central New York Half-Mile, Round 12 of the 2016 AMA Pro Flat Track season. The technical protest concerned a rear wheel assembly alleged to be out of compliance with Rule 3.22.h of the 2016 AMA Pro Flat Track rulebook: 3.22 Weight Limits and Weighing Procedures ... h. All chassis ballast must be fixed to the frame. Under no conditions is it allowable to add chassis ballast as rotating mass to the wheels outside of normal balancing procedures.    In post-race technical inspection, the wheel was retained by AMA Pro Racing staff for further investigation where it was deemed to be out of compliance. The original penalty assessed included disqualification of the #42 and loss of championship points and purse for the Central New York Half-Mile following the issuance of a Penalty Notice. Earlier today, the Appeal Board, which consisted of a non-voting chairperson from AMA Pro Racing and three voting members not affiliated with AMA Pro Racing and with no material interest in the matter at hand, heard the appeal and examined evidence presented by Smith.  After an executive session, the Appeal Board made the decision to reverse the original Penalty levied by AMA Pro Racing and restore the finishing position and points earned by Smith at the Central New York Half-Mile. The appeal board has issued the following statement: "After considering evidence presented by AMA Pro Racing and Bryan Smith, the Appeals Board identified a series of central questions: Is the wheel technically legal according to the 2016 AMA Pro Flat Track rules? If not, was the team given permission by AMA Pro Racing to utilize the wheel in competition? If the team was given permission, was that permission rescinded according to the rulebook at any moment in time after they were given permission? The following language in the introduction to the 2016 AMA Pro Flat Track rulebook was a determining factor in today's decision: 'If any rule is unclear to the entrant or competitor, the entrant or competitor is advised to get written approval prior to any modifications. Requests for rule clarifications or interpretations must be submitted in writing by riders and teams to AMA Pro Racing.' The Appeals Board has determined that, regardless of whether or not the wheel is technically legal according to the 2016 AMA Pro Flat Track rules, AMA Pro Racing officials gave Smith's team written permission to utilize the wheel in competition, and that the permission was not rescinded in writing at any point.  On that basis, the team was acting in good faith by competing with the wheel and, therefore, the disqualification upon technical protest is not considered to be valid and Smith's finishing position and points are to be restored." The decision of the Appeals Board is final and binding on all parties. AMA Pro Racing is committed to sanctioning a professional series with safety and fairness for all competitors as primary objectives. The AMA Pro Flat Track rulebook is currently undergoing an exhaustive review of language, policies and procedures in order to provide a solid platform for fostering competition on the racetrack. AMA Pro Racing will study the conclusion of the Appeals Board and implement protocols to ensure a fair, equitable and transparent process for rule-setting and enforcement. AMA Pro Racing will provide additional information on rules and procedures following an internal review. As the AMA go on to explain, 'With his points restored, Smith now leads Mees by 2 points, 221-219, heading into the season finale at Santa Rosa.' That is going to be a wild race. It's a mile, it could be Smith's year, but anything can happen. Winning the Dash for Cash gains points. Leading the most laps gains points. Mees is a fighter, and there are only two points in it. I've just been reminded the race was cancelled because of mist a few years ago. I hope that doesn't happen again, because I'M GOING! G

I've stopped posting round-ups of AMA GNC racing the day or two after AMA GNC races because Fanschoice.tv posts full races for the world to catch up with at their leisure. It's awkward for European viewers to get to see the races live because of the time difference, so I don't want to spoil the possible excitement of watching a recorded race you don't know the result of.

There was another great race at Springfield last weekend. If you haven't seen the result, I won't mention it. Click fanschoice.tv to watch the 25-lapper. It'll take less that 18 minutes of your life and this is one of the few mains of the season that didn't get red flagged and restarted.

Mile racing is what people think of when they think of dirt track, but there isn't often the same excitement as good short track racing. This race is an example of cat and mouse and pure racecraft. I loved it.

Also on the agenda for this post: the commentators, Chris Carr and Scotty Deubler, regularly refer to Bryan Smith's appeal. Not a lot has been said about this on public AMA channels at least, just that it happened. Here's what I know....

At the previous race, the Central NY Half-Mile on August 20, Smith came second to championship leader, and reigning champ, Jared Mees. Meanwhile, there was a protest, it seems, by Mees' Las Vegas H-D, Rogers' Racing team about Smith's Crosley Kawasaki.

READ ABOUT BRYAN SMITH'S RADICAL CROSLEY KAWASAKI TWIN IN SB26

The protest, from what I can discover, was about an overweight rear wheel. If you're not 100% embedded in flat track that may sound strange. Every other motorsport spends £1000s making their wheels lighter, right? Well, yes, but a heavier rear wheel, in some circumstances and only up to a point - you wouldn't want a lead wheel, aids traction. Because of this, there is an upper weight limit in the AMA Pro Racing rulebook, for complete wheel and tyre assembly.

Riders fit the heaviest, heavy-duty tubes to help their bikes hook up, some riders have even been known to fill tubes with water rather than air to weight a rear wheel, but no one would risk that at an AMA race. So Smith was disqualified and his team appealed. Some buzz is saying they had approval to run the wheel and tyre assembly that later led to their disqualification.

Below is the report from AMA Pro Racing's tech log. It doesn't mention any pre-approval.
The Smith/Crosley Kawasaki appeal is a week today. That is crucial, because the final round is coming up on Sept 24 at the Santa Rosa Mile.

Conspiracy theorists are pointing to this being the XR750's final year and H-D doing everything they can to win the title. Firstly, teams are still going to race XR750s. No private teams are going to ditch the XR for an unproven XG750 until they're forced to, and XRs are still legal as far as I'm aware. Indian have just entered with a bespoke race engine, that has no production bikes roots.

Others point out that Mees was accused and proven to use banned tyre softening chemicals last season, but didn't lose points. Other conspiracy theorists point out that Mees now does a burn out celebration to cover up his continued use of those chemicals. I don't believe he'd risk getting caught and losing a hatful of points, he's too good and is always in with a chance of a win/podium, but what do I know?

I'll tell you what I know, Santa Rosa is going to be a great, high pressure finally. Including 2016, the season has gone down to the final race, between Mees and Smith three times in a row now. Bryan Smith has been second in the championship the previous three years (to Baker is 2013, the Mees twice). But don't believe he's going to win just because it's his turn. Ask Dani Pedrosa about coming second...

Our good friends at the CFTA are involved with promoting the Mile race. CFTA head man, Randy Kremlacek, has contributed features to Sideburn for years, before he got to busy race promoting.

There is going to be racing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

And it sounds like Sideburn is going to be there! G

If you only watch the delayed coverage of one GNC race all year, make it this one from Tuesday night. The AMA and Fans Choice TV haven't grasped the idea of no spoilers yet, so if at all possible, and you don't already know the result, avoid reading the caption under the video window when you click the link below. I managed to watch this midweek race from Sturgis live and it had me on the edge of my hotel bed.

Here is the link.

BTW, has there been a GNC main without a red flag stoppage this year? That isn't a spoiler, it adds to te excitement. G

I'm pretty busy, so this is taken straight from the press release. Watch the race for free on fanschoice.tv . Chris Carr is part of the commentary team and he's always good value for money...

Last year's Charlotte Half-Mile winner, Bryan Smith, pilot of the No. 42 Crosley Radio Kawasaki Ninja 650, heads into this year's event with a 13-point lead in the GNC1 point standings. Smith ripped off three consecutive wins in the month of May and is well within striking distance of capturing his first GNC1 championship. The Michigan native finished fourth in the Round 8 contest at Lima, which was impressive considering his strength is typically reserved for Mile circuits. If Smith wants to earn his first championship, he's going to need to continue to find success on the shorter courses, as only two of the remaining six races in 2016 are Miles.

Another hurdle that Smith is going to need to overcome goes by the name Jared Mees. X Games Gold Medalist Mees stole the X Games crown from Smith this year, and aims to recoup from last year's mechanical issue at Charlotte to take the crown in North Carolina too. Mees is the reigning GNC1 champion and has won the ultimate title three of the last four years. Sitting just 13 points back of Smith in the standings, and entering Charlotte fresh off three-straight races where he finished second or better, Mees has proven that he's more than capable of running Smith down and capturing his fourth GNC1 championship in the last half decade. The No. 1 Las Vegas Harley-Davidson XR750 pilot was poised to earn the Charlotte Half-Mile win a year ago before a bike malfunction on the last lap of the main event forced him from the race and gave Smith the victory.

 Entering Charlotte third in the point standings is Sammy Halbert, who is changing teams mid-season and arrives at Charlotte as the rider of the No. 69 Wiebler's Harley-Davidson. Halbert is coming off his worst performance of the season, 13th at the previous round in Lima and is aggressively looking to get back to the front this weekend. Replacing Halbert on the No. 23 BriggsAuto.com Harley-Davidson is Jeffrey Carver, Jr.

Get over to Fanschoice.tv to watch one of the most exciting races on the AMA Pro calendar. This year the Lima Half-Mile is being promoted by Jared and Nichole Mees, that means they've put up the money to make this race happen. And, I think, it's a sell-out.
Mees is in blistering form, he'll take some beating. If Brad Baker's factory Harley can actually finish a race, he's a good bet too. G

We ran a big feature on Roland Sand's modified Indian Superhooligans in Sideburn 24, Travis raced one and I interviewed the President of Indian, Steve Menneto,  about his company's entry into AMA Pro Racing. Well, it's just been announced that reigning champion Jared Mees will be their development rider.

In a press release sent today Menneto said "We are very excited to return to the AMA Circuit. We have established the new Indian Chief and Scout series as the cornerstones of our production line-up, and now is the time for us to return to racing in a big way. We know that fans of Indian Motorcycle have been anticipating this announcement and can't wait to see Indian Racing back in action."

Mees is quoted, "I can't express how excited I am to be the guy to bring Indian Motorcycle back into the forefront of AMA Pro competition. We will have a lot of work to do to develop a 100 percent new race platform, but I'm committed and excited at what I have seen on the drawing boards and what the plans are for Indian Motorcycle Racing. This is history for the brand, and being a part of it is truly exciting for me and this sport."

Indian Motorcycles will race the new motorcycle at a circuit to be determined in 2016 in preparation for a full season of competition in 2017. This is on the back of news of the development of the new liquid-cooled Harley-Davidson XG750R. This are getting very exciting. G

The footage of the Law Tigers Arizona Mile race is up online at fanshoice.tv
I was looking forward to this because SPOILER ALERT Dalton Gauthier won the GNC2 race on Ron Wood BMW F800. We'd already reported on this, so I'm not worried about saying it. The fanchoice website also caption the result, which is a bit daft, but perhaps they think everyone has seen the result on social media.

BUT... there are still a lot of reasons to watch the race. Chris Carr's commentary, for one. From an amateur racer point of view it is interesting to watch passes on what is basically a one-line groove in the corners. Also, in the first half of the race the leader, McGrane isn't tucking nearly as much as Gauthier. The commentators say because he wears glasses and can't see if he tucks in and cranes his head up. McGrane is also very tall for a bike racer, so that must have something to do with it.
I also noticed that Gauthier has the typical racer's body english, right elbow up high through the turns, McGrane's is held lower. We have a great Get Schooled piece by Chris Carr in the next Sideburn on body english.
Also, see how the track decomposes through the race, especially on corner exit. So, even if you know the result, if you're any level of racer there's still a lot to pick up.

If you just want to watch the race, it's from around 7 mins to 17 mins. Watch Arizona Mile GNC2 Main.

Also, the Sacramento Mile will be shown live on Fanschoice.tv later today. G

This is such a great story. Two of the highest profile riders in flat track have bought the rights to one of the favourite races, the Lima Half-Mile. It's great to see riders like Jared and Nichole (both pictured above) moving into running and promoting races, while still being in their prime (though Nichole has recently retired from the GNC).

This from the website - Lima Half-Mile

2015 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Champion Jared Mees and wife Nichole entered the race promotion business for the first time today, buying rights to the historic Lima, Ohio Half-mile. Lima, which runs on the last Saturday in June each year, is one of the most highly attended and historic races on the AMA Pro Flat Track circuit, dating back to 1984. The venue has sentimental value to Mees, who won his first AMA Pro Flat Track GNC1 race at Lima in 2005. Mees also won Lima in 2007 and again in 2014, on the way to his 3rd Grand National Championship. 

“I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to buy rights to Lima,” said twenty-nine year old Mees who lives in Clio, Michigan. “It’s an old school fairgrounds cushion half-mile with a passionate, loyal fan base just a few hours from our house. Nichole and I couldn’t be more excited to take this on. Nichole is retiring from racing after this season and I don’t plan on racing forever. Promoting Lima is a business venture that will keep us involved in flat track for many years.”

“Lima is such a great event, I wanted to make sure I found the right people to hand the torch to now that I’m retiring,” said longtime Lima promoter Dean Gallup. “Jared and Nichole Mees are the perfect people to take over. They’re hard working and have a vested interest in the sport. I can now retire knowing the event is in good hands."

The next Lima Half-Mile is 25 June.

Thanks to Roger F for the lead.

Slammin' Sammy Halbert won Daytona I. More racing from Florida tonight, and you can watch livestreaming on fanschoice.tv

Sammy, running his late brother Jethro's #69, won from Brandon Robinson and Brad Baker was third. Interestingly, Bryan Smith, qualified through the semis, the tough way to make the main, and came fifth. A great result for his championship. Smith has narrowly missed out on the last two titles, because of poor results on singles, compared to Mees.

The Superhooligans were given a support slot, and Roland Sands one on one of his Indian Scout Sixtys. Read all about these bikes in the next issue, out at the end of March.

If you're in the UK or Europe and fancy racing your road bike, the DTRA is running a three-roudn Hooligan class at Peterborough, Hell's Race in Belgium and Dirt Quake. G

Praise the lowered!
The AMA season is back, TONIGHT!
The first night of two at Daytona. Watch it live on fanschoice.tv

Is Davis Fisher going to make the main in his first GNC1 race?
Is Davis Fisher going to make the podium in his first GNC1 race?
Is Bryan Smith going to make the top seven and give himself more of a chance to win the title?
Mees and Baker have been winning short track races all over the world all winter, who'd bet against them?
Is anyone going to come out a year early in leathers instead of MX kit? I know the answer to that one...
Briar Bauman gives our readers short track tips in Sideburn 24 (out soon). He won the final round of 2015, the short track at Vegas, and he's a bad ass and a big unit, could he muscle his way through?
And our buddy Johnny Lewis has won Daytona before, he's fitte than ever, but does he have the machinery to back it up?

We'll find out soon. Go to fanschoice for schedules.

Photo: AMA Pro Racing

There are a few GNC issues to talk about. Firstly, AMA Pro Racing have announced their 2016 dates, with some gaps still to confirm...

March 10: Daytona Flat Track I - Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla.
March 11: Daytona Flat Track II - Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fla.
April 9: Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas
May 14: Arizona Mile - Turf Paradise, Phoenix, Ariz.
May 21: Sacramento Mile - Cal Expo Fair, Sacramento, Calif.
May 29: Springfield Mile I - Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, Ill.
June 18: Oklahoma City Mile - Remington Park, Oklahoma City, Okla.
June 25: Lima Half-Mile - Allen County Fairgrounds, Lima, Ohio
July 30: Charlotte Half-Mile - Charlotte Motor Speedway, Charlotte, N.C.
August 9: Sturgis Half-Mile - Black Hills Speedway, Rapid City, S.D.
August 14: Peoria TT - Peoria Motorcycle Club, Peoria, Ill.
August 20: TBA, New York State
September 4: Springfield Mile II - Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield, Ill.
September 17: TBA, Southern California
Early October: TBA, Northern California

Differences: a return, after a few years, to Arizona, Oklahoma and proposed race in NY State. No Delaware, no Castle Rock, no DuQuoin.

No Indy Mile, either, but a race at COTA in Texas the same weekend as MotoGP and the Handmade Show. I hope whichever track they use is better than it was for the X Games that was in the COTA facility last year.

In other news, we've heard a rumour that now even the all-leathers rule has now been shelved for 2016. If it's true, the governing body are doing more U-turns than a London taxi.

The CEO of AMA Pro Racing, Michael Lock, sent out an email last week that included these requests...

AMA Pro Racing is committed to developing a healthy future for all the passionate and professional members of our community. I mentioned last November in Las Vegas that we have a large number of challenges and opportunities in play at the moment in our sport. As we tackle the issues surrounding building a bigger fan base, attracting new corporate sponsors and engaging the OEMs to actively partner with us, there are and will be a number of questions that require analysis and discussion. Sometimes the right path can only be determined by giving air to the spectrum of experienced views within our paddock. 

It is with this in mind that we are seeking to establish and grow a new Advisory Group, comprising Riders and Team Members from our professional flat track community. I hear a lot of informal and anecdotal intelligence from all corners of the paddock and I know that AMA Pro Racing can benefit from a formal channeling and thorough cross-examination of those views. 

AMA Pro will organize regular meetings and administer the agenda. The meetings will kick off in March, with the first scheduled to be held during Bike Week in Daytona. We will follow that with 3-5 further meetings, in conjunction with GNC races, during the rest of the season. 

Do you have views and solutions for how we retain the classic Peoria TT once the GNC1 Class becomes twin-cylinder exclusively? Can you help us ensure that the balance between new technology and cost control stays in the 'sweet spot'? Are there better ways to execute the paddock load-in and manage the race weekend? All these questions and more will be addressed as we prepare for modernization and development in 2017 and beyond.



I'll be interested to hear who puts themselves forward. They need people who can demand respect, but also younger guys who look at things differently.

AMA Pro Racing seem to be locked in a damned if they do and damned in they don't situation. If they suggest a change, half the paddock moans about changing things, but if they don't everyone complains that revenue and sponsorship is down. Meanwhile, most manufacturers (the OEMs Lock speaks of) - with a couple of exceptions, pay only lip service to the sport, making big budget concepts to splash on social media, but not actually backing any teams. It's a mess.

Indian are supposed to be coming soon. That will be good and it is likely to mean Harley-Davidson will put even more effort and dollars into the sport, of which they are already one of the biggest, if not the biggest, supporters. Hopefully they will both bring some third party sponsors like drinks or oil company money and the increased marketing companies like that shine on the sport.

The excitement a comparatively low budget effort like the Scrambler rebranding of the Lloyd Brothers team, and the inclusion of a way off the pace, Troy Bayliss made last year shows that motorcycle people are desperate for dirt track stories. Imagine if a team brought back Nicky Hayden, or if Yamaha rolled out a title contender in full Roberts-style speed blocks. Babe DeMay could make it work, he's doing it on a shoestring already.

The key players in the sport are certainly not pulling in same direction and until they do, nothing much is likely to improve or even change. G

The new technical rulebook for the 2016 AMA Pro Racing GNC season was released on New Year's Eve.

As we've known for a while, the proposed rule of making the GNC1 class exclusively race twins at all rounds (not singles and twins as is currently the rule) has been postponed for at least one year, coming into force in 2017 at the earliest. So there are very few changes for this year, except that all riders are now forced to wear leathers (see the page above) at all rounds. At present 99% choose to wear motocross gear for short track and TT races. Riders must wear leather gloves too. I've seen a lot of riders wear MX fabric gloves with leathers, for increased feel, so it might bother a few people, but Rossi doesn't seem to lack feel with leather gloves, so I'm sure they'll get over it.

The reason for the new leather rule, it seems to me, is to re-establish flat track's strong identity, and nothing to do with safety. It's a low cost roll of the dice. A few riders might miss out on low-level sponsorship from MX clothing companies, but from the little I know it would be very small sponsorship figures and more likely, for most riders, nothing more than free kit, thought I know every little helps and very few riders are making a decent living from flat track racing so free kit would be welcomed.

If you were a glass half-full kind of person you'd say that this new rule would give riders a chance to approach leather manufacturers with a new vigour, leathers are going to be a talking point. And there are dozens of manufacturers, big and small.

There are two versions of the rulebook online. I skimmed through the 'redline' version that highlights the changes more clearly. Click to see the 2016 AMA Pro Flat Track Technical Rules - Redline Version (if you're a nerd like me). G

There are some great comments giving lots of different views to the 2016 GNC rules - see them here. DTRA Rookie racer Damian McCann sent these thoughts in...
UPDATE: I've replied to some points. Damian's words are in italics, mine are bold with my initial after.

Tried to post on the blog but too many character and its too late and i cant be arsed to try and edit it as I have to fly in a few hours time, i may have gotten carried away a little: 

 Having only got into all this 2 years ago I'm not sure I know enough to comment but I have fallen in love with the sport so even though i don't have a solution here's my thoughts: I think you all have really good points and I think you should all join the AMA board! 

Gary I agree that it needs its own identity and twins and leathers etc. gives it that identity. When I was first investigating flattrack the thing that captured me was the images of the awesome framers, that look like nothing else in motorcycling leant over sliding round a mile track. The thing that really captured me and this gets into marketing, social media etc. was go-pro footage of Sammy Halbert at a night race (above) and it was a rear facing camera, he was absolutely hammering it and then you had Mees etc.. Drafting and getting inches within the camera and then anchors on or going flying by with the bike snaking about, only to be overtaken again, it gave me goosebumps! It was new to me and was the first time in years that Motorsport had me excited, I wanted to see more. 

 Having said all that I joined the DTRA and I bought a DTX bike because it seemed more accessible and cheaper. I love it and because I race a DTX bike I look at Wiles or Baker or Brindley, Neaves etc and think "damn i want to ride like that". On the smaller tracks we ride on they are far more spectacular than the framers. I do feel there is a slight bit of snobery (not sure thats the right word) between the two types of bikes and this can't help the sport. Peoria was intense racing! 

I think DTX bikes have their place and logic would tell me that they should give the sport a wider target market ie. from wise old Harley Riders to young motocross whippersnappers. The trick is to get the kids into it and they'll get into competing through DTX. 

I've never been anti-DTX, I don't want one, but I've said from the off that the racing is exciting, but my belief is the overall spectacle isn't bringing people through the gate. This isn't about grassroots, or support classes, purely selling the big race to punters and sponsors. G

I went to the Xgames and there was a good turn out of over 30's but very few kids spectating. As Brad says Speedway or certainly british speedway is in crisis, it desperately needs new blood, more riders. I go to see Newcastle speedway, again, very few kids but then the average speedway fan probably can't afford to take the kids and perhaps this is the same with AMA events, I don't know I've never been to one I'm just assuming it's an older possibly blue collar fan, whereas motogp just like premier league football is becoming a sport for the wealthy corporate world. Fans choice is good and bad, now you don't need to go to a race and who wants to sponsor something where even on tv you can't get your message across because most people will watch it Mon a laptop or device, the screens so small etc. They could do a lot with fanschoice and it should be a major boost to the sport. 

To finish on a positive note as Brad says, in comparison with speedway, grass track etc. from what I can see flattrack is moving in the right direction: 

Fanschoice is hugely important, despite my comment above and gets better, with improved camera angles, commentary with Chris Carr. 

The AMA seem to be trying to do something: rule changes good or bad they are changing which means they are trying at least. Bringing someone like Bayliss in from another sport is the right idea even though it's been a disaster due to injury and probably not the right personality and could be seen as making a mockery of the sport so they need to tread with care on this one. Stuff like thundermedia footage. Xgames. Hooligan scene. I agree with Anthony that it probably needs to be a lot more international. And the gap after rnd1 Daytona doesn't help much I don't think. 

I think Bayliss was great for the GNC. The accident was unfortunate, but it shows how difficult the sport is. He's making his comeback at Springfield. He's a trooper. G

DTRA successful through good organisation, non-motorsport sponsors, a cool image, great dedicated participants. 

- Superprestigio is helping with awareness, although I agree it's only because of the Marquez factor. 

- Marquezfactor; it seems like every other superbike/motogp rider is using dirt track to improve their skills, that can only be a good thing for awareness. 

- Sideburn/Dirt Quake etc. 

- Articles in the independent, MCN, it would seem in the Uk it is getting more coverage than ever but this doesn't help the top level, or certainly not the scale of new fans it needs to pull the money in. 

Like I said I don't have a solution but I'll certainly be doing my bit to get the uneducated educated. Damian

There are so many things that could be improved, but things are moving the right way and no one has all the right answers. The twins thing is very controversial and does seem rushed for 2016, but is that just the actions of a governing body trying to grasp the nettle and move things along, while there is interest an momentum? That can be viewed as good or bad, but change is sometimes painful. As a fan, I'm excited about the idea.  G

UPDATE 2
Damian got back in touch to say this was the video that inspired him to start racing.

There are a few strands to this post.

Reader Pat Riot left a comment to the post below  (Sideburn Talks AMA GNC Listens?) that brought up some good points that I've already been discussing with friends. I'm going to give me view on them below. Pat's comment are bold, my replies are italicised... G

Pat wrote, Well I have to say that I agree with and am excited about the rules changes except for two notes: 1) I don't like the bit about 'production motorcycles' for GNC2 - I'd love to see single cylinder framers make a comeback as well. Perhaps 'production engines' would be better. Chris Carr has commented (in your mag if I recall) that jumping from dirt-bikes to framers is a big gap for up-and-coming riders starting out in GNC1.

By production motorcycles, they mean 450 MX bikes modified for dirt track - DTX bikes as the sport refers to them.
The move to DTX bikes, and away from framers (450 or older Rotax motors in custom dirt track chassis), made some kind of sense. We at Sideburn never hidden our love of framers or ambivalence to the appearance of DTX bikes, but saw the sense or trying to attract manufacturer support by running production bikes they could market. But the support never came. If you're trying to sell MX bikes, it's easier to put all your marketing into MX or supercross. It's big budget, spectacular, the riders are more famous, the races are better attended. Really, why the hell would Honda support flat track 450s in any significant way when they had the huge US MX industry as a battleground?
And if there's a transition from DTX bikes to framer twins of the Expert class, then so be it. For years, Grand Prix road riders had to jump from 250 two-strokes to 1000cc four-stoke MotoGP bikes and just got on with it. The talented thrived, the others fell by the wayside. That is racing.  
Also, framers making a come back doesn't make sense. The GNC2 guys are on a real budget, and DTX makes sense for them. Also, they make sense for amateur club racers too. Be clear, we are NOT anti-DTX, they're good for the grassroots, but, I think, not for the elite. 

 2) 2016 is really soon. Especially for privateers, but even for well supported teams, that is a major reshuffling of the required bikes to solve by Daytona next year. All of that said, it will be awesome to see how short track and TT races evolve the formula for pro-twins bikes. I just can't see launching an XR750 as the best way to go at Peoria.

The bigger budget teams are always going to cope with transition better than privateers. That's life, but perhaps this opens a door for a privateer to put all their effort into building a great Peoria twin, and making a name for themselves, at the expense of another area of their programme. It's no different to now. Shaun Baer (featured in Sideburn 20) is concentrating on the twins races this season and has been a regular top six qualifier, but isn't racing any single races this year. So what's changed? If anything, it'll be easier for him and other twins teams (Ducati Scrambler, Bonneville Performance, Latus Triumph, Rogers KTM) to tweak their bikes for short track and twins than buy a whole new machine and tune it to compete with the top singles. 

I know the top teams have a half-mile bike and a mile bike, with the different engine tunes, but privateers don't. They change the gearing. They'll do the same for short tracks. 

Peoria. Everyone is mentioning twins at Peoria. That makes me think a few things. First, people are DESPERATE to see how the twins go at Peoria. When was the last time this many people were desperate to see a CRF450 at Peoria? Never. Secondly, let's be blunt Peoria is just a shit motocross race. If I wanted to watch motocross I'd watch motocross. But I don't I want to want dirt track. TT is part of the championship, but it's mutated so much it has virtually no link left. People get excited about Peoria because of its history. If it launched as a new race now it wouldn't get a lot of interest. I'm not saying the racing isn't exciting, to those really in the know, and who have favourite racers, but the GNC has to offer more to grow. 
Also, the 450s are flying so far they're missing the transition off the jump and landing on the flat. Won't the riders just back off, and land their jumps on the transition? Fans won't think, 'They're not jumping as far as a full alloy, lightweight 450, this sucks!' They'll think, 'They're jumping 'Harley XR750s? Those things must weigh a ton. Holy cow!'

The riders will suck it up and put on a spectacle. Perhaps Dirt Quake USA hero, The Rusty Butcher can give them a lesson on how to launch a really heavy Harley. who is telling me they'd rather watch a field of experts/GNC1 riders on DTX bikes or a field or riders on twins? 

Sometimes you have to take a step back to go forward. F1 has done it throughout history, and they're doing ok for sponsorship, last time I looked. 

If you want to read more on this subject read the Ronnie Jones interview in Cycle News p58-70