AMA Proposes New Class Structure For 2016 Flat Track Season

Troy Siahaan
by Troy Siahaan

The AMA has launched a strategic review of its flat track series, which will result in the creation of a five-year plan. This review comes after audiences have declined, manufacturer and sponsorship has waned, and stakeholders have seen significant declines in revenue streams.

This five-year plan aims to lay out a road map that will re-engineer the business of flat track racing and provide renewed value for stakeholders. As part of this change, the racing class structures will be modernized in order to offer commercially relevant opportunities to a wide range of manufacturers, providing clear on-track identification of their technology and the athletes who compete using their hardware.

To this end, AMA Pro Racing is proposing an evolution of the sport to offer two distinct racing classes that will be instantly recognizable, distinct from each other and will form a launch-pad for the sport to regain its position as the leading professional motorcycle racing series in the United States. During the summer months of 2015, AMA Pro Racing will be discussing the plan with representatives from manufacturers, sponsors and the AMA Pro Flat Track Advisory Group, and will be running a series of workshops in order to detail the rules package for the 2016 season. The final class structure will be publicly announced in a press conference at the 2015 season finale in Las Vegas during the weekend of November 21-22, 2015.

Here are the two proposed class structures for 2016:

Proposed GNC1 structure:

  • All GNC1 class events will be contested on multi-cylinder engine motorcycles.
  • Engine size limits by configuration type to be determined.
  • Minimum weight limits will be applied and linked to engine size.
  • Riders will be required to wear leathers at all events.

Proposed GNC2 structure:

  • All GNC2 class events will be contested on production motorcycles with single-cylinder engines up to 450cc.
  • A minimum weight limit will be applied.
  • Riders will be required to wear leathers at all events.
Troy Siahaan
Troy Siahaan

Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.

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