MX Sports Issues Statement Regarding 250 Class for 2009 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship
Chris
- March 04 2009
- 1,135 views
- 11 comments
CPSIA Lead Ban Cited as Top Priority
MORGANTOWN, W.V. (March 4, 2009) – After careful deliberation on a possible change in class structure, MX Sports, organizers of the 2009 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, has decided not to suggest any immediate changes to the AMA Pro Racing rulebook concerning the 250 Class and the placement of 250cc two-strokes alongside 250cc four-strokes.
MX Sports was considering a plan to make the 250cc Class a “true 250 class” by allowing 250cc two-strokes to compete against 250cc four-strokes, rather than keep the two-strokes in the 450 Class which has long been the practice. However, given the current state of the industry in the wake of the Consumer Protection Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that bans the sale of youth motorcycles and ATVs due to lead content, devastating the American motorcycle industry, MX Sports realizes that the focus of the OEMs right now must be on reversing this law or gaining an exemption for off-highway vehicles and ATVs.
“The attention and the resources of the OEMs, dealers nationwide, the aftermarket vendors, and every rider and enthusiast in the motorcycle industry should be on the CPSIA right now, not changing the rulebook right before the series starts,” said Davey Coombs, vice president of MX Sports. “Rather than asking the struggling OEMs and teams to focus on developing a two-stroke in the next eight weeks for outdoor motocross, we realize that it is more important to address a much more urgent situation that has placed the entire motorcycle industry in jeopardy. Once there is some resolution to this issue, and hopefully there will be soon, we will reconsider the idea for 2010. In the meantime, we will be adding several 250cc two-stroke support races to the 2009 schedule.”
Since taking effect on February 10, 2009, the CPSIA has had a debilitating impact on the entire motorcycle industry, especially in regard to motocross. A significant portion of motorcycle sales in the U.S. have been affected by the CPSIA ban and, as a result, MX Sports has postponed discussions regarding the integration of two-stroke and four-stroke motorcycles.
“MX Sports spoke to many team managers, riders, OEM and aftermarket representatives and found many voices both for and against the rule change,” stated MX Sports Director of Competition Jeff Canfield. “We realize this is a passionate debate among many enthusiasts, and we will continue to evaluate the situation with the two-strokes in the coming months.”
“It was going to be difficult to make such a change in the middle of the season, given that there are also eight rounds of AMA/FIM Supercross to be run under the existing class structure,” added Coombs. “But the new challenges our industry is facing made it impossible. While the decision not to pursue a new class structure at this time will certainly disappoint some of our fans, we believe there are bigger issues to deal with right now; anyone who’s visited a motorcycle shop since the ban went into effect on February 10, 2009, knows what we’re all up against right now.”
For more information, please contact Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship media coordinator Brandon Short via email at brandon@nextlevelsportsinc.com or by telephone at (949) 365-5752.
About MX Sports
MX Sports, LLC, owns, manages and produces the two most prestigious and world-leading motocross championships – the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship and the Air Nautiques AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship.
MX Sports is a second generation family owned business that has been in operation for well over 26 years and is an industry leader in the segment of off road/action sports race promotion in the United States.
Through its various racing properties, partnerships and affiliates, MX Sports fields more than 60,000 action sports athletes each year and attracts millions of active fans, spectators and enthusiasts. For more information on MX Sports, please visit www.mxsports.com <http://www.mxsports.com/> .
Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports
Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports, is a global business that encompasses national and international action sports tours and events, multimedia production, and a consumer facing lifestyle brand. The Alliance includes: the Dew Tour, Winter Dew Tour, China Invitational, Maloof Money Cup, Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, King of Wake series, and the Free Flow Tour; Alli TV Productions, which creates original content, produces and presents content with partners, and distributes Alli content through a variety of channels. Alli is owned by NBC Sports and MTV Networks and represents a network of athletes, fans, brands and properties. Its mission is to facilitate the momentous growth of action sports, through competition and lifestyle, for a new generation of fans and athletes. The Alli properties are home to more than 550,000 spectators each year and broadcasts more than 150 hours of original content in 100 countries and 280 million homes worldwide. More information can be found at www.allisports.com <http://www.allisports.com/> .
Lucas Oil Products
Lucas Oil is a worldwide leader in the production of oils, greases, and additives. Based in Corona, Calif., Lucas Oil Products is one of the fastest-growing additive lines in the consumer automotive industry, featuring a premium line of oils, greases, and problem-solving additives. Through innovative product research and development, along with aggressive marketing programs, Lucas Oil Products has established itself as the top-selling additive line in the American truck-stop industry.
Forrest Lucas and his wife, Charlotte, founded Lucas Oil Products in 1989 after he spent 20 years as a truck driver and owner of a nationwide long-haul trucking fleet. They experienced firsthand the need for better lubricants and fuel treatments to maintain their equipment.
Lucas Oil is involved in an array of motorsports sponsorships, including the “Official Motor Oil of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship.”
To upload photos or videos, 
»
March 4th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
i hope that it follows through. the two smoke industry is dead, and i think that it would bring it back.
March 4th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
or let two-strokes at least get a displacement bump…most of them have been discontinued so if the 2-stroke industry was revived, the manufacturers would have to do major overhauls anyways. i think a 200 and a 300-350 2-stroke would be a good compliment to the 250f and 450f. i would love to see the 2-stroke industry come back, as i have a 250 now and don’t see myself getting a thumper any time soon.
March 4th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
cant they just make bikes and quads with no lead?
March 4th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
2-stroke will come back. only a matter of time in this economy. if certain manufacturers don’t bring back the 2-stroke, then they’re out of touch with reality and the budgets of most riders in this new age. They will be swallowed by by those who know. facts.
March 4th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Sorry but I’m not buying that excuse. The manufacturers development is of little concern right now. They can concentrate on fixing the new law, in the meantime a one line amendment to the rule book would allow the privateers a chance to race competitively agains the five figure bikes the factories are pushing so hard. The simple truth is that if they allow 250 two strokes into the “Lites” class it would show who has the real talent and which is the superior engine design. I’m pretty dissapointed with MX Sports “new ownership same old AMA”.
March 5th, 2009 at 12:26 am
sounds like none of you guys have had to race a 250 two stroke on a 250f
it sucks. its completely unfair. it i had one i would be all for it, but im not gonna dump money into an outdated bike
im all for bringing 2 strokes back, but i think they need their own class. or a bigger displacement like 144s with 250s and 300s with 450s
March 5th, 2009 at 5:49 am
The lead helps with oxidation protection and helps with the flex manufacturers feed into the bike frames for better handling.
March 5th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
the lead if for the frame of the bike its in the paint what kid who ride will go out and chew on the lead come on thats retarded who ever thought of that as hazardous should be shot thats a bunch of bull.
secound putting a 2-stroke in the 250cc clase is unfair cuase the 2-stroke has the same power as a 450 4-stroke
March 6th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Dang retards.
Who cares it if has lead, you cant ban them. The kid is most likely to kill himself riding than from lead poisoning. And its not like hes gonna be licking his bike clean or anything like that.
Long live the 2 stroke!!
It would be so unfair, that it would be awesome. And it would give the privateers a better chance, because the factory teams such as Pro-Circuit, Makita Suzuki and Geico Honda will not use 2-strokes. Of the 4 big factory teams, the only one i can imagine using 2-strokes would be MDK KTM.
March 6th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Honda boy.
The 250 2-stroke can only beat a 450, if you the rider one the 250 is James Stewart or Ricky (with anybody else on the 450).
I think it was MXA that over bored a 250 to a 275 and came to the conlcusion that in normal situations it could not win a 450, but if the rider had his mindset and rode flawlessly, he could have a chance.
I cant wait till i see 250 2-t vs. 350 4-t and 144 2-t vs 250 4-t!!
June 12th, 2009 at 11:15 am
I agree. 144 vs 250f and 350f vs 250. 450s are to big anyway. There are only a handful of people on the planet that can ride them to their full potential anyway,. and if you think your one of them your kidding yourself.