Welcome to a fresh new calendar year. Many of us judge according to race seasons and the New Year began months ago for many. Thomas Brown started his own team, John Natalie teamed with Baldwin Motorsports, Josh Upperman moved to Root River Racing, Ronnie Higgerson has a new team and MX Sports prepares for the historical first AMA ATVSX.

As the new season approaches and preparations are underway, AMA Pro ATV Referee Harv Whipple sent us a note to remind folks that a new season also means some rule changes and such. Here is the note he sent to all the teams earlier this week:

Teams and competitors -

The 2015 supplemental rules have been released and available online. 

The 2015 AMA Pro rulebook will be released soon as well, with no major changes anticipated 

This year the Pro Am eligibility status has been altered. The intent is to allow the athletes a set amount of adequate time in the Pro Am division to develop their skills prior to them being considered full time professional racers. After much consideration this is expected to be a better method rather then just posting the top 5 or top 10 in championship points can not race both classes since the talent level changes from year to year and points are arbitrary anyhow.

The online registration is open for the ATVSX in Daytona with AMA Pro license holders being eligible to race only in the Pro class at this event. This will be a points paying event for the AMA Pro classification only.  

Once licensing opens up a press release will be issued and you are expected to finalize the process 30 days prior to your first event entered. 

If you have any questions or concerns please contact me direct.

Happy New Year!

Thanks, 

Harv Whipple
AMA Racing
309.314.4879
[email protected]

As the New Year begins so do the training opportunities. Root River Racing will be conducting a school in a couple of weeks and here is the information I secured for this.

The 2015 Root River Racing Riding School will take place Jan. 16th – 18th, 2015 at the Splendora MX Park – 577 County Road 3663, Splendora, TX 77372. It will feature the instructional staff of #20 Josh Upperman, #84 Thomas Brown, #728 Jeffery Restrelli, Dee Manshack & The Root River Racing Team.

Arrival time will be Friday after 4:00pm and mandatory rider bedtime is 10:00pm. Training will begin on Saturday at 7:00am with a “Run with the Pros” to get the camp kicked off.  

The cost of the school is $300.00 if you pay with registration and if you wait till check-in it will be $325.00 cash only. All Registration Forms MUST be in by Jan, 14th, 2015 and included in the cost of the school is: Camping Fri & Sat, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Water & Gatorade on Sat, a Root River Gift Bag, an Event T-Shirt, Open Practice on Sunday from 9am-3pm and a great day of training, information & fun with some of the top Pros and the 2014 Team of the Year. The school is open to all skill levels from Beginner to Advanced. The information you’ll receive includes:

• Extensive information and work shop on quad maintenance.
• Speaking on the podium, Success of obtaining sponsorship.
• What it takes to be a Root River Racing rider and how you get considered to be a Partial Sponsored Rider or a Full Sponsored Rider.
• Technical instruction for training, riding and racing.

Please email or fax your registration form to [email protected] or call them at 507-895-2768.

Another interesting note as we look to the new season is another change coming for another AMA Pro ATV rider. The word is that #39 Sean Taylor who is heading into his sophomore season as a pro will not be riding for the Root River Racing Team. I spoke with Sean who told me that this was in fact the truth. He said some changes in both his life and Root Rivers plans warranted the change and that he hopes the best for all. He told me that he was working on some of his own personal deals. Sean said he has some great support behind him and more in the works.

Taylor also noted it will be a good growing experience for him and that he will understand better the business aspects of racing. He looks forward to the challenge of the new race efforts but also another addition to the family. It appears that he and his wife are expecting baby number two this summer. This is without a doubt some big changes coming on for Taylor, but he has a great support network behind him with his family. He recently said that he is ready to have some fun. He added, “Isn’t that why we do it in the first place? You know I want to have fun again. I put too much pressure on myself and now I can do it the way I hope is best for me.”  I said, “Exactly!”

Let’s check in with Ken “My traps are empty” Hill:

Thanks Rodney, and Happy New Year!

The 2015 season is officially underway as the New Year rang in with a few big things taking place. I know that round one is a few months off, but you cannot have a 2015 season until it is indeed 2015! The New Year also saw the welcoming of another Natalie to our world as John and Michelle announced the birth of their second daughter, Stassi, who rolled out of the gate on New Years day! We would like to offer a huge congrats the Natalie family, and we can’t wait to keep an eye on the girls as they grow up with our series. We also cannot wait to watch John and Michelle’s entry to another chapter in their life!

Missing last week’s was Site Lap, we were able to just step back, regroup and enjoy time with the family. We all know how fast time goes when the first gate drops, and the season clicks by. Then, before we know it the cold water of the creek at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch is a brisk reminder the year is eight months gone! So we like to take a few days, spend it with the ones you love and try to slow things down before we get wide open all over again!

Social media has been buzzing a little bit with chit-chat, as several riders and teams are already down south getting in some training. The Root River team released a few videos from Texas last week as they gear up, so make sure you go give them some love on Facebook and Instagram! For those still not able to ride, the gym has become a second home as the hard work never ends. It is hard to explain to people who do not follow the racing action just exactly how much effort and hard work goes into making a serious effort in every class offered! 

The ATVs that are underway look sharp as riders posted updates, and the tracks should look great with all the insane builds that are underway! Several new dedicated race pages are popping up on social media, and that is sure great to see! This should make for an excellent season to watch programs expand as the information gets pumped out there. 

That is all from me, going to keep it short and sweet. I am thoroughly enjoying the mild weather we have been experiencing in our region. I have been trying to remain as active as ever, so I too can be in shape when we hit the opening rounds. This season looks to be one of the best ever, so finish up all the holiday cookies and get back at it! 

Thanks Ken!

One quick note from our online content manager, Kayla, before we sign off is that the Number Reservations for the 2015 ATVMX season begin this coming Monday, January 5! Check the requirements and see what date you can send in your request on our Number Reservations page.

Happy New Year to everyone!

That’s it for now. Till next time, God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.