PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Some of the most thrilling woods racing in the country will kick off on April 13 as the AMA Mid America XC National Championship Series gets under way in Madison, Ind. The 10-round hare scrambles series features a wide range of challenging venues that test riders’ skills on everything from high-speed courses to tight single-track trail.

The series, which launched in 2010, continues to grow and flourish, attracting more AMA members every year. It is promoted by Mike Gibbs and Mid America XC in Monrovia, Ind. The full schedule is at www.themaxc.com.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association is elevating one of its most-successful and popular off-road amateur racing events to national championship status. Starting in 2013, the AMA Kenda Big Sky Amateur National Off-Road Championship, presented by KLIM, will crown amateur national off-road racing champions in a wide range of classes on Aug. 24-25 at Montana’s Big Sky Resort.

“In much the same way the AMA Dirt Track Grand Championships and the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch award national titles in those disciplines, the AMA Kenda Big Sky Amateur National Off-Road Championship, presented by KLIM, will recognize the best amateur off-road riders in the country,” said AMA Off-Road Racing Manager Chuck Weir. “Riders will come from a range of backgrounds — enduro, hare scrambles, EnduroCross, cross country and desert racing — to battle for bragging rights on the national stage.”

The first-place finishers in every class will receive an AMA national No. 1 plate, and the top-three riders in each class will be invited to the annual AMA Championship Banquet. Classes will be run across a range of skill-, age- and motorcycle-based categories.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association honored the accomplishments of hundreds of AMA champions from all motorcycle racing disciplines on Saturday, Jan. 19, at the Aladdin Event & Conference Center in Columbus, Ohio. The banquet celebrated the 2012 racing season and announced the recipients of a number of special awards that recognize the best of the best.

Speaking at the banquet, AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman thanked all AMA competitors for their contributions to the sport of motorcycling and congratulated them on an unforgettable year.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association announced today its AMA Motorcyclist of the Year: AMA member and president of KTM North America Jon-Erik Burleson. Awarded annually, the AMA Motorcyclist of the Year designation recognizes the person or persons who had the most profound impact within the motorcycling community in the previous 12 months.

“Jon-Erik’s innovation and leadership have positioned his company to take full advantage of what could only be described as a challenging environment in the motorcycle industry-an industry that is fighting back from its worst downturn in history,” said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “It is also important to recognize our honoree’s passion for, and commitment to, motorcycling. Jon-Erik exemplifies the motorcycle lifestyle. He was raised in a motorcycle racing family and has been around motorcycling his whole life.”

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — American Motorcyclist Association members who want to know where candidates stand on motorcycling related issues heading into Election Day should check out the 2012 AMA Voter Guide. The online tool is an exclusive benefit of AMA membership.

Motorcycle-only checkpoints, restricted recreational access to public lands and health insurance discrimination against motorcyclists are just some of the issues used to rate federal congressional (and soon, state gubernatorial and presidential candidates) in the 2012 AMA Voter Guide.

“The 2012 AMA Voter Guide gives AMA members important information about political candidates,” said Wayne Allard, a former U.S. representative and U.S. senator from Colorado who now serves as the AMA vice president for government relations. “The guide includes a rating for every federal candidate of the major political parties who returned an AMA questionnaire. Very soon we’ll be adding the gubernatorial and presidential candidates as well.”

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — As many as 10 national motocross champions were able to take home the prestigious AMA national No. 1 plate this month thanks to the defeat one year ago of the “lead law” that banned the sale of kid’s dirtbikes, the American Motorcyclist Association reports.

The 10 young riders under the age of 12 earned their awards at the 2012 AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships held July 30 to Aug. 4 at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.

Cobra Motorcycles, which makes kids’ competition motocross machines, saw a lot of that success. Cobra President Sean Hilbert said that his riders’ titles wouldn’t have happened without the defeat of the lead law.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The AMA is pleased to welcome Spectro Performance Oils as the presenting sponsor of the 2012 AMA Hare Scrambles Vintage Grand Championships, taking place at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days July 20-22 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.

“The AMA Hare Scrambles Vintage Grand Championships, presented by Spectro Performance Oils, brings classic off-road racing to the coolest vintage motorcycling destination on the planet: AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days,” said AMA Director of Operations Jack Penton. “We’re excited that Spectro Performance Oils, a leading motorsports oil company with a rich history that dates to the days when vintage bikes were current, is coming on board to support this event as well as the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, which receives all proceeds from the AMA Vintage Grand Championships.”

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association is pleased to announce the U.S. riders who will contest the 87th International Six Days Enduro. Led by the World Trophy Team of Russell Bobbitt, Mike Brown, Kurt Caselli, Robert Garrison, Charlie Mullins and Taylor Robert, a contingent of 31 U.S. riders will face the best off-road racers from other countries in Saxony, Germany, Sept. 24-29.

“The ISDE represents the pinnacle of world off-road competition, and winning this prestigious event has long been an American dream,” said AMA Off-Road Manager Chuck Weir. “For 2012, we have taken our program to an entirely new level, and we’re going to Germany with one goal in mind: making that dream a reality and standing on the
top of the box this September.”

The ISDE effort this year is managed by Antti Kallonen, who guides KTM North America’s off-road racing teams in U.S.-based series.

“I’m very excited about this year’s Trophy Team,” said Kallonen, whose own professional racing career included competition in the FIM Motocross World Championship. “We
were able to assemble a very fast team. We have a few new riders on the team and  they have proved their speed in our national series. And with manufacturers on
board, all the riders have full support behind them, so they can focus only on racing. This year’s Six Days will have some of the stiffest competition we have seen in
years, but with our team, we have good chance to be on top.”

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is pleased to announce the 2012 AMA Pro/Am Motocross schedule. AMA Pro/Am Motocross provides the proving ground for amateur racers to earn the credentials they need to line up at an AMA Supercross or AMA Pro Racing Motocross event.

“AMA Pro/Am Motocross represents the pinnacle of amateur motocross competition,” said AMA Director of Racing Joe Bromley. “Racers at these events compete at premier tracks around the country for the points, purse money and contingency that will help them get to the next level — AMA Supercross and AMA Pro Racing Motocross.

“This year’s schedule is one of the best ever, with more than 40 events at some of the country’s most challenging race tracks run by the sport’s top promoters and organizers. This schedule is designed to test riders with top competition and national-caliber tracks and prepare them for the pro ranks.”

Bromley added that the current AMA Pro/Am Motocross schedule is just the start for 2012 and that additional events will be added and announced throughout the course of the season.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) invites racers to download the official 2012 AMA Amateur Competition Rulebook, available now at AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Racing > Rulebooks.

The 2012 rulebook covers amateur, Pro/Am, standard and youth competition in motocross, off-road racing, track racing and all-terrain vehicle racing. It details rider and motorcycle eligibility, equipment standards, meet rules, points, class advancement and more.

The 2012 AMA Amateur Competition Rulebook goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2012.

Written and updated by the elected member representatives of the AMA Congress, which meets annually, the 203-page rulebook is provided for the exclusive use of AMA members and AMA-chartered clubs and promoters.

“The AMA’s history is rooted in nearly nine decades of amateur motorcycle competition, and the collective wisdom of that experience is reflected only in the AMA Amateur Competition Rulebook,” said AMA Director of Racing Joe Bromley. “The rulebook is available for the exclusive use at AMA-sanctioned events by AMA-chartered clubs and promoters. When you compete at these events, you can rest assured that the governing rules provide the gold standard of fair and orderly competition that is the hallmark of an AMA-sanctioned meet.”

The AMA Racing Amateur Competition Rulebook is complemented by a host of supplemental rules that cover National Championship Series and Grand Championship Events. Supplemental rules packages for 2011 will be published as they become available at AmericanMotorcyclist.com.