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AMA Board Elects Chairman, Reorganizes Structure

The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has announced that Dal Smilie of Helena, Mont., has been elected as Chairman of the AMA Board of Directors; Andy Goldfine of Aerostich, Croft Long Of Kawasaki, and Ken Sutton of Harley-Davidson have been re-elected to serve as corporate members of the AMA Board of Directors; and Jon-Erik Burleson of KTM has been appointed as a corporate member of the AMA Board of Directors.
Smilie replaces previous chairman Rick Gray of Lancaster, Penn., who declined to seek another term as chairman in order to serve his local community as mayor. Burleson was appointed by the AMA Board of Directors to fill the seat vacated upon the recent death of Rod Bush. Goldfine, Long, and Sutton were elected during the annual meeting of AMA Corporate Members, held February 18 in Indianapolis, prior to the start of the International Powersports Dealer Expo.
The AMA Board of Directors meets four times a year and consists of 12 members. Six individual Directors are elected by the general membership in their respective regions and serve three-year terms. Six corporate Directors are elected by the corporate membership and serve two-year terms.
In other recently announced AMA news, the organization said it plans to make two major changes to its structure in an effort to “more effectively use the expertise of the members of the AMA Board of Directors while increasing responsiveness to all parts of the motorcycling community,” according to a prepared statement.
The AMA says the first portion of the planned changes will create three new standing committees of the Board — Rights, Riding and Racing — each designed to focus on one element of the AMA’s mission.
Another part of the reorganization includes the creation of a new rulesmaking procedure for the AMA’s professional-racing programs.
In the past, direction for the AMA’s professional road racing, motocross/supercross, flat track, supermoto and hillclimb programs has been in the hands of a single AMA Pro Racing Board.
The AMA announced that the AMA Pro Racing Board will be replaced by independent working committees that will propose equipment standards and rules for on-track competition. Proposed rules would then be ratified by the AMA Board of Directors.
Not everyone was pleased with changes to the AMA’s organizational structure. American Honda officials said the recent actions taken by the AMA have moved the company to vacate Ray Blank’s positions on the AMA Board of Trustees and the Paradama (AMA Pro Racing) Board of Directors.
Read full coverage on changes within the AMA in the next issue of Powersports Business.

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