The following is an interview with Scott Hollingsworth, CEO of AMA Pro Racing, concerning the upcoming 2003 AMA Supercross Series.
This interview was conducted for the February issue of
American Motorcyclist magazine, the official publication of the AMA. Due to the timely nature of the subject matter, it is being released now, prior to its publication.
Q: On November 26, the news broke that AMA Pro Racing had filed a lawsuit against Clear Channel Entertainment over the operation of the AMA Supercross Series. What exactly is the nature of that lawsuit?
Scott Hollingsworth: The complaint that we've filed asks the court to order Clear Channel to live up to the terms of the Supercross Sanctioning Agreement we signed with them in March. That contract specifically states that AMA Pro Racing will be the sole sanctioning body for all events in the AMA Supercross Series. In recent weeks, it's become obvious that Clear Channel has also sanctioned these races through the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and is now billing the AMA Supercross Series, with the addition of a couple of smaller races in Europe, as the Supercross World Championship.
We have asked the court for a preliminary injunction against Clear Channel primarily to prevent it from having FIM sanctions, FIM rules and FIM officials involved with the races that are part of the AMA Supercross Series.
Q: What difference does it make whose name is on the races?
Scott Hollingsworth: It makes a big difference, for several reasons. First, the AMA and AMA Pro Racing have spent 28 years building this series into the premier Supercross championship in the world, just as our motocross and Superbike Series have risen to premier status worldwide.
