John, you raise an interesting point about the AMA records.... when BUB started the event, the records were pretty much where they all got left off at in 1978....
Does anyone remember why the AMA got "kicked out of Speedweek?"..... I was at all of the Speedweeks in the 1970s and our team was racing motorcycles back then.... the AMA steward was a guy named Earl Flanders..... for years, he had been charging ALL motorcycle record setters a record certification fee of $20.00 payable in CASH ONLY! No receipt was issued. He claimed that the fees were to cover his living expenses while he was at the salt.... well, in 1978, he doubled the fee to $40.00.... and a few car guys who were involved in a few motorcycle efforts anfd vice versa, got wingd of this.... the SCTA-BNI, incidentally, in their deal with the AMA, had to pay Earl Flanders $3500 for his time at the salt AND pick up his living expenses.
EARL WAS SCAMMING ALL THE RECORD SETTERS!..... The SCTA-BNI did an investigation and to a person, all record setters, for years, answered affirmatively when asked if they were forced to pay Earl a cash fee in order to receive the certification...... when the AMA was confronted with this, they, so to speak, circled the wagons and defended Earl.... at which time a decision was made bt the SCTA-BNI to take over the whole motorcycle program themselves.... My brother and I were actually two of the inspectors who, along with Jack Dolan who was that eara's equivalent of thech chair and head motorcycle inspector, got the program going at Bonneville Speedweek 1979.....
I, for one, do not mourn the absence of the AMA.
