Alberta Offroad Club SGC Leaves CMA for local AMSA Offroad Sanction

Alberta Club Leaves CMA for local AMSA Off-Road Sanctioning Body
Canadian Motorcycle Association Loses Key Western Support
Author – DirtBikeNews.ca

The Second Gear Club held their 2019 Annual General Meeting Nov.8.2019, it included topics of upcoming races, organizational management appointments, sponsor supports, course designs/routing, a possible Hard Enduro Event(s) (IN THE WORKS for 2021!), but rather the large change which would decide whether the Second Gear Club was to leave the CMA and seek another sanctioning body, or continue with the current licensing/insurance system.

The decision was discussed with attending members heavily, weighing the Pros & Cons that would satisfy the clubs fast moving pace, social media presence, expanding membership base and efforts to satisfy racers & members across Western Canada and those visiting from far. Many whom also attend the events in the ever growing AMSA Offroad Series, which had just left the now defunct CMRC 3 years prior to form their own independent sanctioning body.

While CMA was part of those original roots, they seem to have become stagnant over the past years,

CMRC’s organizational body resided in Eastern Canada, the same as CMA.

A Key point, How do the clubs in Alberta satisfy the need to unify and build stronger relationships within the multiple clubs across the large province of over 600 active off-road racers, (these numbers do not include motocross), while keeping costs minimal in the forthcoming economic hardship that Western Canada may be facing.

Racing costs and sanction licensing needed to somehow satisfy some pretty heavy demands of the competitors families, sponsors and to allow them to easily traverse across Alberta’s multiple races fluidly. After all, most clubs in Alberta are non-profit and run by racers and families.  There was a need to adapt, change and grow off-road racing once more, just as clubs prior had done when leaving the CMRC.

However as stated by members attending, that simply was not possible with the current management at CMA. 

ONE LICENSE, 12+ RACES  – 2 Series – 2 Championships – Day Licenses

What was determined, discussed and decided with AMSA Off-Road, was that of transparency, simplicity and a unified front to off-road racing across Western Canada.  Simply put, all that would change for SGC Racers is  instead of purchasing a CMA License ($80 individual), they now obtain an AMSA Off-Road License ($70 Individual, $200 Family ), with the ability to attend both AMSA Off-Road races & SGC Races under the same License, or purchase a Day License for a discounted rate of $30-$40, great for new racers and out of province competitors.

SGC Club Races (SUNDAY) would still require a SGC Membership with the possibility of using your full AMSA Off-Road membership for the Sunday, Peewee, Kids classes, this was to be confirmed. The club would still have their own individual events, management team, scoring, competition committee and functions apart from the AMSA Off-Roads Current offerings of races.

Key Take Away from the Change of CMA to AMSA Off-Road noted.
More to Come as we hear about the restructuring and event confirmations.

• ONE LICENSE ($70 individual, $200 Family)
• 12+ RACES in Alberta 
• 2 Series
• 2 Championships
• Day Licenses Available
• Online Licencing & Payment
• Race Pre Entries
• Race Number Reservations (AMSA Offroad, SGC possible)
• Local Sanctioning Body

 

Second Gear Club President Jeff Reynolds had this to say about the New transition.

“We are looking forward to a great partnership with AMSA. There are many reasons for the move away from CMA but really the biggest one is a unified license in Alberta, not forcing riders to chose which license they should hold. Our current structure is very similar to AMSA and we should see a seamless transition.””
Jeff Reynolds (Second Gear Club President)

The 2020 season is that of great positive changes and advancements in both technology, racers, clubs and rider ability. Other non sanctioned events such as Red Bull Outliers, Rad Cross and upcoming hard enduros hold amazing new avenues of racing for Alberta and Western Canada which is home to many top Canadian athletes that compete on a world-class Level, many who are currently at the 2019 ISDE in Portugal.

SGC has been key to many off-road events and the evolution of our sport in Alberta,  also part of the first Corner Grass Event part of the Shane Cuthbertson arsenal of races.

While CMA was part of those original roots, they seem to have become stagnant over the past years, unable to grow larger to keep up with the growing branches of the sport and its increasing demand for a Social Media presence and expansion of ideas, avenues and dire need of new young blood to expand the sport and lifestyle past its current plateaued status.

Even with all the controversy surrounding the CMA, we do wish all the best for the CMA, They have been around since 1946 and almost every international racer is or was part of their organization to compete on a world level. We thank them for that.

AMSA OFFROAD – www.amsaoffroad.ca FACEBOOK 

Second Gear Club – www.secondgearclub.com FACEBOOK 

Canadian Motorcycle Association www.motorcyclingcanada.ca – FACEBOOK

 

|DIRTBIKENEWS.ca|

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not
necessarily reflect the official response or view of Sanctions or Clubs mentioned.

This Article was that of opinion and observations from DirtBikeNews members attending the Second Gear Club 2019 AGM November 8.2019.