The Fight Has Just Begun

Good Afternoon...forget the good, as our country has descended into lunacy.

I have spent most of the day on two conference calls relative to the subject line above, and I must say I am rather concerned about the fate of our sport and industry. Not to mention our local communities for the further loss of jobs and $$ that our industry brings in each year. It is certainly that dire..believe me.

As of yesterday, all the OEMs had to pull for sale all new youth minicycles and atvs for those under the age of 13...this under order of the CPSC due to lead content of plastics and certain metals. As of yesterday, a dealer or private individual can no longer provide parts or service, to these affected machines, in which there is a possibility that those same parts may contain lead...no oil changes, plastic, levers, engine cases, etc, etc..goggles, helmets, clothing, knee braces..you name it. You may think that is just for new machines, but it is for everything new and used.

The CPSC also ruled that machines under 85cc are considered toxic to the health of young children.

Effective yesterday, Honda has pulled replacement parts from their service system for these machines pending lead certification...this takes 400 days. KTM, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Yamaha are doing the same thing. If you have a 1,2,3 year old machine, you won't be able to buy most parts for it very soon.

Yamaha is sending out restrictions to its dealers saying that an 85cc bike can only be sold, and should only be operated by someone over the age of 13.

Now to the fun part for us as a race promoter.

Because the manufacturers are now issuing these guidelines, we as promoters cannot allow a youth under the age of 13 to participate for two reasons.
We are allowing someone to participate in a sanctioned activity on a vehicle that has been determined by the manufacturer and the CPSC to be unsafe for that age level.
We are allowing someone to participate in a sanctioned activity on a vehicle that the CPSC has determined is a toxic substance.
If you think I am joking, consider the following
MX Sports is considering removing youth classes from the Loretta Lynn's program, GNCC, and ATV Nationals...we run all three of these series and I can tell you that these classes make up over 1/3 of our entries and more than half of our attendance.
The AMA will be forced to ban youths under 13 from any AMA amateur or pro competition due to legal ramifications. The same will apply to local districts and sanctioning bodies, as insurance will not be available to cover this exposure. The lifeblood of our sport are these kids..if they cannot participate, they will find something else to do, and we will not get them back. They will not race, watch, or buy products. That means Mom, Dad and older brothers/sisters won't be there either.
Unadilla would most likely not participate in any form of amateur racing..with only half or less of the entries left, it wouldn't be financially possible.
DO I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION YET!

There are two efforts going on right now to get a temporary stay granted by the CPSC for "Off Road Vehicles." The MIC (Motorcycle Industry Council) and Missouri State House Rep Mike Sense(#4 in line in the MO st govt) are both developing grass roots letter campaigns through websites to develop a ground swell of support for this stay. Keep in mind this is only temporary, and unless a Federal injunction or legislation is developed, this isn't going away.

There are several opinions floating around on this subject saying that our thinking is flawed and that only the sale of new units is affected...if that is the case, why are helmet, goggle, sneakers, sunglasses, OEM parts and accessories, and dealer service being pulled for these units???

I will leave you with this..if indeed this is overblown, and we are right that we shouldn't be affected by this, it still doesn't mean that we can't/won't be sued by someone using this logic, and worse yet, convince a jury that the above is true. If it gets that far, you will have spent nearly a million $$ in your own defense, just to prove you were right all along.

IS IT WORTH THAT TO YOU?

I will get you info on the two websites, and I encourage you to beg everyone you know that rides, owns, promotes, or attends an off road sporting event to get everyone they know in the same manner to fill out one of these letters...Every Mom Dad and Kid should individually enter their name. Then they should contact their local representatives too.

Thanks for listening, and please do not think you can't make a difference..contact your local representatives as well..explain the economic impact this will have..educate yourself on this subject as quickly as you can.

Greg Robinson
VP Marketing
Unadillla Motorsports
© 315-725-9537
greg@unadillamx.com