350cc thumper in 2009

Here is the article from AMA.AMA Pro's Steve Whitelock traveled to the Spanish GP on his off weekend, and met with FIM, Youthstream, and manufacturer's representatives about standardizing rules between the AMA and FIM.


This trip and meeting signaled a new level of cooperation between the AMA and FIM, and showed they can sit down and work on problems together. In fact, they didn't use the word rule standardization, they used "harmonizing," which sounds nicer. The AMA and FIM in harmony? Did I just type that? Yes, it's real. On Saturday, Whitelock, Youthstream's president Guisseppe Luongo, and the FIM MX President Wolgang Srb held a full "round table" format meeting to explain what was discussed at an FIM GP Commission meeting this morning.



Whitelock was in the meeting as an invited guest.The focus was on keeping 2-strokes alive as an option for development riders, noise, and getting the manufacturers to agree to a 350cc

4-stroke for MX1, and SX/MX in the USA.The FIM, Youthstream, and the AMA together have submited their opinions to the manufacturers through a representative here in Bellpuig and are expected to get answers in June of this year.The meeting went over an hour and a full report will be out soon.


Here's a quick summary:- "The 2-stroke is not dead." Both Whitelock and the FIM asked the manufacturers to keep 2-strokes - minis, 85s and 125s and 250s going because 4-strokes just keep the price of admission. The American side needs 2-strokes as entry level bikes with events like Loretta's in mind and the FIM wants them because of European minibike championships. - AMA Pro wants FIM Noise rules.


They are now taking steps to "harmonize" sound rules and testing methods with the FIM. That's good news for the noise activists in the US. In fact, this changes AMA Pro's approach from previous interviews when they said they were adopting noise rules to get stadium noise down and not for some global goal. Now matching what the FIM does is a goal.- 450s out, 350s in by 2009.


AMA Pro and the FIM asked the manufacturers to develop 350cc 4-strokes, because 450s are seen as too much, just like 500cc 2-strokes were years ago.- Just the fact that Whitelock, Luongo and SRB were at the table with media was significant. They seemed sincere in working together and that this signals a new era of AMA/FIM cooperation.


Whitelock also explained a lot about past meetings in the US about displacement and some of the things that caused the various inaccurate reports on the internet about 250cc only racing in SX, and some of the problems. You could say he's taking his case to a higher level and it makes sense for the AMA and FIM to stay on the same page. They were receptive and went to the manufacturers direct with everything. So the proposals they want to hear about by June went to the FIM and AMA together - and they went direct to Japan.