AMRS going AASA?

[storyline]

Purposely broken out from the current AMRS thread as this deals with a completely new aspect.

Most would, by now, have seen the advertisement inside this weeks AA regarding the 2006 AMRS series - even if it is rather cryptic and doesn't mention any sanctioning body for the series.

Obviously the rumours have been running wild this week that the series will, next year, be running as a AASA series and NOT as a CAMS series.

In fact, it would appear the only person who wasn't aware of this rumour is CAMS President, Rob Nethercote, who, last Thursday night was in attendance at the Queensland CAMS State Council meeting and apparently was throwing praise left right and centre in relation to the way CAMS had had inputr to and worked with the AMRS series and how they had been hugely instrumental in making the series a 2nd string professional show which complemented the AVESCO V8 Supercars series.

It will be interesting to see, then, if Rob Nethercote is in attendance at next Wednesday lunch times media show where Bob Jane and Calder Park are announcing not only their 2006 Business Direction, but where it is expected that the inclusion of the AMRS under the AASA banner in place of CAMS will be announced.

It makes for a good story line to consider whether Rob Nethercote will continue to extol the virtues of CAMS in assisting the AMRS after next Wednesday?

[Chucky]

And I bet not one "motorsport" journo picks up on it!

[storyline]

Depends on whether they still have their Bathurst passes available to them I guess.

[Kerri]

To my knowledge, AMRS is still run under CAMS.
Some of the categories who are currently running with AMRS will be moving to run under AASA in 2006.

[Chucky]

Uh oh, Kerri hasn't been told either.

[storyline]

So it would appear.

Kerri - we are talking AMRS for 2006 not this year - if AMRS run under AASA for 2006 then CAMS are not going to allow any of their championship or series categories to runwith any AASA sanctioned event.

[inpitlane]

[QUOTE=
Obviously the rumours have been running wild this week that the series will, next year, be running as a AASA series and NOT as a CAMS series.

In fact, it would appear the only person who wasn't aware of this rumour is CAMS President, Rob Nethercote, who, last Thursday night was in attendance at the Queensland CAMS State Council meeting and apparently was throwing praise left right and centre in relation to the way CAMS had had inputr to and worked with the AMRS series and how they had been hugely instrumental in making the series a 2nd string professional show which complemented the AVESCO V8 Supercars series.

It will be interesting to see, then, if Rob Nethercote is in attendance at next Wednesday lunch times media show where Bob Jane and Calder Park are announcing not only their 2006 Business Direction, but where it is expected that the inclusion of the AMRS under the AASA banner in place of CAMS will be announced.
CLIP[/QUOTE]

The Calder launch is next Tuesday at Fed Square. So far no one is going anywhere for sure, Rod Dale and Gary Wilmington seem to be going it alone at this stage so only the TCC and F4000 are certainties for AASA.
TranZam sports knew nothing about it till Tuesday morning and their preference is to stay with CAMS providing there are races for them, if not then they will consider the alternative. F3 will stay with CAMS, you would think Saloon Cars will, as will most Sports/GT. The ones running at AASA will be the cars that can't get a gig now like The Saker, and the various Cobra replicas Robnell, Python etc. Commodore Cup will go where they can get the best deal. Either way instead of the current mish-mash of the AMRS we may get two hopfully properly run alternate series.
Bob can throw some much needed dollars at TCC so he gets the Touring Car show he needs to get the punters through the gate. F4000 will have more flexibility to do whatever it takes to try and stay alive and personally with the quality and numbers on the grid TA/SS could do a lot worse than go to ASSA where once again they'll have the flexibility to bring in cars that currently they can't run ie GTCC, Japan GT, and Bob of course has always been a big wrap for the Sports Sedans being a former competitor and team owner.
CAMS can concentrate on F3 and Sports/GT using the British/FIA template and Saloon Cars seem to be going along quite comfortably by themselves thank you and will have full Championship Status.
The only fly in the ointment is APCC which is a basket case but the presence of the CAMS President may complicate matters somewhat.
My only question is if AMRS is split into two, am I now banned from both series?

[Kerri]

Originally Posted by Chucky

Uh oh, Kerri hasn't been told either.

Kerri has been told, just me being pedantic.
I am well aware of what is going on but there is more to this than just AMRS going to AASA.
I should have been more specific in my explanation but do not want to get involved in the politics of it all and I may get my little butt kicked, so I will say no more for now except........


Edited: In pit lane is not only warm, he is getting hotter by the second.
Ah I should probably edit that post also, you may get the wrong idea IPL

[Crash Test]

From the version of events that I have been told, CAMS have really stuffed with somehting that was very promising.

I suppose it will come out in the wash...

The feeling I get is that CAMS aren't the universes greatest fans of F4000 & TCC, and what categories are Mr Dale and Mr Willington aligned with?

Will the 'leftover' classes get as well looked after this year as they have been on the AMRS?

Obviously it's very cost prohibitive to go down the Avesco route, and even harder next year with fewer HPDC rounds.

Time will tell I suppose, but it's shame that the 2005 model will be pretty much be turfed...

[the man]

Maybe they might align themselves with the Supertrucks? Or a rejuvenated version of the PowerTour

[hml2777]

Originally Posted by inpitlane

My only question is if AMRS is split into two, am I now banned from both series?

It would be unlikely you would get banned from a AASA meeting, 10-10ths forum maybe.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by the man

Maybe they might align themselves with the Supertrucks?

Could be a likely alternative and would seem from the outside as a good move. F3, Aus GT and SuperTrucks together is a tantalising prospect.

It does sadden me to see the current AMRS structure breaking up after only one season.

[Chucky]

Originally Posted by Kerri

Edited: In pit lane is not only warm, he is getting hotter by the second.

Do you want us to leave you two alone or are you going to get a room?

[Matthew Ronke]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

It does sadden me to see the current AMRS structure breaking up after only one season.

Maybe some spotlight should be shed on why the AMRS has left CAMS. If there is a second series then by 2006 years end they will be looking to do exactly what Rod & Garry have done. The AMRS is a long term thing for them and I believe they will make it a success.

[Chucky]

Will there be any HPDC rounds next year? I thought they were only going to run with the main game.

[storyline]

AMRS came about because of the in-fighting and ;ack of thinking that went on in the Power Tour. The politicing within that series managed to kill it rather quickly.

Attempts were being made, toawards the end of 2003, to resurrect the Power Tour but it primarily involved F4000's only - anyone remember the deals that were being done to try and make F4000's the MAIN open wheeler race category in Australia?

Of course it then transpired that AMRS started to move ahead in 2004 and by the Winton round there was 'supposedly' a deal put together to take the F4000's to China this year for a multi-race deal. Based on this Rod Dale started looking at becoming an F4000 owner buying 2 (or was it 3?) chassis. The ultimate aim, at that point in time, was to take along a support category with the F4000's when they went to China - the category being, of course, the Touring Car Challenge.

The problem was - the TCC was split down the middle in more ways that one - half wanted to go to China (Rod Dale and his group of Super Tourers) whilst the other half (Garry Willmington's V8's) appeared to be dead set against going ('too costly and won;t get us anywhere'). There was also, around this time, a split starting to appear amongst competitors in the TCC based purely on personal matters.

This year, as we know, the AMRS appeared to settle down - but there have been grumblings behind the scenes from TCC competitors - well discussed here - about the influx of cars that were not originally going to be permitted in the TCC as well as cars that apparently don't even meet the original cars regulations (Smiths V8 at Winton 2003, for example, running a 6 litre motor). Whilst increased numbers were promised for all TCC rounds this year the reality has been that the numbers have stagnated at the same levels as 2003 - a disappointment for Willmington who had good ideas for this category.

But CAMS have also been sticking their nose in the AMRS pie - and this has not endeared the series to not only individual competitors but also categories (Superkarts for example are reported to be less than happy with the overall series and are now reconsidered the wisdom of going with AMRS in the first place).

So will anything change for 2006? Suggesitons are bing made that maybe there will be two AMRS series next year - that I doubt. Given that Calder, AIR, Winton, QR and Oran Park are all AASA affiliated circuits, add in Wakefield which, whilst not a AASA circuit still runs non-CAMS events - this provides 6 different tracks with Calder, Oran Park and Winton offering two distinct variations in tracks and QR offering at least two cionfigurations maybe three - you have the potential for a series to offer 9 variations of tracks for a year long series.

So yes - Tuesday will tell (and apologies if I stated Wednesday in previous posts - slip of the tongue).

[Kerri]

Originally Posted by Chucky

Do you want us to leave you two alone or are you going to get a room?

Yeah thanks for that Chucky, I knew someone would pick up and run with that one. Smarty

[Spunky]

Originally Posted by Chucky

Will there be any HPDC rounds next year? I thought they were only going to run with the main game.

2 stand alones next year, Wakefield Park and Mallala.

[storyline]

Whispers from Dandenong this afternoon aong the lines of 'don't think for a minute that they will run any CAMS events if they go ahead with this series'

Of course - make of that what you will.

[PVDA]

Originally Posted by storyline

Whispers from Dandenong this afternoon

Is that the suburb or road you're talking about there storyline????

[storyline]

Oops - missed the word 'road' (I must be trying to get out of the office too quickly)

[Silent Number]

so does that mean that the people at dandnong rd are going to with drawn track licences from tracks that go with the aasa amrs

[storyline]

Not the way I am hearing it - but certain things may become 'more difficult' or possibly 'more expensive'

[Matthew Ronke]

Price disadvantaging through supply lines to force a monopoly is looked at very harshly at level 35 360 Elizabeth Street.

[XW GT]

Hi storyline,
I suggest that you do a bit more investigation, if you do you will find out that Rod and Garry actually went to CAMS for assistance to keep the AMRS going. I must point out that I am not a CAMS person, but it must be known that they are not the villains (as such) in this case.
Another interesting tid bit floating around is that GMH are none too happy at the moment and have apparently "pulled the plug" on the free engine deal with F4000.