AMA/Prostar Prepares for 1998
24 February 1998
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: AMA/PROSTAR PREPARES FOR 1998.... Huntsville, Ala. (2/16/98) -- As the west coast kick off is just two weeks away... and the Atlanta national in just over a month, huge things are happening to the sport each day. With an all new series out west, record contingency postings, backing from the major manufacturers, a new partnership for marketing and promotion, the 1998 AMA/Prostar Motorcycle Drag Racing Series will be one for the record books. "I am excited to see where this sport is going" said Keith Kizer, President and CEO of AMA/Prostar, "because of the professionalisim of the racers, the record performances of the bikes, the caliber of the show as a whole, and the excellence of our race tracks, the AMA/Prostar series is about to reach a level of excellence that previously has never been seen in motorcycle drag racing." PACE Motor Sports Teams up with Prostar THE BIG NEWS for 1998 is the agreement between PACE Motor Sports and Prostar. PACE Motor Sports produces 15 of the 16 events on the AMA Supercorss Series and approximately 200 untied States hot Rod Association that primarily consist of some form of Off-Road Truck Racing. PACE and Prostar have consummated an agreement to co-promote the first event on the 1998 Prostar schedule at Atlanta Dragway. A substantial advertising and promotional campaign hopes to maximize event ticket sales to a mass demographic market. PACE will also coordinate in-house promotional and P.R. opportunities at its events scheduled in the Atlanta Georgia Dome. The 1998 Atlanta event hopefully will become the most important milestone in Prostar history, simply due to the opportunity that it creates. PACE and Prostar will meet after the event to discuss a long-term relationship that will include the remaining 1998 events. The success of the Atlanta event will be the determining factor in expanding the PACE/Prostar relationship. The principals of PACE Motor Sports agree that drag racing is very exciting and a marketable form of motorsports. This is the break the sport has needed. It could change the future drastically and may someday rival events like Super Chevy and AMA Road Racing. Suzuki posts on West Coast Series American Suzuki has once again renewed its contract with AMA/Prostar for 1998 but adds the Prostar West Coast Series. "The postings for 1998 contingency is a major step in the future of the West Coast overall success" says AMA/Prostar President, Keith Kizer. Securing factory sponsorship for new series usually takes years. This posting of the inaugural season will make it easier to increase postings in the future. Suzuki will pay $100 to win in all Pro categories and $75 to win in all Sportsman categories. M.R.E. Post Sportsman Qualifying Bonus M.R.E. adds "Sportsman dead-on qualifying bonus" to their 1998 Prostar contingency program for national events. Those racers in Top Gas, Super Comp, and Super Gas that qualify #1 by running dead-on will receive a $50 bonus just for displaying an MRE Sportsman Bonus decal. In addition, MRE will pay each recipient an additional $25 for use of an MRE air shifter and/or $25 for utilizing an MRE lock-up clutch. MRE’s contingencies will remain identical to `97 postings with the addition of posting the MRE Lock-up contingencies on the West Coast Series bringing their total postings to $35,300. MCC to Sponsor West Coast Funnybike Series The first of several class sponsors for the newly created Prostar West Coast Series has stepped up to the plate. Motorcycle Chassis Components will sponsor the "MCC Funnybike Series" that will pay bonus money to the top four plate holders at the end of the West Coast Series that will conclude at the APE West Coast Finals in Phoenix, AZ, October 10-11. The #1 plate recipient will receive $1,000, #2 $500, #3 and #4 $250 each. APE to Sponsor West Coast Pro Mod Series American Performance Engineering (APE) sponsor of the "APE Super Comp Series" on the Prostar national event series has signed as the official sponsor of the "APE Pro Mod Series" for the West Coast Series. Jay and Diane Eshbach are charter member sponsors of AMA/Prostar and have been inspirational in supporting the organization since the inaugural event in 1989. The #1 plate recipient in the Pro Mod west series will receive $1,000, #2 $500, #3 and #4 $250 each. APE had made plans to have their new APE travelling display sent and based out of an East Coast location. With the announcement of the new West Coast Series, APE will now be featured at all four West Coast events and selected national events. APE’s total sponsorship postings will be $14,700 and will feature contingencies for both series. Trac Dynamics to Sponsor West Coast Top Gas Series Dave Earl, owner of Trac Dynamics, who himself ahs conducted motorcycle drag racing events on the West Coast (Pro Mod West), has signed on as the sponsor of Prostar’s quickest Sportsman category Top Gas. Earl played an important role I Prostar’s decision to expand West. Prostar did not want to compete against Pro Mod West and take away from its goal of advancing professional motorcycle drag racing on the West Coast. After Prostar President and C.E.O., Keith S. Kizer, discussed the expansion plans of Prostar, Earl offered to park the Pro Mod West Series. Trac Dynamics sponsorship of Top Gas will offer the year end #1 plate holder a $500 bonus in addition to #2 $250, #3 $150 and #4 $100. These bonuses will be paid out at the West Coast banquet, which immediately follow the APE West Coast Finals, October 10-11. Pingel to Sponsor West Coast ET Series Wayne and Donna Pingel of Pingel Enterprises has re-signed as the Pingel ET Series sponsors which will this year include the West Coast Pro ET category. Pingel will also offer contingency on the Aluminum Wheelie Bars for the West Coast. National event contingencies will remain the same as last year with the addition of runner-up postings on all products posted. Pingel will also remain as the sponsor of the "Pingel Thunder Nationals" in Indianapolis, IN. With the addition of the West Coast sponsorships, the Pingel total dollars posted equal $52,600. The West Coast Pro ET bonus money will pay the #1 plate holder a $500 bonus, #2 $250, #3 $150 and #4 $100. Live Radio Broadcasts DRAGBIKE.COM, the official website for the AMA/Prostar series, will be broadcasting daily real-audio "radio" broadcasts from the race. Featured coverage will include qualifying recaps, racer interviews, and round by round elimination coverage of the professional rounds.
