There are certain things in life that you just take for granted. Knowing they are there but never really appreciating to what magnitude exactly. Kind of like that teacher that somehow always pushed you to do your best even at your worse. You may not like that individual and heck he may not like you, but somehow they always end up making you a better person in the end and you do the same for them. That can kind of describes AMA ATV Championship racing referee Robert "Smitty" Smith whom we spoke with as he enters his 12th year as the watchful eye ATV racing.
ATVMotocross.com:Hey Smitty thanks for joining us this week is for Friday Sight Lap. What's going on today?
Smitty: Well we're getting close! We are only a week away Rodney, we are only a week away and we are back to ATV racing. I am excited, it's a brand new year, I haven't seen people in a long time and I am very excited to get back.
Photo By: ATVMotocross Archives
Referee Bob Smith has groomed amateur racers of all ages to be better sportsman and ultimately better people.
It's kind of like back to the California days with the early start. We haven't started in February in a while so hopefully the weather will be good. The forecast is looking good right now let's keep our fingers crossed that it will stay that way.
It's the start of a brand new year and this year we kick it off with a brand new venue. What can the riders expect as they make their way to round 1 of The AMA ATV Motocross Championship?
I know that it is a new facility for the ATV racing but the track has been there for a while and the folks that own it are just super excited to have our series there. On top of that the race is going to be run like we have come to expect the nationals to be. Sam Gammon will be actually overseeing everything with his crew like he does at a few other venues so it will be pretty much the same, just a different location. So I am expecting to see a really great racetrack and a great event.
Let's talk a little bit about you Smitty. How long have you been refereeing the ATV nationals?
I think this is year number 12. I've been around for a while now; they can't anybody else to do it. (Laughing) I have seen a lot and what I am looking forward to is seeing guys like Joel Hetrick running in the pro class. I have known that kid and many like him since they were 6 or 7 years old and it is going to be pretty exciting for me to see Joel and some of those other guys moving up into that Pro Class.
I never really thought about it but you are right. The new crop of rookie riders making their way to the AMA Pro ATV class is kind of yours. You have basically watched over these kids since they started.
I can remember watching Joel on the 70s then moving to the 90 in motocross as well as flat track. So it is going to be really interesting to see some of these guys. It's nice to see these guys stick it out and make that move. It is something that they have worked at for a long time.
I guess it is time to hand them over to Harv and see what he can do with them. I guess we will have to just wait and see how I did. I am sure though that Harv will have to retrain some of them. (Laughs...a lot ...and kind of evilly)
So I am sure you have seen some changes in ATV racing during the 12 years you have been doing this then?
Since I began there has been what seems like and explosion of ATV motocross. The promoters have done such a good job and getting better every year at learning ATV racing. I come from a motorcycle world and it is different. ATVs and motorcycles on the same race track really don't mix well and the promoters are learning and I think that they are doing a great job at making things better all the time.
As we look ahead to next week and the 2011 season, what are some of the things that the amateur racers should be looking for as rule changes or anything like that?
We have made a few changes but not a whole lot. One of the changes affects the 70s where last year we let 70s run in the 90 class. We figured out that didn't work so we decided to go back to the normal thing. Then also we are trying to cut down on costs where we can, I mean most everybody is hurting by the costs to do this and we are trying to add some stock limited classes. Just little things we are trying to do to make it easier where we can. We are going to have a 90cc Stock Limited Class which ultimately for the people that don't have the big money and can't put all the pipes and the special stuff that gives the normal guys the chance to come out and race our nationals. It is similar to our 50cc Stock Class.
We have also added a Girls Class. You know we have our Women Class but we never really had a class for the girls we added the class to give them a chance to run against other girls instead of having to race the boys classes only. You girl racers grow into women racers like Heather Byrd and we hope to give them a chance to gain that confidence as they mature into that class. Along with that we really hope to build the women's class in the future.
Are there any major rule changes that everyone should be aware of?
I think pretty much our rules work well for us. So we haven't changed a lot but we have added some classes and such. We really didn't want to fix anything that is not broke.
With changes in the weekend schedule for the AMA ATV Pros, how will that affect the amateur program?
As you know it's a brand new thing for us. I really don't expect it to be that big of a difference honestly. We will start early with the pros on Saturday and then to amateur practice then onto racing. Our first three trials with this format will be under the guidance of Sam Gammon and the Victory Sports crew so I am confident we can get any bugs worked out if any happen and the let the other promoters know that "Hey, this is what to expect."
Another thing for the amateurs is that they will be in the spotlight on Sunday which may make it more special. We will have our Pro Am Production running on Sunday and there also won't be that lull in the day like before. In the past we have taken a long break to run both the Pro Am Production and the AMA ATV Pros and now we have taken at least half of it away. We will run the pros on Saturday and the Pro Am Production on Sunday and that should keep racing going.
What do the amateurs need to remember as they start the season?
It is always a great idea to have a birth certificate with you at these races. I have seen it a lot of times where people want to protest age and stuff and no one has a birth certificate. So it is always a good idea to just have a copy of that with you at all the races. That will solve a lot issues that pop up. Another thing to remember if you are under 18 years old you must have a parent of legal guardian with you at registration. Parents must also remember to make sure all riders under 18 they are registering must accompany the parent.
I am sure with the addition of a few new venues on the schedule there will be some new faces popping in on occasion. What are the things these folks need to know?
The only thing they will need special to race will be either an AMA or ATVA membership that can purchased at registration. If they already have a card it must be current and if not they can also renew that at the race as well. There will be people on hand to assist in that because there is going to be a lot of people having to renew their cards at the first few races.
Are there any changes for Friday practices foe amateurs?
No. It's practice as usual. We haven't changed anything there. The pros don't practice on Friday so there is no reason to make any changes there.
What should folks be aware of as far as safety is concerned and tech inspections?
A front and rear number plate for one. As far as the safety end of it riders should make sure that they have Nurf Bars around the foot peg area. Riders should make sure they have cotter pins in the tires and one of the most important things that you must have is a working kill switch tethered to the rider. Again anytime you are on that machine you should be tethered for safety sake. It doesn't make much sense for you to have it on your machine and then not hooked up. People just do not understand how dangerous that can be.
I would also urge you to get there on Friday and get out there and practice and get ready for this.
That should about do it for today. I just want to say thanks again for taking time out to talk and offer some insight. See you next week and Harv said he can get tickets to Atlanta Supercross if you are game?
No problem. We are real close and like I said before I am excited and ready to get started racing. As far as Supercross, I can get my own tickets. Doesn't Harv know who I am yet? (Laughs)
