 Want the truth? The previous AMA National Motocross numbering system was the best in the world of sports. Unlike tennis, which allows a computer to rank its players, or NASCAR, which awards its numbers to the car (regardless of who drives it) or hydroplane racing's U-boat numbers, American motocross assigned numbers to its riders based on merit. A fan could tell at a glance how good a rider was by the number on his bike: single-digit riders were fast, two-digit riders were pretty fast and three-digit riders were works in progress.
No more! For this year, the AMA is planning to throw away the old meritocracy for blathering bureaucracy. The days of a young rider trying to earn a top ten "National Number" are over-from now on the AMA will assign him one.
WHY CHANGE A GOOD THING?
Because they could. Because they thought Jeff Gordon was really number 24. Because that's the way Gary Nixon would have liked it. Because it's easier than demanding higher purses, seeking better treatment for privateers, eliminating back gate ripoffs or making any future plans that would improve racing. In other words, nobody has a clue why the AMA would even want to change the 30-year-old numbering system.
Are there any pros to the new 2000 numbering system? Two. First, the AMA will eventually give up and return to the old system. Second, the fans will yawn and say they don't care what number is on Damon Huffman's bike.
WHAT IS THE NEW SYSTEM?
The AMA will divide National riders into five groups (although two of the groupings overlap): (1) Current National Champions; (2) Former National Champions; (3) Former Top Ten riders; (4) last year's Top 100; and (5) everybody else. We will try to make sense out of the new numbering system so that you can practice in your garage over the winter. Here is how the AMA will reportedly allot the numbers in 2000.
ONE AND ONLY: CURRENT
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
The riders who won this year's 125, 250 and Supercross Championships will be assigned number 1 when they race in their respective classes. That means that Jeremy McGrath (Supercross), Ricky Carmichael (125) and Greg Albertyn (250) will wear number 1 in the 2000 season. Except that Ricky is not planning on racing the 125 class, so he won't use his number 1 plate.
TWO TO NINE: FORMER
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
The phrase "former" is misleading, because it also means "current" National Champions (since when they aren't racing in their championship class they will have to have a different number so as not to conflict with the true champion in that class). That means that when Ricky, Greg and Jeremy race the 2000 Supercross season, only Jeremy will get to use the number 1 plate.
Under the new system, former and current National Champions can choose any number between 2 and 9 to be their number for life (or until they want to change or until they retire or until they win the number one plate or until they fail to earn any points).
Confused? You shouldn't be, because there are only six former National Champions currently active in the sport (125 Regional Supercross titles do not count-as if you didn't already know that). Two of the six "former" champions are "current" champions (Jeremy and Ricky) and two of the former champions (Steve Lamson and Doug Henry) will probably retire at the end of this season, leaving only the three current National Champions (McGrath, Carmichael and points leader Albertyn) and two former National Champions (Jeff Emig and Mike LaRocco) to choose the single-digit number of their choice.
What if two National Champions choose the same number? No problem. The rider with the most National Championships gets first pick. What if two riders have the same number of titles? The rider with the most points from the last season gets first pick.
Once a single-digit number is picked, it is that rider's number for as long as he races (although he could lose his life-long number if he earns no points in the next season).
Confused? Don't be. Here is an example of how it could work. During the 2000 Supercross season, Jeremy McGrath will have number 1 on his bike (and he will probably choose number 2 as his life-long number), Carmichael, Albertyn, Emig and LaRocco will run whatever number suits their fancy.
For example, LaRocco might want to keep number 3, Albee 8, Carmichael 6 and Emig 9. These numbers would stay the same for as long as the rider raced, or until the 250 National series, when Albee (if he wins) would wear number 1, McGrath would get 2 and the other three would keep the same number. It's simple.
NUMBERS TEN TO NINE-NINE-NINE:
TOP TEN RIDERS
The next group of riders who get to pick a career National Number are riders who have finished in the top ten of the AMA National standings at any time in their careers. That might seem like a large number of riders, but, in reality, it is quite a tidy little group. At the start of the '99 season, the top ten list had only ten riders on it (Lusk, Pichon, Dowd, Ward, Albertyn, Button, Windham, Hughes, Huffman and Matiasevich-although you should subtract Pichon and Hughes, who are in Europe, and Chicken, who is not racing). By the end of this season, only only a handful of new riders might make the grade.
What does the new numbering system do for former Top Ten riders? They get to choose any number they want between 10 and 999. Why not 10 and 50? Or 10 and 99? It can only be assumed that the AMA didn't want to limit their choices. The advantage of making the top ten at least once in your career is that you get to choose a National Number that is yours for life (or until you retire, miss a season or win a National Championship).
TWO-DIGITS: TOP 100 RIDERS
Riders who finish in the top 100 from the last season will be assigned available two-digit numbers until the supply runs out (which in time it will). These numbers are not lifelong numbers, but will be reassigned the following year should a new rider make the top 100 or a rider fall out.
THREE-DIGITS: EVERYBODY ELSE
Everybody else will get a three-digit number just like they used to. See, we told you the whole thing was going to make sense.
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