I'm glad you're utilizing the AMA Race Center site. Let me explain a few things that are great and negative of the AMA Race Center:
1. The AMA started collecting electronic results in the mid-2000s (surprisingly when electronic results got around to MX) before that, we had no way to track participation and classification. The race center was turned on in 2006, so basically everyone started from a clean slate. The Race Center is intended to track classification by participation in races. The challenge, if a rider is not listed already in the Race Center (a new rider) and they ride a 40+ class (which is A, B, or C) what classification do you give them? So it was decided, give them a C classification, once they ride a 40+ A class, their classification would update to A.
If your or you see someone's classification isn't correct, email
mxracing@ama-cycle.org and we'll look into it.
2. Historically all classifications issues have been other riders responsibility. One example of why that is: if a racer rides a non-AMA fair race in the A class and then shows up to a OMA event in the B class. That's the other rider's responsibility to bring that to the referee's attention. Which is what Erek Kudla's (Off-Road Racing Manager) article is about. Racers believe if I ride a local event then go to a GNCC, I can drop down because the competition is tougher. That isn't allowed. Or the classic excuse, I took two years off, so I'm dropping down the C class. That isn't allowed. The race center is attempting to document a rider's current classification as a way for other competitors to check. We only collect AMA Results.
3. Just because the Race Center says your C, doesn't actually mean you can cheat. A racer can file a protest showing results and you would be disqualified and we would update the Race Center.
Funny story... my first month working at the AMA I was doing motocross advancement in 2012. I pulled out a letter telling Ricky Carmichael "congratulations, you're a A rider." Reason being, he had no amateur results from 2006 to 2012. In 2012, was the year he qualified and raced Loretta's. The system viewed him as a new rider who self advanced to the A class since he rode some A classes and the 25+ class.
The main issue Erek is trying get across... rider's thinking they can drop classifications when it comes to one series is harder then another series, so a rider is going to drop down a classification. That simply is not true.
You'll be surprised how much this happens on the off-road side of things...