INDUSTRY INSIDER
Author: megan blackburn	Features | Friday, 02 October 2009 12:25

Sam Gammon and Victory-Sports have been around racing for as long as anyone. They host one of the longest standing and most popular race series in the country - the Thor Mega Series and the Carolina Ultra Series - and have their hands on tons of other successful events up and down the east coast. Sam has earned a reputation over the years for putting on some of the most professionally run amateur races in the business, but his race of races is the Suzuki Top Gun Showdown set to take place in a few weeks (Oct. 14-16) at the renowned Muddy Creek facility in Blountville, TN. We hooked up with Sam for this edition of Industry Insider to get the breakdown on how things are going leading up to the big race.

Good morning! Coming up is the Suzuki Top GunShowdown at Muddy Creek. Race promoter and director of one of the biggest events of the year, you have alot on your hands! How is preparation coming along?

SG- All hands are on deck mowing, painting, and dressing the track for the biggest event of the year.

Big name riders Ricky Carmichael, Larry Ward, Mike Brown, James Stewart, Davi Millsaps and many others have attended the Suzuki Top Gun Showdown. Any rumors of some or more of these big name riders attending this year's race?

SG-We don't do pre-entry, but you can be assured that there will be some outstanding tallent there. The weekend pays over $120,000.00 in factory contingency, plus over $8,000.00 purse, plus AMA Pro-Am points. Last year it was Zach Osborne, Michael Willard, Tyler Wharton, Auston ALbers, & Kevin Walker in a dogfight for top honors. 

The United States Mega Series is the longest standing series in the country. Congrats! Tell us a little about the series and the progression it has made over the years...

SG-It came from a small series at three tracks in Northeast Tennessee to being at eight different tracks in six different states. In the early years I had a full time job in a dealership, then worked til midnight to make a few races a year happen. I realized that it had to go away from a few friends doing a race on Sunday afternoon to being a business. Over the years the tracks, the races, the bikes, and the riders have changed a lot. 

Your primary track, where the Suzuki Top Gun Showdown will be held, is continuously mixing up its course direction! What's the skinny on this year's direction and are there any exciting track changes?

SG- Muddy Creek Raceway will be running in the origional direction this year. About every two years we spend thousands of dollars and about three weeks worth of dozer work and turn it around to run in the opposite direction. Its about 50/50 from the riders as to which way they prefer the track. The track is old school motocross that is fast in sections and it gets rough.  

Take us on a journey through the world of being a motocross race promoter. In the aspect of your typical business week, race weekends, behind the scenes of prepping a track, and the up's and down's of being the man in charge...

SG-I love coming to work every day. It's always something different. Each track has different requirements and the weather plays a big part in what goes on. Typcally its racing Saturday and Sunday with some Fridays also running practice days. Monday its to the office and the Monday morning zoo. Paperwork, results, catching up on phone calls, weekend problems, getting everything unloaded is the norm. Tuesday and Wednesday its preping everything for the next week. Larry Harrison leads my track crew and makes sure that the track is in tip top shape. Jane Gammon runs the office and makes sure that everything is planned and in place. Thursdays or Fridays we are on the road to the next race. The SUZUKI TOP GUN SHOWDOWN is in two weeks but on my desk I have papers for this year's FMF INDOOR MX WINTER Series , we are preparing for year end banquets, I go to AMA Congress next week, and I am trying to get a 2010 schedule built. 

It's nothing new that the current economy has dramatically effected our industry. From the years you've been around, has the rider count decreased exponentially? And take the Vurb readers back to the good ol' days when rider count was off the charts!

SG-Last November I had the biggest indoor arenacross event ever in 17 years (over 1200), the opener at Muddy Creek this year was the biggest in eight years (907 riders), and at our KAWASAKI TENNESSEE State Championship back in July we had 1196 riders. Motocross is alive and well here in the Southeast. Rain has hurt us really bad this year at some events. The worst in eight or nine years.

From your professional perspective, when do you see a turnaround economically? And in these times, what do you, as a promoter, do to ensure and attract as many entries as possible? As well as keep Victory Sports afloat?

SG-I feel that we have reached the bottom of the economic fall, but it is going to be slow rebounding. The national media have now started reporting positives. Me and my team are concentrating on giving the riders a good value for their money spent. We want to give them a great track and great racing. We also try to get them to spend their money in the local dealerships. We have a good working relationship with over 30 dealerships and the riders need to realize that if these dealerships don't survive then it will be tougher for them to go racing. Having parts and a mechanic close that can take care of their needs is going to be more convenient and easier for everyone.  

Now for the fun stuff! Any future events...you know, out of the ordinary that are coming up?

SG-Our upcoming FMF INDOOR MX WINTER Series will be going to a new arean in Corbin, KY this year which is exciting for us. The arena is new and the area has a lot of enthusistac spectators.

Quick! Tell us one of the best races you have attended or hosted that you can recall? The best of all time was the MX of Natiions at Budds Creek.

SG-I don't think there will be another event like that in my lifetime. So many people in the industry pulled together to make it happen. It was one of Ricky's last rides so spectators came from everywhere. The weather was perfect and our riders gave everyone a whipping. Awesome!

It was a pleasure having you with us! Thank you for taking the time to take us inside your side of the industry!