AMA Pro Racing unveils staff

From AMA Pro Racing

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - An experienced group of motorcycle racing competition and operations professionals have been hired by AMA Pro Racing President Roger Edmondson to join the organization's new headquarters operation in Daytona Beach.

The veteran group brings more than a century of combined motorcycle competition and operations experience to AMA Pro and includes several professionals that have already taken their positions on the management team and day-to-day operations staff headquartered in Daytona Beach.

The group includes AMA Pro Vice President of Competition Roy Janson, AMA Pro Technical Director Al Ludington, AMA Pro Road Racing Director of Competition Colin Fraser and AMA Pro Road Racing Series Manager Bill Syfan.

Janson, a native of Rochester, NY, will mark his 45th year as a career motorcycle professional in 2009. Janson's first professional experience with the AMA came in 1980 when he joined the organization to work in the government relations side of the industry, specializing in public lands policy. In 1994 he left the AMA to take the position of Vice President of Operations with the promotional companies that organized and produced the AMA-sanctioned Supercross and Arenacross programs, which most recently included the popular Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series.

As AMA Pro's Vice President of Competition, Janson will oversee all of the competition related aspects of the organization's racing properties, including AMA Pro Road Racing, AMA Pro Motocross, AMA Pro Flat Track and the various other racing series that fall under the AMA Pro umbrella.

As AMA Pro Technical Director, Ludington, who is originally from Rye, NH, will oversee all technical operations for AMA Pro Road Racing, AMA Pro Motocross, AMA Pro Flat Track and other competition disciplines within the AMA Pro family.

Ludington brings more than 20 years of motorcycle racing experience to AMA Pro, primarily as a championship and race-winning crew chief and lead mechanic. He has been part of nine national championship efforts and achieved the majority of his success as a lead mechanic and later crew chief for Team Honda.

Fraser, a native of Toronto, joins AMA Pro Road Racing as Director of Competition in a continuation of the role he assumed last March. He is responsible for the running of each weekend's competition events for all of AMA Pro Road Racing and brings over 25 years of experience in race operations to the organization.

Fraser attended his very first AMA Pro Road Racing event in 1979 and a year later founded RACE, the Canadian national motorcycle road racing sanctioning body. A former professional rider, he served as both a racing instructor and Director of Competition for several racing series and organizations prior to co-founding PMP (Professional Motorsports Productions) in 1994, the operating organization of the Canadian Superbike Championship. Fraser became sole owner of PMP and Canadian Superbike in 1998.

He also has a strong background in the media side of the sport and, in addition to owning the television rights to the Canadian Superbike Championship, has extensive print journalism experience, currently serving as a Senior Editor of Inside Motorcycles.

Syfan, who is originally from Houston, began his motorcycle career as a competitive rider and remains a racing instructor today. Syfan accepted his first professional motorcycle position in 1992 with American Suzuki where his responsibilities included managing the Team Suzuki Sport road race program. He later worked for Dunlop Tire as a Motorsports Technician before joining Clear Channel Entertainment in 1999.

He joined Fraser in stepping in to operate AMA Pro Road Racing earlier this year and will fill a similar capacity in his continuing role as AMA Pro Road Racing Series Manager.