Motorcycling is fun, thrilling and, yes, risky. Those who organize motorcycling events, the smart ones, at least, look for a way to transfer that risk. They do that with insurance.

One option exclusively for AMA-chartered organizers is the AMA insurance program. It is competitive and comprehensive, but it has a price. Every year, the AMA, working with our broker, negotiates price and terms with the insurance company. (The AMA makes no money off premiums, with all savings contributing to lower rates.) Some renewals are harder to negotiate than others, and 2025 was one such renewal.

Unfortunately, industry-wide racing-related claims in recent years have put upward pressure on premiums for both AMA-sanctioned and non-sanctioned events. In fact, anecdotal evidence indicates rate increases have been much higher outside our program. Some non-AMA organizers, even those with favorable claim histories, have called to charter and sanction after being quoted premium increases of 100 percent or more on non-AMA policies. They want access to our program for good reason.

With a few exceptions — such as large events or those with distinctive risk profiles, usually due to a unique location or mix of activities — AMA organizers avoid rigorous individual scrutiny and lengthy additional paperwork.

The coverage limit also is relatively high, and organizers or landowners who require excessive insurance can get it. Excess coverage is becoming harder, if not impossible, to find on the open market. Importantly, AMA insurance protects the organizer from claims by both spectators and participants. Non-AMA insurance may exclude participant liability coverage, leaving organizers to rely entirely on waivers for protection.

The advantages of AMA insurance are rooted in the bargaining power of AMA-chartered organizers, which helps us negotiate better terms. Further, the insurance provider values the application, evaluation and risk-management training involved in securing a charter. AMA-chartered organizers are a safer bet.

Also, only events defined by the AMA’s various sanctions — both competition and recreational — are eligible. Rules and guidelines for these events are included in the AMA Competition and Recreational Riding Rulebooks, which are exclusively for AMA organizers.

Perhaps most significant, participants are AMA members. Insurers have the reasonable expectation to know whose activities they are insuring. They also consider AMA membership a personal commitment to the sport. This is why membership is required for all races and national-level recreational events. (The importance of membership is also why insurance providers have recently strongly scrutinized AMA recreational events that don’t require membership. Not surprisingly, rates for those events have increased more on a percentage basis, and to some degree the effect has spilled over to other event types.)

The last year has reminded us that affordable, quality insurance is a privilege, not a right. We must work to keep it available. Here are some ways we are doing that now:

• The AMA is providing chartered organizers with updated risk-management guidelines, created with help from large and experienced promoters.
• We also are asking organizers, who know their events and participants best, to put additional rules into place where appropriate.
• Risk exposure goes beyond the racetrack itself, and organizers need to take steps to address it; one example is “premise liability” due to upkeep and control of the facility.
• If an event includes activity not covered by the AMA rulebooks, it is not eligible for the AMA insurance program; otherwise, organizers risk coverage as well as future access to the program.
• Organizers of smaller recreational events should consider requiring membership; this matters to the insurance provider and doing so may improve our standing for future renewals.

We do not own this sport. We are its stewards. It is the responsibility of all of us to protect it for the next generation. Events and series come and go. Promoters sell, merge or close shop. AMA administrators and officials move on. Clubs fade away. We must nurture, grow and protect the sport until it’s time to get out of the way.

A flippant approach to risk will fail our forebearers and our progeny. Take event rules and guidelines seriously. Collaborate on improving them. Be mindful of your own safety and how your actions impact the safety of others. Promote motorcycling in safe and responsible ways. The future of the greatest sport in the world depends on it.