Sometimes if you’re a journeyman racer or even a family looking to get the most out of your money when racing you look for the manufacturer who has the best contingency plan and that is the color you purchase to go racing on. With the AMA Supercross Series upon us Matthes thought it would be cool to assign me the task of studying up on some contingency programs. As I looked around and dove deeper into this, it was apparent that some manufacturers have more information than others and some pay more to the privateer Supercross racer than others. KTM, Kawasaki and Husqvarna’s contingency website was easy to use and I knew exactly what I would be making for each race attended. Yamaha and Honda’s contingency websites were a little more complex and harder to figure out, but once you go through the ALL the steps all goes smoothly. A couple of the 2018 contingency breakdowns weren’t posted yet, so we went off of 2017, but rest assured they will not be that much different from last year. The off-road motorcycle market isn’t exactly killing it, so I don’t believe the contingency plans will change much if at all.
Some manufacturer contingency programs have debit cards where amateurs can purchase anything they want on their prepaid cards that Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha give you. They will load your card once the results have been turned in, but only professional racers can use them for cash at ATM’s. Sorry amateurs you will have to use your card for Chipotle and fuel not cash. Other companies like KTM, Husqvarna and Suzuki make amateurs use their contingency credit towards authorized dealership purchases only. This puts the money back into the dealerships which I understand, but If I was a privateer or amateur racer I would be looking at that credit card life, so I could spend my money where I choose, not just on parts for my bike.
Another interesting piece that I discovered is that all manufactures only accept 2017 and 2018 machines (except for KTM where they accept 2016 and newer units). If you have bike more than two years old you’re not eligible to get 2018 contingency, so in order to get paid you must purchase a new bike every other year. Back in the 90s and early 2000’s Suzuki contingency was so good and bikes were not as expensive, that riders would save up all their Suzuki bucks and were able to buy two brand new bikes every year! Those days are long gone, but I do like the fact that contingency is still around and manufacturers are still putting money back into people that are buying their machines. If you have a newer bike and race local races click on the link next to each manufacturer and see if they pay contingency for your series. You never know you could be making some extra money while racing on the weekends!
If you happen to be watching a privateer this weekend and want to know how much their making, here is breakdown of what each manufacturer is paying out in this year’s Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series.
Honda: http://www.xtrm.com/contingency/honda/index.asp?yr=2017&evt=1
Total Purse Payout: $1,355,750
Breakdown: 450
- 15,000
- 7,500
- 5,000
- 3,000
- 2,500
- 2,000
- 1,750
- 1,550
- 1,250
- 1,000
- 900
- 800
- 750
- 700
- 650
- 600
- 550
- 500
- 450
- 400
21-22 250
250:
- 10,000
- 7,500
- 5,000
- 3,000
- 2,500
- 2,000
- 1,250
- 1,000
- 900
- 800
- 700
- 650
- 600
- 550
- 500
- 450
- 400
- 350
- 300
20-22. 250
Notes: XTRM.com is doing Honda’s contingency. Once you login to your XTRM personal account you can transfer it to your Bank account, PayPal, A digital Gift card or a Virtual VISA Card. 2017-2018 CRF’s eligible.
Kawasaki: https://www.kawasaki.com/racing/team-green/contingency
Total Purse Payout: 2,703,000
450 And 250:
- 25,000
- 15,000
- 5,000
- 2,500
5-10. 1,000
11-22. 500
450 And 250 Night Show: 500.00
Notes: Notice how Kawasaki doesn’t discriminate between 250 and 450 riders. They pay them both the same! I also think it’s great that they reward the riders that make the night program as well. Nice job Kawasaki!
Yamaha: https://www.yamahamotorsports.com/motocross/pages/off-road-contingency
Total Purse Payout: 1,331,100
450 And 250 Classes:
- 15,000
- 5,000
- 4,000
- 2,000
- 1,000
6-10. 600
11-15. 500
16-20. 400
21-22. 300
Notes: Yamaha adopts the 250 class is as good as the 450 class theory and pays both the same.
KTM: http://www.ktmcash.com/2017events/
Total Purse Payout: 1,433,100
450:
- 15,000
- 7,500
- 5,000
- 3,000
- 2,500
- 2,000
- 1,750
- 1,500
- 1,250
- 10.1,000
11-22. 500
250:
- 15,000
- 5,000
- 4,000
- 2,000
- 1,750
- 1,500
- 1,250
- 1,000
- 900
- 10.800
11-22. 500
Notes: I like that KTM rewards the 20th place guy with 500, but what about that guy that busted his butt for 11th? Yes, he gets the same amount. Things that make you go hmmmmmmm.
Husqvarna: http://www.racehusky.com/events/a22a72d3-279f-402d-ac9d-1c34b6ec4599/
Total Purse Payout: 367,200
450 And 250 Classes:
1-10. 600
11-22. 400
Notes: Yes, you read this right! First place gets 600.00 from Husqvarna! Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Suzuki: http://www.racesuzuki.com/events/a22a72d3-279f-402d-ac9d-1c34b6ec4599/
Total Purse Payout: 1,004,700
450 And 250 Classes:
- 12,000
- 6,000
- 3,000
- 1,500
- 800
6-10. 500
11-15. 400
16-22. 250
Notes: The RMaRMy looks to grow things even further in 2018 with JGRMX team and hopefully some more privateer riders entering the series aboard their RM-Z’s.
Extra Credit: We took two privateers (Nick Schmidt and Jon Ames) from 2017 and looked up their results. We wanted to add up each individual finish and see how much they made from their current manufacturer they raced with in 2017 and how much they would of made from other manufacturers (in yearly contingency money) if they wold have raced other machines. Here is our findings:
Nick Schmidt
2017 AMA Monster Energy Supercross Series
Suzuki (machine he raced in 2017): $3,400
Honda: $5,700
Yamaha: $5,100
Kawasaki: $15,000 (include night show contingency that Kawasaki has)
KTM: $ 6,500
Husqvarna: $5,200
Jon Ames
Suzuki: $2,300
Yamaha (machine he raced in 2017): $3,100
Honda: $3,050
Kawasaki: $8,000 (includes night show contingency that Kawasaki has)
KTM: $4,000
Husqvarna: $3,200
