Posted February 27, 2008

Looking for a great ride? Why not create your own?

By Doug Morris
ATVA Director

Everyone is looking for more places to ride and more ways to have fun with ATVs and motorcycles. Now there is a new opportunity, thanks to the AMA/ATVA Congress.

One of the biggest obstacles to landowners allowing people to ride on their property is liability. The possibility of being sued is real and landowners don’t want to take that risk. So the best way to protect everyone involved is with quality, affordable, liability insurance.

The AMA/ATVA Congress recognized this need and recently created new opportunities for clubs or promoters to sanction off-road poker runs or trail rides with affordable liability insurance.

ATVA- and AMA-chartered clubs or promoters can get insurance for trail rides or poker runs for as low as $161. Ride participants don't have to be ATVA or AMA members. This is a big change, because in past years participants needed to be members.

Even if you or your club don't have enough private property for an event, there is land out there that is available for use, such as national and state forests, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-controlled land, federal Bureau of Land Management land, and even city and county.

Sanctioning off-road poker runs or trail rides is a fun way to raise money for your club or a deserving local cause. If this sounds like something your club would like to do, or you would personally like to do as a promoter, it’s easy.

To sanction trail rides and poker runs your club needs to be recognized by the ATVA or AMA as a sanctioned Recreational Club.

To charter as a recreational club you need 10 members who belong to the ATVA or AMA. Then fill out a charter form, gather up two letters of recommendation and write a $50 check. Once you're chartered, you can hold events and you'll have access to quality, affordable liability insurance.

So once you have your charter, a date, and a location for your event, fill out and send in a sanction and insurance form. It is very important to sanction your event well in advance—90 days should be a minimum lead time. By sanctioning your event early you can ensure your event will be listed in ATVA News, American Motorcyclist magazine and online here at the ATVA website and the AMA website, www.AMADirectlink.com. These listings can increase your attendance at the event.

If the landowner for your event needs an insurance certificate (proof of insurance) in advance, that's no problem, just let us know.

If you have any questions at all about chartering as a club or promoter, you can contact Organizer Services Coordinator Joyce Helmick.

If you would like some examples of great events other clubs are holding around the country, send me an e-mail or call me at (866) 288-2564.