Photography by Brian J. Nelson
Kyle Wyman issued a press release today striking back at AMA Pro Racing’s announcement on Friday that they had disqualified the winner of the Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Series round from Daytona a month ago for having “non-compliant and improperly modified engine components” on his XR1200.
“I’m really bummed out about all of this, and quite frankly I’m more than a little confused,” Wyman said in today’s release. “I’ve dedicated my life to road racing and would never do anything to gain an unfair advantage over other riders. I respect the spirit of competition far too much. Anyone that knows me, including [series sponsor] Terry Vance himself, will tell you it’s just not in my DNA to do something illegal.
“With no recourse available with AMA Pro Racing, I have to accept the ruling. It’s very troublesome to me the way this all went down, and while I plan to move forward and do everything I can to race for the championship, I do feel the need to explain the events as they transpired.
“After finishing first in Daytona, my team was instructed to disassemble the engines in order for the cylinder heads to be inspected by AMA Pro Racing. We immediately complied, and the parts were taken for further evaluation with results to be released on an undetermined timeline. It should be noted that no parts were confiscated from any of the other 23 riders in the field.
“Eleven days later, on March 25, AMA Pro Racing informed us the cylinder heads were within the confines of the rules, the provisional results would now be declared official, and our parts would be shipped back to Kyle Wyman Racing. A press release was then issued by AMA Pro Racing recapping my win. At the same time, a winner’s check in the amount of $3750 was issued to me. At this point, several of my sponsors purchased congratulatory advertisements in a variety of motorcycle magazines.
“One week later, on March 31, I submitted a first-person blog entry titled ‘My Best Weekend, Ever,’ which was published on the AMA Pro Racing website as well as many notable news outlets within the industry. I also appeared as a guest on Pit Pass Radio to discuss the win.
“Two days later, AMA Pro Racing contacted me again, this time to say the cylinder heads originally deemed in compliance were now considered to be illegal. I was told a final decision would be made in the near future concerning the official results and subsequent penalties to be assessed. The next day, April 3, the AMA Pro Racing media department contacted me directly to conduct a telephone interview about the win. The interview was published on the AMA Pro Racing website that same afternoon.
“On April 7, I was contacted again to say I would be disqualified, lose 30 championship points, and lose the previously issued purse money. This was followed by the press release of April 11. I will certainly be asking for clarification in this decision to make sure I know how to avoid this happening again. It’s a tremendous blow to me personally because my honor has been called into question. I apologize to the other riders for this unfortunate turn of events and congratulate Tyler O’Hara on winning the race. All I can do now is move forward, knowing I didn’t intentionally do anything wrong.”
