A widely-read sports columnist with the Minneapolis Star & Tribune web site interviewed Brainerd International Raceway's new General Manager Rod Wolter in a story that ran on June 26. Wolter touched on a variety of subjects in the column including the lack of an AMA Superbike round at the Northern Minnesota race track in 2005.

Rod Wolter stated in the column: "I'm not sure we will get the Superbikes back next year," Wolter said. "I've had the AMA at three tracks. It's a very popular event, but somehow -- maybe it's the AMA structure -- the track always loses money."

AMA Roadrace Manager Ron Barrick and AMA's Director of Competition, Merrill Vanderslice both said this morning that neither of them have ever heard of Mr. Wolter; Barrick said that he cannot remember ever speaking to Mr. Wolter on an admin-level at any track the series has visited.

Wolter is the former GM of Gateway in Illinois.

"I've been working for the AMA as series manager since 1994," Barrick said, "and I don't know him. Maybe he was at Gateway in '95 but I don't remember him. We dealt with Chris Pook on that race." Gateway hosted an AMA-promoted Superbike race in 1995. (Read a report on the race here)

Brainerd International Raceway has hosted an AMA Superbike event since 1983. Track admin sources from the 1990's era say the Superbike event made a profit, albeit a small one, every year back then. Crowds for the Superbike event dropped substantially after the current owner, Resorts International, bought the facility.

Read the Star Tribune column here. (login via bugmenot.com: guest/guest)