The times, they are a-changin’. Especially at the Canadian Motorcycle Association, where they’ve just announced a new CEO.
In a press release on Monday, February 6, the CMA announced that A. Ross de St. Croix would be taking over from interim CEO Holly Ralph, who has in turn been running the show ever since longtime big boss Marilynn Bastedo left the role back in 2021.
The CMA’s press release said “Mr. de St. Croix brings to the association a lifetime of motorcycling experience, both within the competition side as well as the enthusiast side. Adding to this a mixture of knowledge from the commercial business element in his previous work life, his involvement in the film and television industry and years of coaching exposure Mr. de St. Croix will have a positive impact on the continued growth of this organization.”
Frankly speaking, there is a lot of room to grow. Notwithstanding a couple of recent coups (World Supercross coming to Vancouver in October, 2023, and the new deal with FIM sanctioning MiniGP), the CMA-affiliated motorcycle race scene has been stagnant for many years. Acrimony between the Motorcycle & Moped Industry Council (MMIC—Canada’s powersports industry body) and the CMA led to a serious rift, and the foundation of the Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada (MCC), a motorcycle advocacy group that in many ways filled the same roles as the CMA.
This situation came to a head in 2021, when the MCC challenged the CMA for the role as Canada’s national FIM affiliate, which includes the responsibility of race sanctioning and general promotion of motorcycling, particularly in matters of safety.
Despite receiving a majority of votes, the MCC’s play ultimately didn’t pan out (more on that here). In the aftermath, it was obvious that the FIM was ready for change at the CMA, and in the fall of 2021, the CMA and MCC announced plans to work together. The public hasn’t seen much in the way of big-news announcements from this arrangement, but perhaps the recent MiniGP and World Supercross announcements are signs that things are changing.
And of course, de St. Croix’s appointment is also a sign that things are changing. Stay tuned, Canadian motorcyclists—if we see the CMA tackle its role with fresh enthusiasm, our national motorcycle scene might be about to get a lot stronger.
