1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

AHRMA Dissolution?

Discussion in 'WERA Vintage' started by 83BSA, Oct 30, 2006.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. weber#465

    weber#465 mud fight

    We both need a drink. Double olive?

    So you are saying that in the summer of this year (4 or so months ago) that $877,000 was spend on this lawsuit and they also gave the Benevolent Fund to Green?

    " It is now clear to me that sometime in the Summer of 2006, someone in control at AHRMA made the decision to bankrupt the member-owned organization"
     
  2. limy_1

    limy_1 Crash Starter

    You must be on your second olive:D

    Green started the Benevolent Fund and it is believed that the fund is no longer in existance.
     
  3. cspargo

    cspargo Well-Known Member

    Good to know you're getting used to being schooled there then ... :moon:
     
  4. Rich SmithMoore

    Rich SmithMoore Well-Known Member

    AHRMA at a glance:

    Tech Inspection: "We only let you in here with those Yamahas and Hondas because we need to fill up the grids so take that THING back to your pit and wax it some more" Trustee Goodpaster circa 1991.:mad:

    Newly appointed "Roadrace Safety Director" mid '90's: "I really wish we didn't require gloves and handgrips cuz they really interfere with my ability to feel the controls. Bare hands and friction tape are much safer." (20 minutes later he straightened up mid-turn and ran me off the track!):eek:

    OTOH- They put up with Josh when he failed to appreciate that Trials sections were not intended to be cleared at Roadrace speeds!:wow:

    Those Superbike rules someone complained about earlier? According to John Goodpastor they didn't "intend" a lot of them but once they were published it was too embarrassing to change them!:confused:

    I will miss the ambience of tech inspections conducted with surplus undercarriage inspection mirrors from Checkpoint Charlie cuz everyone was too stiff to bend over.
     
  5. weber#465

    weber#465 mud fight

    :crackup: yea. As I said n 1 of my earlier posteses I am dense. WERA skool-n must-v worked if you go on points and or finnisheseses.:crackup: :Poke:


    David your upset that they spent the money.
    Did the moneys get spent on a Vegas vacations or was it because of a lawsuit?

    Remember Rob Iunnucci started the lawsuit and Ahrma would have had to answer to the lawsuit as long as it lasted. Rob Iunnucci ultimately had the power to end it early since he started it. Who is to blame for the chapter 11.
    He has AMA in the same suit and if Barber didn't do someting fast they could have been next. The judge ruled in AHRMAs favor the first time and if there weren't another lawsuit AHRMA would not be in this shape.= If he would've taken his lumps the first time he would still be racing and AHRMA would still have the money and we would still be us.

    Look I am not looking for anything less than you. I want the facts. We both race BOT3 and thats all I want to do. You are a lawyer and it shows. What can you do to help?

    As I stated from the very start, if he and his wants to race, most of us are all for it. We all want to race. It is not hard to see how to end the BS. I am sure mistakes were made on both sides and we can learn from them.

    Are you wanting to run 4 a seat?
     
  6. gettr

    gettr Member

    As a former roadracer, who just wants to run the regional vintage motocross series now, Fuck the politics. I just wanna have a place and series to run with. I am not an Ahrma member, but, I want to join and start racing. Why do most of the arguments involved in the lawsuit sound like two 4 year olds fighting over a sucker.....

    Here's a suggestion to Rob....go to Wera Vintage, promote it as much as you can, haul as many members as you can away from Ahrma. Has Rob RACED Wera vintage with any regularity???? Why try to destroy an organization that promotes a sport that you supposedly love? This is all about someone who didn't like the rules and got bucked. Don't like your helmet laws in your state....SUE!!!!!! Don't like your President, senator, representative.....SUE!!!!

    I'm not saying Ahrma is perfect, there needs to be some changes, but this is why there is an election process. The votes of the many will outweigh the wants of the rich. Roadracing is a part of Ahrma, not ALL of Ahrma. The regional director for my area has told me we will run with or without a certain sticker on our bikes. I sure wish he was a Trustee. A person who loves the pure sport.

    Sorry to rant, but the whole situation pisses me off. I've spent a fair amount of money to go vintage (MX) racing. As have most. Due to personal circumstances, I wasn't able to start this year. Maybe this doesn't give me a reason to bitch, but, (again like most) I just wanna have an organization to race with. I just wanna race!

    Dennis
     
  7. charles

    charles The Transporter

    The 'Mother of All Threads' continues...about the only people who haven't posted are Jesse Jackson, Saddam, and Borat...maybe it's just me, perhaps
    it's senility setting in, but here we have some folks who say: this other guy is the bad guy. we are gonna prevail in this lawsuit against the bad guy, he is
    clueless and draggin this out (which of course a federal judge is totally unable to see), and we're gonna whup his ass big-time to recoup all the bread
    we busted on the attorneys, so you hang in there! Meanwhile, back at the
    Bar-B-Q Ranch, the same folks conconct a scheme to declare a kinda bankruptcy so they can wipe out the prospective judgement that's gonna be given to this bad guy, y'know, the one whose case has no merit, before any court has even granted a judgement! Now that's some thinkin' Too smarty-pants for me, I'm strictly 'ten yards and a cloud of dust' kinda person, clearly
    at a disadvantage to grasp the significance of it all...when all the smoke clears, will it be just like the OK Corral thing? Hard to say, I'm gonna saddle up myself now and head off into the sunset...'happy trails to you, until we meet again, happy trails to you....don't let your sons grow up to be cowboys'...
     
  8. Andy 338

    Andy 338 Member

    So 83BSA, did Ahrma really squander the money. Would they not have had to continue to respond to the Rob's lawsuit as long as it continued? Unless there had been a settlement? Did Rob offer to settle? Did Ahrma offer to settle? You seem to have all the answers about Ahrma misspending it's members money without any of the facts. Rob started the most recent lawsuit and being an attorney, I am sure that you know that as long as Rob pursued his lawsuit, Ahrma would have to continue to pay lawyers to respond to it. Maybe you should organize your fellow attorneys and attempt to lower the exorbitant fees that lawyers charge. That way Ahrma could have saved some money or you could offer your services to Ahrma pro bono.
    Andy
     
  9. charles

    charles The Transporter

    Whoaaaa...steady..I guess I saddled up too soon...tonight, Rob Ianucci posted an 'open letter' to AHRMA members on his Team Obsolete website.
    He gets into some details, so eyeball it for yourselves. Looks like he's a man on a mission...perhaps his letter will get posted here for convenience.

    Okay, now I'm goin' down the trail, where's Tonto?
     
  10. Andy 338

    Andy 338 Member

    Charles, I am sure that what Rob says has got to be the gospel, no bias on his part. Just like I am sure that there will be no bias on any explanation Ahrma officials post. Maybe we should send Rob and Jeff to the OK corral. That way to rest of us could race in peace.
    Andy
     
  11. JBall

    JBall REALLY senior member

    http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=27606

    Well, things only go from bad to worse. Mr. I may be planning to personally sue trustees, which could not be more effed up. The couple of trustees that I know, who also happen to be WERA racers, are just folks who wanted to work for the betterment of their sport. From personal experience, getting sued, even for something you just know is not right, is a very difficult and stressful experience I wouldn't wish on anyone. And now it may be part of somone's "solution" to this problem.
     
    Last edited: Nov 16, 2006
  12. Yzasserina

    Yzasserina sound it out

    My God, this is like a train wreck and I can't stop watching. Irrespective of who's to blame for what, how in the Sam Hill does anyone expect anyone to sign up to be a trustee for this org without D&O insurance, which, in this day and age, is practically prohibitively expensive?
     
  13. weber#465

    weber#465 mud fight

    Thanks for the link jball. I agree that they are just racers and were people who worked to make it so we could race. Now it is clear why they resigned their seats as a trustee. That is not good enough, his plans include pursuing each Officer and Trustee:Puke:

    Thanks Charles. I read that letter from Rob. As with all his letters it is very skillfuly written. Starts with a hug to make you feel he wants to do all he can to ease the anxiety we might have. After patting his self on the back he starts all his finger pointing all the while claiming to be the victim.

    Sounds to me like he is upset because they paid all the bills that they could b4 filing for chapter 11. :rock: and he wanted that money.:tut:
     
  14. phantom 309

    phantom 309 Well-Known Member

    I don't believe rob would go after any trustee but the old f-cks that have draged this on and cost us over a million bucks plus the b-fund that people donated above and beyond to help others.I think what rob has ask for to end this is fair and will inturn be good for a new start for ahrma.For the good of AHRMA, the Trustees should:


    Fire lawyer Bendelow, the legal architect of this decade-plus legal nightmare.
    Fire Jeff Smith, AHRMA’s Special Litigation Adviser. No explanation needed.
    Postpone the elections for 30 days so that the electorate can respond to this breach of trust.
    Publish an accurate and detailed accounting of all funds squandered on litigation.
    All Trustees must resign, now, for the good of AHRMA. Just go away. Don’t do any more damage to AHRMA.
    Sounds fair to me.:up:
     
  15. charles

    charles The Transporter

    'The Mother of All Threads': Part Two: I detect a 'shift' in the dialogue, it is subtle but it is there, I think, hence : Part Two, The Saga Continues...
    The epic battle that is going on (continuing) is not about motorcycling racing per se. It is about business and money and principles. Some AHRMA members mention that there was retribution for asking questions or challenging the leadership. In that context, I would like to offer you this: on 06 JAN 2006, America lost a man who was a genuine hero. He was a very young man when he was faced with an impossible situation. He knew immediately what he had to do, he didn't ponder or consult or hesitate. For his actions on that early morning of 16 MAR 1968, he was shunned, threatened with death, and dishonored for thirty years, until 1998, when he was finally and officially awarded for heroism above and beyond the call of duty. He put his life right on the line that day, there was no money involved, no personal pride, no
    lawyers, no judges except the one final judge, and his actions deserve our
    contemplation and reflection. His name was Hugh Thompson, Jr.
     
  16. krypton7

    krypton7 Well-Known Member

    This is from Team O's BBS

    TO's latest statement:

    OPEN LETTER TO AHRMA MEMBERS, VOLUME II
    « on: November 15, 2006, 10:02:51 PM »

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    We wish to offer our sincere apologies for any anxiety caused by the pending litigation. Since we organized the first Daytona race in 1981 we have tried to give our all to the Sport that we love. Unfortunately, things went bad, Smith & company began to attack us, beginning in the early 1990s. We tried to defend ourselves, and here we are.

    Now it may have become apparent that the current Trustees have abused the trust of their members. In their zeal to strike out at a perceived challenge to their authority, they lost their way. Time for a change. They should know that the best thing they can do for AHRMA is to resign, now. There is no possibility of a negotiated resolution of this controversy as long as the trustees who caused it remain in power.

    We at Team Obsolete wish to preserve and rescue AHRMA from those who have brought it down. We also want justice for ourselves. The Trustees who abused their trust must each pay up. This is only fair. AHRMA must be cured from this horrible situation.

    Current State of Affairs:


    On Nov. 14 AHRMA submitted a very expensive looking 80-page motion to the Tennessee Bankruptcy Court. They have asked the Court to estimate the amount of the pending Team Obsolete claim. This new Court case is a huge further escalation by AHRMA of their battle with Team Obsolete.
    AHRMA admits in this motion to litigation expenses for this case alone of $877,571.24. Additionally, AHRMA spent an estimated $200,000.00 in the BEARS case, and an estimated $50,000.00 in the Supermono case. Total litigation expenses incurred battling with Team Obsolete are therefore approximately $1,127,570.00. Query: How much of this expense was disclosed to the Member-Owners before now? Did the Trustees have the right to conceal this expense from AHRMA’s Member-Owners? Did the Trustees have proper authority to spend this money? Were AHRMA’s past annual “financial reports” honest?
    The Benevolent Fund has apparently been looted. Members who contributed to the fund in good faith may have good reason to be upset. As of Nov. 11, 2005 AHRMA claimed to have a total of $367,500.00 in “cash-reserves”. This includes the Benevolent Fund. One year later, on Nov. 10, 2006, in its bankruptcy petition, AHRMA claims total cash reserves of only $67,500.00. Only the day before they spent $24,000.00 with AHRMA’s new Tennessee bankruptcy attorney Sam K. Crocker, telephone no. (615) 726-3322, fax no. (615) 726-6330. Query: How long ago did they secretly hatch this bankruptcy plan?
    AHRMA claims that “settlement discussions were conducted earlier this year [with Team Obsolete] but were unsuccessful within the resources available to us [AHRMA]”. Not true. For more than a decade Team Obsolete has desperately been seeking help in resolving the institutional legal harassment of Team Obsolete orchestrated by Jeff Smith and lawyer Bendelow, and rubber stamped by the Trustees. We sought help from the AMA, who did nothing, Daytona Speedway, who tried very hard, Dave Lamberth, who did not respond, and various AHRMA members outside Team Obsolete, who were unsuccessful. Smith and Bendelow just refused to negotiate. Not until earlier this year did negotiations briefly occur with Dave Janiec (we offered to delay depositions for 60-90 days to facilitate negotiations. AHRMA refused). We believe that AHRMA did not negotiate in good faith. They refused to consider institutional reforms, such as a Member’s Bill of Rights, to prevent future abuses. They refused to open their books to the members. They refused to offer any financial compensation for the hundreds of thousands of dollars that their harassment cost us. They did offer to reinstate Rob’s membership, but without any guarantee that they would not lock him out again as soon as the lawsuit was dismissed. Query: Should Rob have trusted them?

    For the good of AHRMA, the Trustees should:


    Fire lawyer Bendelow, the legal architect of this decade-plus legal nightmare.
    Fire Jeff Smith, AHRMA’s Special Litigation Adviser. No explanation needed.
    Postpone the elections for 30 days so that the electorate can respond to this breach of trust.
    Publish an accurate and detailed accounting of all funds squandered on litigation.
    All Trustees must resign, now, for the good of AHRMA. Just go away. Don’t do any more damage to AHRMA.

    Stay Tuned…
     
  17. krypton7

    krypton7 Well-Known Member

    And I'm still ticked off about the Benevolent Fund's demise........................
     
  18. YAM#849

    YAM#849 y'all watch this...

    Andy,
    It's good to hear from someone who's THINKING about the logic behind these issues instead of having a tantrum. AHRMA had a choice to quit spending on defense- which would have likely led to Ianucci winning enough to send them into Chapter 7 ( = dissolved, gone). How much do you think Rob would have settled for? Enough to send them into Chapter 11 re-org? Why would he take less and not get the change he was seeking? AHRMA could make settlement offers that they could afford, but still held the opinion that they really owed nothing. What opinion would the members have of the trustees if they had offered Rob a huge, bankrupting chunk of money to settle?

    Next topic for thought- what would be the real result of totally overturning the board? There are some pitfalls there, if you think about it. I'll let you guys comment some more before I say anything else.
     
  19. sparksfarmer

    sparksfarmer Member

    Hi All,

    As there are lawyers and hopefully accountants on this list, or friends of yours. How could AHRMA have protected the B fund. If the Catholic churches can go into bankruptcy and be forced to sell off real estate; how are a group of guys who get a phone card & some mileage to one meeting, supposed to hide the money? (perhaps they get more compensation, but I do not think a Trustee is a big paying job.) How could the trustee's have protected any asset of the club? What could they have done? If we were ultimately being driven into bankruptcy by Rob's lawsuit, what else can a trustee do than spend down all your assets, pay for next years preregistration at the tracks, then file?
    AHRMA has stated that they tried to negotiate a compromise with Rob earlier this year, but it did not work. What else could they have done?

    Thanks,
    Sparksfarmer
     
  20. YAM#849

    YAM#849 y'all watch this...

    Some of the newer trustees ( those same guys who have been accused of being sellouts and puppets) were working to move the Benevolent fund to a 501 C (3) fund. They didn't get that accomplished before the finances collapsed. It should have been done long ago. Looks like they were too late. So the new guys are bad guys too?
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page