madness After two years of work the golden opportunity to race Washougal in May is finally upon us. This was to be a joint race: Ahrma & Hammer & Tongs. The goal was not only to have the incredible experience of racing the historic track, but also to demonstrate that we could do it, and to attract the Post Vintage crowd back to Ahrma.

November 2006- Dirk got a call from Ed Parsons saying that Washougal couldn't be an Ahrma Race. The reason was that everyone had to have a license. Ed & I were just talking about this the other day. Nothing bad- he was just trying to help.

Dirk had originally gotten the OK from Dave Lamberth the Executive Director. But now two years later he (Dave Lamberth) reported that the trustees had "pulled the plug". (that's a quote)

How many more times can you smash your head against the wall?

Dirk decides he's had enough, and quits the position of coordinator, leaving me to do it alone. The A-Team has a meeting where we vote for me to go on doing the job - I'd been making the calls for all the races up here in Washington anyway.

I called Ed myself, along with Tom Bentley and Dick Mann to make sure it was true. I pointed out that it was exactly like Hammer & Tongs in 2005. Ric Tipton runs joint races in California all the time. We ran three motos with the Oldtimers at Washougal in September. But we didn't go around and try to get the modern guys to buy Ahrma licenses. We'd be laughed out of the track.

But Ed & Tom now declared that Washougal couldn't be a joint race at all. Ed said he had an email from the Executive Director to prove it. I asked him to send it to me, which he did. But it simply said to race in an AHRMA race you must have an AHRMA License.

DUH.

It didn't address the issue of joint races.

So I called Dick. In my conversation (which was good by the way) we talked about why AHRMA couldn't involved. But he didn't mention the license thing. Instead he said it was because of the kids classes. (the idea is that kids = threat of a lawsuit)

A week later after making the announcement at Rider's Meeting at VDR that Ahrma had pulled the plug I was taken aside and instructed in no uncertain terms that I was to announce that Dirk had pulled the plug.

How do you figure that? Dirk was forced to pull the plug.

What's the game?
Why does it have to be someone's fault?
Why is there always a snag?

And why is the snag always different every time you talk to someone? It's exhausting.

the last straw The Team, now faced a weird year where the jewel of our work has been vetoed by upper management with a host of flimsy excuses that apply ONLY to this race. This would leave the Season as a two race season; Prineville and KFalls. That's not much of a Season.

So I pursued the organizers of Hannegan and the new race at Anderberg's Farm. We could do a Saturday race at either facility, and Lyndell Raphael was ready to take on at least the Spokane Race date.

But then a bizarre turn of events; at the Ahrma awards ceremony the organizers of Spokane stood up and asked out loud was there a reason why they couldn't run PV on the same day on the same track to consolodate things?

I sat waiting for the answer, and to my surprise that was accepted. What? What happened to PV bikes tear up the track, ruin everything and cause Vintage to die? Whatever. The Team was pleased, if mystified.

then on Wednesday morning at 3:30am I get this email:

Hi CJ,
I'm pleased to inform you that there is a new Pacific Northwest PVMX
coordinator to replace the position vacated by the previous coordinator, Dirk Williams. The new PNW PVMX Coordinator is Ed Parsons of Toledo, WA.

Please remove ALL indications on the PNW Off-Road website that you are the PNW PVMX & Cross-Country Coordinator. Ed Parsons and you should coordinate with each other with regards to the PNW website that you have developed, though Parsons will have the ultimate approval of issues relating to AHRMA classes & policy. I will speak with you regarding the the PNW Cross-Country Coordinator position when I return from Daytona.

Additionally, please remove any indication that there will be "AHRMA Classes" offered at the "Washougal" event. "AHRMA Classes" are reserved solely for AHRMA events and, as such, it is very apparent that the promoters of the "Washougal" event do not intend it to be AHRMA Sanctioned. I will speak with you after "Bike Week" regarding the PNW Cross-Country Coordinator position

Al

Allen L. Wenzel
AHRMA Western-National Off-Road Director

Hmmm. Evidently I don't rate enough to even get a courtesy phonecall.

All the gumption drained out of me.

OK, why are we doing all this work? No one on the team wants to fight anymore - and anyway we have Hammer & Tongs, and it is a JOY to be part of. So the team will focus on that instead.

THE STATE OF VINTAGE - Map of Issues
1 the Legitimacy of Critics Keeping Regionals Alive

2 PACIFIC NW MESS - the Short Version

3 How things fell apart for Post Vintage Stats: the Actual Percentage
4 Graph of Northwest Entries Northwest Riders

5 Klamath Falls Race called off The Advent of the New PNW Region
6 the A-Team Ahrma at Hammer & Tongs
7 the Region the Big Meeting
8 Philosophy of Vintage Approach to Criticism
9 2006 races my own Responsibility
10 madness the last straw

 

©2007 SIEGE