Kevin Burns
Connelly Springs, NC
Eastern Trustee Candidate
Kevin Burns, Eastern Region
I began thinking about running for a Trustee position in 2013 and pulled the trigger for the 2014 election. I learned a lot that year and the next on my second try, the one that was successful. I began looking at everything AHRMA in a different light. We are more than a group of racers. We are friends. We compete for the love of the competition and the challenges of friendship in all its varying forms. We are unique, and I can’t imagine a better place to be in my life. And so I am running for my second term, and once again asking for your support.
These past three years have been eventful. I’ve asked a lot of questions, stuck my foot in my mouth more than once, and kept pushing to find answers to your questions, helping out wherever I could.
When I ran in 2015 I made you three promises. The first was an open forum for dialog with members and Trustees. A year ago the AHRMA Members Only group was established on Facebook. Today we have over 550 members, nearly 20% of the club.
Second, you asked for rules that were clear and consistent, and fair to all. As Chair of the Sidecar Committee, we developed the first complete set of rules covering all classes of sidecar racing. Our success showed with 23 rigs on the grid at Barber this year. Also, in response to concerns regarding inconsistencies in the rules for Next Gen Superbikes, we initiated revisions providing a fair, and level competition grid and proposed a new class, Next Gen2, for later model superbikes including the Next Gen bikes no longer eligible for the original Next Gen class.
Third, was a promise to work for opportunities for the next generation of racers to become part of the AHRMA family. Next season we will welcome road racers in Next Gen Lightweight and off-road racers in several Next Gen classes celebrating American off-road racing heritage of the late 90s and early 2000s.
Additionally, I have supported Fred Guidi’s decision to create a Director of Regional Activities, and the expansion of Flat Track and Trials.
Finally, our next challenges have been introduced this past year including audio presentation of Board meetings and the inclusion of electronic voting. I have supported both and offered solutions to bring both to reality. They are important components to making the administrative end of our club more transparent and accessible to all.
The challenges to sustain our club remain in the forefront. If we wish to leave a strong organization to those who follow, we must elect forward-thinking Trustees. Whether you see Vintage as a set period of time or age related, the success of AHRMA depends on a vibrant membership dedicated to preserving all periods of American motorcycle racing. Please join Fred Guidi and me in preserving this history. Whether you ride a Greeves Premier MX bike or an RC51 Next Gen superbike, we are all one family with one goal: To provide the finest historic racing in America.
Your responsibility to the club is simple; vote, then contact the racers with whom you compete and get their promise to vote. It’s just that important. As always, I am available by phone. See you on the grid.
Kevin Burns | 614-519-6168 | 68.kburns@gmail.com
