Board Meeting Minutes; Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum Leeds, AL 10/14/2024

Present: Al Anderberg (AA), Mike Dixon (MD), Jeff Hargis (JH), Wes Poole (WP), Bob Robbins (BR), Colton Roberts (CR), David Rutherford (DR), Luke Sayer (LS), Kelly Shane (KS), Tim Terrell (TT), Greg Tomlinson (GT)

Absent: Kerri Kress

Daniel May – (Executive Director – ED), Ed Roman (Special Committee Chairman), Leasha Overturf (Road Race Director), Terry McPhillips (Off-Road Director), Richard Brodock (Dirt Track Director)

Jeff Oakley (New National Cross Country Coordinator), Bob Bean, Henry Gregorich (Southeast OR Regional Coordinator), Brian and Kim Sharp, Leona Dixon, Maggie Shane (Accounting volunteer), Michelle and Kirk Fisher (Road Race Volunteers), Brian Larrabure (Former Chairman of the BOT/Treasurer and RR Planning Committee), Kenny Thiebaud, and Rick Villanueva.

LS designated a quorum was present and the BOT can conduct business.

Motion to adopt Barber BOT agenda by WP, TT 2nd, Unanimous approval

Motion to approve Laguna BOT meeting minutes TT motioned, BR 2nd, 10 approve, DR abstained

Reading into minutes interim trustee BOT vote and welcome Colton Roberts as new interim trustee.

Executive Director Opening Remarks

Barber Entries:
Road Race entries near capacity
Off-Road entries exceeded expectations
Dirt Track entries slightly down from last year

Chairman of the Board Opening Remarks (GT)

What an incredible year 2024 has been for AHRMA! I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to our membership, sponsors, race directors, paid staff, volunteers, Board of Trustees, and the Executive Committee. A special acknowledgment goes to Daniel May, our Executive Director, and Ed Roman, Chair of the Special Committee. Both Daniel and Ed dedicated countless hours to managing our business finances, membership affairs, and race operations as unpaid volunteers, and their efforts have been nothing short of extraordinary.

I am truly humbled by the collective efforts of our team in 2024. We’ve made tremendous strides in strengthening both our financial health and the community culture within all of our racing pits/paddocks.

At the beginning of the year, we identified three primary strategic objectives to guide us in 2024: enhancing membership experience, improving financial management, and prioritizing safety. I’m pleased to report that throughout this meeting, you will hear how we’ve consistently worked to achieve these goals.

We will close the year in a strong financial position, with a cash reserve that surpasses recent years. Not only have we eliminated a significant portion of our debt, but we’ve also implemented a new expense and income allocation model based on membership numbers. This ensures that each discipline receives its fair share of AHRMA resources.

We’ve also taken proactive steps to address safety concerns across all our racing operations, thanks to the establishment of a Safety Committee with representatives from every discipline. Additionally, our newly formed Strategic Membership Committee is focused on ensuring the long-term well-being of our membership.

As we look ahead to 2025, we recognize that there’s more work to be done, but I am confident that with the continued support of our membership and team, we can achieve even greater success. Thank you all for an outstanding 2024!

Member Comment Period (one hour)

GT opened the member comment period at about 9:00 am for those members that had signed up to speak.

• Brian Sharp – Thanks for a fantastic organization, thanks to outgoing trustees and thanks to Leasha and her team for a great season
• Leona Dixon – Thanks to Dan May and Leash Overturf for their great leadership.  Thanks to the members who supported Road Race with donated meals to the volunteers and staff.
• David Rhodes – He had fun at all discipline events he attended.  We should encourage our Canadian racers to attend more races.  He is concerned about Bridgestone not renewing their title sponsorship.  DM responded that Bridgestone has decided to spend their money elsewhere and that he is confident that new opportunities in work will cover the loss of Bridgestone sponsorship.
• Brian Larrabure – Thanks to the trustees, David Rutherford, Mike Dixon, Colton Roberts for stepping up, Maggie Shane, Dan May, and Ed Roman for all their hard work.

Executive Director Daniel May

Financial Summary

• 2022 was a bad year, as previously reported AHRMA lost ~($335,000) and debt increased to $350,000 plus accrued interest.
• 2023 was better, with the year ending with a modest profit of ~$56,000, but mid year cash flow challenges impeded operations, and outstanding debt burdened the balance sheet.
• The first 9 months of 2024 (Dec – Aug) produced a net profit of $21,975.86 $150,000 of the outstanding debt has been retired, leaving a manageable $200,000 (plus nominal accrued interest).
• 2024 budget presented at Roebling Road forecasted a net profit of ~$184,000, of which ~$53,000 was forecasted for the first 6 months. We are ~($31,000) behind the forecasted budget, details to follow.

charts & graphs 1 2024 budget presented at Roebling Road forecasted a net profit of ~$184,000, of which ~$53,000 was forecasted for the first 6 months. We are ~($31,000) behind the forecasted budget.

charts & graphs 2

charts & graphs 3

charts & graphs 4

charts & graphs 5

2024 Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

• Continued cost cutting efforts to remain in the black
• Reduced debt by $150,000
• Reestablished relations with the AMA

Weaknesses

• Membership continues to be a challenge
• Inflation is driving up operation and insurance costs
• We must consider price increases across all disciplines

2025 Goals

• Establish tighter budgets for each discipline
• Retire debt without burdening operations
• Improve member experience at race events
• Boost membership
• Continue to expand sponsorship opportunities

AHRMA Storage Unit in Nashville

AHRMA storage unit in Nashville

Maggie Shane and Lisi Bracher went to the storage unit before the Barber Festival to

1. Determine Content
2. Which material to keep or dispose
3. Downsize storage unit and reduce recurring rent

Keep:

• Historical material was kept such as pictures, tapes/slides, magazines, Handbooks, 1 trophy and other documents
• Financial documents from 2017 -2021 were kept, 2022 to current are digital format
• Legal boxes from lawsuit and Trademark
• Race Records

Shred:

• 2011 to 2016 Financials

Dispose:

• 2010 and older financials, race records, misc stuff like mattress, filing cabinet, stakes, old printer/fax, various storage bins

AHRMA Club Historian

After the storage unit presentation, it was brought up that Debbie Poole was asked to be and has accepted the role of AHRMA club historian.  KS motioned to approve Debbie as club historical, DR 2nd, BOT unanimously approved.  Thanks go to Debbie for stepping up!

Historian Purpose:

To oversee property in the possession of AHRMA at this time, and to document and arrange for storage of future donations received for the year 2018 and prior.

The significance of AHRMA’s first thirty years:

All AHRMA publications and documentation is of value in showing the history and development of the organization since its inception. However, the foundational and early years of any organization are of most importance. The AHRMA we know today began with the purchase of the version owned by Rob Iannucci in 1988.

The span of years from that time through 2018 is 30 years. Those 30 years were some of the most successful times for AHRMA, and a time when AHRMA was threatened with failure. It is this period in which documents are most important to preserve and are the primary purpose of the AHRMA Historian to catalog, maintain and keep.

Treasurer Financial Report (Tim Terrell)

TT has monitored the financial activities and reports and is satisfied.

Secretary Report (Luke Sayer)

LS – We are operating smoothly and there are no significant issues at hand.

Membership Report (Ed Roman and Jeff Oakley)

AHRMA Membership trend 2

AHRMA Membership Age Distribution

Strategic Membership Committee Formed and Charter (Description of Purpose)

Goal:  Identify strategic actions/ideas to increase AHRMA memberships.

How:  Team will brainstorm ideas and prioritize best value initiatives based on scoring method.

Team Roster:

Chair – Ed Roman, AHRMA Special Committee Chairman
Co-chair – Lorraine Crussell, AHRMA Membership Coordinator
Co-chair – Jeff Oakley, AHRMA Cross-Country Coordinator, corporate strategic planning experience
Peter Marcin, off-road member – motorsports industry (Honda & Nissan) corporate marketing experience

Trustee Liaison and discipline rider Members:

Jeff Hargis (Eastern Region Trustee)
Kerri Kress (Western Region Trustee)
Colton Roberts (Eastern Region Trustee)
GT – Greg Tomlinson (Western Region Trustee & Chairman of the Board)

National Discipline Directors

Road Race – Leasha Overturf
Dirt Track –  Richard Brodock
Off-road – Terry McPhillips

Regional Coordinators

Logan Bryan – Great Lakes
Jason Colon – Rocky Mountain
Troy Howell – South Central

2024 AHRMA Handbook, AHRMA Mission Statements by Discipline and Motorcycle Era
AHRMA Purpose Statement – Articles of Incorporation, Article 111, Purpose

The Association’s primary purpose shall be to review and promote the sport of vintage motorcycle racing by circulating printed material about the sport, by conducting exhibitions to introduce the sport to the public, by conducting vintage motorcycle racing events and by giving instructional clinics for the public, all to the end of providing wholesome activity and entertainment for the social improvement and welfare of the community.

• Handbook Section I – Road Race
• Page 1, Section 1 – Introduction Statement about AHRMA
• Page 42, Section 10 – Requirements Road Racing – Mission Statement
• Page 73, Section 10.10 – Side Car Mission Statement
• Handbook Section II – Off-Road
• Page 86, Section 11 – Vintage Motocross Mission Statement
• Page 101, Section 12 – Post Vintage Motocross Mission Statement
• Page 111, Section 13 – Observed Trials Mission Statement
• Page 120, Section 14 – Dirt Track Mission Statement
• Page 128, Section 15 – Cross Country Mission Statement

AHRMA’s Proposed 30 Second Elevator Pitch

AHRMA is alive and well – keeping the past fast!

We have new leadership making a difference and driving AHRMA back on track financially. And we have a dedicated AHRMA team committed to make improvements for our AHRMA Regional and National events.

We are actively listening to our members, trying our best to control cost growth, and continue to implement effective and best value solutions.

We all know why we are AHRMA members… we have a passion for older motorcycles, we enjoy the competition, and we value the friendships we’ve made at AHRMA events for road racing, dirt track, motocross, cross-country and trials.

Do you know that membership levels have been declining since COVID? This is our challenge and we are laser focused on growing our membership. As a call to action, we encourage our existing members to bring a friend along for the ride, promote AHRMA and influence a friend or two to join in on the fun.

(Continue the dialogue with the above points to open the conversation)

Author – Jeff Oakley and Reviewed by – Peter Marcin

Off-Road Race Director Report (Terry McPhillips)

2024 Year to Date

Motocross

• 16 National events – VMX
• 14 National Events – PVMX / NGMX

Cross Country

• 15 National Events

Trials

• 9 National Events

Off-Road Challenges

• Weather
  • Rainouts
    • Wildwood
    • Freestone, TX
  • Conflicting Schedules

Challenges

• Too many events to support properly – 22 Weekends between March and November
• Too Few Volunteers
• Lack of Cross Country (CC) Coordinator – This is being rectified. Jeff Oakley is new CC Coordinator

Off-Road Improved Processes and Procedures

• Continued Biweekly Regional Coordinators Meetings
  • Allowed Sharing of ideas
• Reconvened Off-Road Planning Committee
• Concentrate on National Schedules and Strategy
• Allows Regional Coordinator Meeting to concentrate on how to build / Grow Regional Membership, Events and Participation
• Started Monthly Technical Inspection Meetings
  • Share ideas
  • Create consistency of Technical Inspection Processes and Procedures
  • Research Technical Issues

Off-Road Progress

• Off Road Business Model Process Improvement
  • Alternate Emergency Response Plan Implemented
  • Insurance policy and procedures defined and put into place for 2024 and beyond (Thank you Ed Roman!)
• Hosts
  • Reached out to develop better relationships with host tracks/promoters
• Regions – Personnel updates
  • Henry Gregorich – Southeast Regional Coordinator
  • Logan Bryan – Great Lakes Regional Coordinator (Thank you Tim Terrell!)
  • Troy Howell – South Central Regional Coordinator
  • Jeff Oakley – Cross Country Coordinator

Off-Road 2025 Plans

Fewer National Events

• Allows time to concentrate on each event to make it better
  • More time to Promote
  • More time to work with Promoters to create better National events
• Allows us to cater to specific disciplines to create better events
• Leaves more time to concentrate on building stronger regions
• Create more local Regional Events
• Increase Membership
• Increase more local participation

Create Better Events

• More 2 day Cross Country Events
• Combine 2 day Trials with Cross Country events where possible
• Add a number of new locations
• Lebanon, MO – MX
• Shorty’s MX, Blythe, CA – MX
• Marceline MO – Cross Country and Trials

Tentative Off-Road MX Schedule 2025

Tentative Off-Road CC Schedule 2025

Tentative Off-Road Trials Schedule 2025

Road Race Director Report (Leasha Overturf)

• Leasha is thankful for the opportunity to be the Road Race Director
• Momentum is growing and will continue through 2025
• Sponsors are supporting Road Race along with providing meals for Road Race staff and volunteers
• Road Race team building is underway
• Leasha is learning from mistakes and making corrections
• Barber had 1,142 race entries over the race weekend with Sunday entries slightly less than Saturday
• Safety vests were well received
• The Pro race added excitement on Saturday
• The auction at the awards ceremony generated $11,800
• Ralph Wessel Safety Fund raffle generated $1,300 and the winner donated her winnings to AHRMA!

Road Race Goals for 2025

• Safety focus
• Making the best membership experience
• Legends class support

Tentative 2025 Road Race Schedule (Subject to change)

Road Race Tentative Schedule 2025

Dirt Track Director Report (Richard Brodock)

Richard is looking forward to a 2025 season with 7 to 10 race weekends

• Safety is one of his priorities
• Some flexibility in Dirt Track rules are needed to draw more entries.  Racers have vintage bikes that have been updated with some modern parts that may not fit into existing AHRMA rules
• Athens OH event was very successful
• Beavercreek AL event had 112 entries on second race weekend
• Youth classes would help Dirt Track overall entries with parents and kids
• Richard believes an Outreach program could also help entries and new members
• Legacy class for bikes and or riders not wanting the risk of competitive racing could also help generate entry fees

DISCUSSION ITEMS

OLD BUSINESS

• Dan described our strength and weakness points in his earlier Executive Director report

NEW BUSINESS

• Motion made by KS to have the Safety Committee investigate electric bike safety and organizational liability at tracks and make a proposal for the combined December EC/BOT video meeting. 2nd by DR, unanimous yes vote
• Goals for 2025 will be set for all disciplines
• 2025 discipline budgets in work
• Sponsorship opportunities still exist and will be worked
• 2025 BOT meeting date/place discussion
  • 1st meeting should be in Western Region since 2024 was in Eastern Region.
    • Discussion centered on what’s the earliest practical date available. After much discussion it was decided to have the 1st BOT meeting the Monday after Burrows Ranch race weekend on Monday April 7th.  Probably in Willows CA for the meeting.
  • 2nd meeting will be a video meeting with no travel required
  • 3rd meeting will be at Barber the Monday following racing.

FINAL COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIR (GT)

As I mentioned at the start of this meeting, 2024 has truly been a banner year for AHRMA. We encountered challenges on several fronts, but I’m proud to say that we identified, addressed, and course-corrected where needed. What makes me equally proud is how we achieved these results. As a team, we rolled up our sleeves and approached each challenge with a solution-oriented mindset. It’s incredibly rewarding to drive positive change, especially when you’re working with a team that shares the same commitment and makes the process enjoyable.

Looking ahead to 2025, there’s still work to be done, but I believe I speak for the entire board and executive team when I say—bring it on!

Once again, I want to extend my deepest thanks to our membership and to everyone who contributed to making this year a success. A special thank you goes to our outgoing Trustees, who have dedicated so much of their time and energy to AHRMA. 

Motion to Adjourn by TT, 2nd BR, Unanimous yes vote and adjourned at 3:02 pm