The Grid - February 2011

It is my pleasure to announce the results of the 2010 USARM board of directors elections. As many members know, the by-laws call for 3 directors positions be filled in the odd years and 4 in the even years. This year is the first time we have use electronic balloting and it seems it is a big success. We have the largest ballot return ever with just the electronic version and of the 18 ballots mailed out we received 6 valid ballots back. I want to thank 2 of our members that made this happen this year in Mickey Housel who put together the electronic version that we've discussed for the last year or so and a program milestone we wanted to institute in this election. Bruce Brunner has been doing the mailing and counting of ballots for many years and I thank him for doing it again this year. I want to stress again that no one has any idea on who voted for who. This was very professionally run and again a big thank you to both Mickey and Bruce.

The ballot results are as follows:

Ken Berri - a total of 88
Mick Housel - a total of 75
Jan Kaufman - a total of 86
No votes cast - 4 - valid blank returns or other marks(.)

I wish to congratulate those that ran for office and have been voted in for the next 2 years. Mickey has worked with the board as our webmaster and we welcome him to the board where he will continue in that capacity and additional assignments as determined in our January 2011 board meeting where the board positions will be voted on between board members. Jan and Ken has been on the board for many years and their continued involvement is welcomed.

I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas season and all the best in the new year.

Sincerely,
Ron Vlastelica
2009-10 USARM President

Hello race fans,

As we start another race season your USARM directors have already been at work. We held our monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 18th and welcomed the newly elected board members of Jan Kauffman, Mick Housel and Jim Short. During the meeting as voted on the new directors positions for 2011. In the by-law and policies and procedures there is a stipulation that a first year board member cannot hold the position of President. Since all board members served on the board in prior years, all board members were eligible for the President's position for the coming year. I have had to withdraw my name as it seems I am destined to work outside of the U.S. (Africa) this year as well. This makes it too hard to sign contracts and be available with the time zone differences of 9 hours. I will continue on the board and make the monthly meetings which I get up at 3am for the conference calls using Skype.

The board unanimously has elected Jim Short to be the 2011 USARM President. Jim has been a board member for many years and like me has placed training as a top priority along with getting new contracts. Jim lives in northern California and had run the Russell School events for many years. Jim's many contacts make him a good person to lead the club in these difficult times. We've seen events cancelled due to lack of pre-registration for events where organizers don't have the financial means to keep series alive with falling revenues. One series has carried the burden of falling income for over a year and in December decided to cancel the event rather than wait to see who shows up on Saturday morning. The two clubs that are having success are Chumpcar and Lemons due to low cost overhead for organizers and racers. We are pursuing contracts with both organizations and are looking to doing more national events in the future.

I want to thank everyone for the past 2 years as it's been a lot of work in getting the organization back on its feet from a legal stand point. So please give Jim and the board all the support that you have given me over the last two years and lets all wish the 2011 board all the success they deserve. I hope to see you all at the races this year and here is hoping that I will be able to make a few events while home from some far flung ventures of my own.

Keep the candle burning and be safe,

Ron Vlastelica
President 2009-2010

Greetings Fellow USARM Members,

It's that time of year again when we put away the Christmas decorations and dust off the New Year's resolutions from last year and swear to make good on them this year. USARM is no exception. The Board of Directors accomplished a great deal in 2010. The By-Laws were re-written and approved by the membership. Our non-profit status is well on the way to being finalized, and our Club had one its most successful seasons. However, we still have several areas where we can improve as a Club.

Top-most is the commitment of the Board of Directors to disseminating as much information about our activities as possible to the general membership in a timely fashion. Every year we vow to make this happen, and I think we are finally gaining ground. Publishing the Grids electronically on the website has helped to get them to the membership faster. Our Club Secretary Jan Weaver-Kaufman has been issuing the Board meeting minutes within days of the meetings and they too have been posted on the website. Our Club Treasurer Rich Vlastelica has provided account information on a regular basis as required in the by-laws.

Training is another issue the Board has vowed to improve. We have many newer members who need to "learn the ropes" as well as older members needing to refresh their skills. This Club is one of the largest and finest sources of corner-working knowledge to be found anywhere. We need to tap into that source and pass along that wealth. We would like to start this process by first assessing the training level of our membership. To this end several tests have been prepared to analyze the present capabilities of our workers. Within the next couple months these will be made available on the website with instructions. We encourage each and every member, new or well-seasoned to take the exam. This will help us to build a general profile of our Club's training level and tailor future training to these needs. Answers to these tests can be found in the USARM Worker Manual. Ask a Board member for a copy.

2010 was the best year yet for MotoGP racing at Mazda Raceway / Laguna Seca. USARM fielded the largest and best qualified group of marshals and officials ever. FIM gave us an Excellent rating for the second year in a row. Everyone looked polished and professional. The Club proved once again that we can do whatever is required of any job we take on and be the best at it. This is our biggest event during the year, and we are hoping to repeat our fine performance again this year with the same great group of people.

Last year the Board connected with three new clients. We are working hard to cultivate these relationships again this year. The Club cannot survive without its clients, and try as we might, we can't prevent some from leaving our business. New working partners are always needed. I would encourage all members to be on the lookout for new business and report all potential customers to the Director of your choice.

Having said all this that the Board needs to do for the membership highlights the need for the membership to participate in this process. We can't do it without you. We need your ideas and inputs, your desires and concerns. As an example, several Club members have made it known to the Board over the last year that they wished to listen in on the monthly meetings. These are held by conference call, and it is very simple to include extra people. To date only two people have availed themselves of this privilege, and they only did once. The Board welcomes your interest and your comments. Help us to help you. Make this an active Club. Join the discussions. Participate in the meetings.

I look forward to a very prosperous and exciting new year for USARM. Come join me in the fun!

Best regards,

Jim Short
2011 President

The MotoGP event applications are now available on the MotoGP page. Please remember that you must be a current member in order to to work the MotoGP event. Make sure you include your membership application/renewal with your MotoGP application along with your dues payment, as needed. You can also join or renew your membership at the USARM members website, it's quick, simple and secure. You can also pay for your membership online with PayPal by joining/renewing your membership online at our members website.

The November, December and January minutes for the Board of Directors Meetings were included in the Grid.

Download February 2011 Grid (PDF)

The USARM Board recently decided to go "Green" and thus a new era has begun for the USARM Grid. We do realize that there might be some that have internet access that still would like a printed version of the Grid. You will need Adobe Acrobat to be able to print the PDF files. You can download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free.

Download February 2011 Grid (PDF)

Ken Berri	Jan Kaufman (Weaver)	Mick Housel	Jim Short
Director	Secretary	Vice President	President
Chris Vlastelica	Ron Vlastelica	Rosebud Vlastelica
Director	Director	Treasurer