PDA

View Full Version : Letter to the membership



Jon
November 10th, 2010, 08:42 PM
As first a member with the MRA,Mountain Roadracing Association and then a longer term member with the MRA Motorcycle Roadracing Association, I wish to sincerely apologize for my negative input and any damage that any of you may feel that I have caused. I in essence, wish to bury the hatchet. I admit to displaying immaturity that is fairly and quite frankly is embarrassing to admit.
I have written Chris Dale, your director of timing and explained to him that it was he that during the first race of the year, accused me of cheating, he had admitted it and later called and apologized after the incident that he was only joking. I did not at the time tell him of an event later that same day, when I heard a new or "novice" racer point at me and say "that guys a cheater". I, at the time, felt as if what one hears as a new member stays with them and influences their opinion of the senior or experts in the club. After competing with the best of them on some of the best of bikes as well as some of the most antiquated, believe my reputation as a professional racer stands for itself.
Regardless and due to an ongoing battle with my x-wife who in July of 2009, received a DUI and child abuse charges when she picked our sons up at summer day camp have been in a very bitter and ongoing battle with her or should I say her and her attorney Ira "the asshole Greshler" on who's the more responsible and suitable parent.
I have had the boys full time since that time with her only having supervised visitation 13 hours a week and have continued to have to pay child support. I personally gladly and happily accept the responsibility and the diversity of being a parent and hope that I will be finally win full custody and parental responsibility/decision making when and ever we have our day in court.
I have been accused of you name it, but basically my character has been challenged, questioned, tested, looked at under a microscope by first a Certified Family Investigator, then a parental family investigator.
Regardless, I don't wish or intend for this to be an excuse but rather an explanation as to why I have displayed immaturity and insecurity.
I after recently getting out of the hospital for an emergency appendectomy and perforated ulcer repair have told myself that life's to short. I have never lost a bit of sleep of what I've done to anybody, never been dishonest, lied, cheated, stolen and shouldn't feel attacked if someone says this or that and have realized that life's too short. My reputation professional life's impeccable, as well as it is in my numerous hobbies and hope to reestablish within my home club. I have enjoyed racing for a very long time, all across this country and have enjoyed it too with the MRA for a very long time. As a matter a fact, even my boys have been enjoying the friendships and comradely they have made within the racing community with other racers kids.
In closing, I truly do wish you guys and gals understand that I have missed the many longtime friendships that I've made in the club, the numerous laughs and hardships that we, as a club, have had and overcome and hope that one day I can reestablish all of them and continue to make new ones. If anyone within the club wishes to come forward and explain anything or any event that they feel needs to be pointed out anything out of the many that items,bikes, trailers,generators, stands, warmers, and etc that I have sold, any issues or anything that I may not be aware of I hope you will share it with the membership. I have written Chris Dale and told him of my issues and shared with you the positive side as well as the negative side of an ugly ongoing and personal battle and it rages onward.
Thank you to all for your for hopefully understanding.
Jon Glaefke MRA #94
PS. My recent post about dreams was apparently taken incorrectly and someone took it to mean that I was again adding negative input. I really didn't see it that way and apolgize to that person for not admitting I have goat sex. But I readily admit that I wasn't the first. It was in fact Tony Bakers goat. :lol:

dave.gallant
November 10th, 2010, 09:37 PM
Welcome home Jon.

I look forward to seeing you on the grid next year.

rybo
November 10th, 2010, 10:12 PM
+1

dragos13
November 11th, 2010, 06:00 AM
Jon, it takes a lot to come onto a public forum and write up something like this. I have always enjoyed having you in the pits in the past, and also racing with you in Phoenix and Pahrump. I'm glad you understand that you are welcome to this club and we look forward to having you back :)

oldtimer
November 11th, 2010, 07:13 AM
Jon everyone goes through tough times that drag them down. I'm glad you're coming back to us, we've missed you.

froth
November 11th, 2010, 07:52 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVS3WNt7yRU

I remember the first time I met you, with a boot full of race fuel in La Junta. Any time you need a boot or glove :lol:

How is the abdomen healing? Emergency over, now get healthy and come play!!!

Hotrod
November 11th, 2010, 07:53 AM
Wow!

Jon, I really appreciate the intestinal fortitude it took to write that!
I have also been through a rough divorce and been a single parent for a long time. I know how hard that road is and what it can take out of you.

As a guy who worked corners for years before I came up with the cash to race, I have always known you as a guy with a huge and generous heart!


Can't wait to have you back! :D

Throttleroller277
November 11th, 2010, 08:47 AM
Welcome home Jon.

I look forward to seeing you on the grid next year.


Welcome back!

Scored51
November 11th, 2010, 10:09 AM
This should have posted up last night, but I lost my cable connection in the small hours.

Dear Jon,

As a junior member to you with only ten years of involvement with this club, I am truly happy to read your post here, your private message to me, and to hear your voice mail message. I will certainly advocate for you as I already have in this matter towards the board, the membership, and anyone else. However, I must state that my official position with the club is not as a board member, but as a hired hand. :oops: Regardless, I don't think you will need my help as there isn't anyone who doesn't wish to have back in the paddock and lining up on the grids. Myself included.

When I read your original post in early May bringing the situation to light, my immediate reaction was that I might be the culprit. As soon as I had finished reading the post I contacted a board member to find out how to get a hold of you to offer an apology. I explained to the board member how Jeff Winter and I had come to see you about measuring the Ducati engine in your Pierobon to see if it would fit into a TZ250 chassis. As we didn't know exactly where you were pitted, Jeff and I had to search around. Once we arrived within earshot over the ambient generator noise, it was highly probable I had made such a comment as "Hey, there's the cheater" in greeting. By no means would I have intended it to be anything other than a joke as you were being kind enough to let us to start poking around your rare and expensive machine with a tape measure. You've commented to me that it didn't bother you at the time, and I wouldn't have thought it to be inapppropriate as so many of us call each other cheaters so often sponsor stickers have been made to say, "Team Cheater". The board member and I were in agreement as to my probable guilt, so I ended up calling you to hopefully settle the issue. You and I ended up speaking for a good length of time, but there was never any affirmation that either I was the guilty party of the misunderstanding or was my apology enough to change your mind about quitting. I didn't know what else to do and the accusation was so vague someone else came forward after three days thinking the same thing I had. I was told a week later by a board member your accuser was yet someone other than the two of us. After that I thought it would be best to say nothing and let it pass.

Since the beginning of the season, I have been privy to a couple of informal conversations concerning the legality of your bike under the current rules for the classes you raced. The bottom line is simply that Super Twins GTU, RoR-GTU, and Middleweight endurance allow the displacement and configuration of the Pierobon and fall under a Grand Prix definition. Meaning the frame and engine combinations allowed are of unlimited origin. To this extent, the board has publicly stated their support for you during the season and would not be able to find any reason for disqualification based on the bike from those classes. I am sorry that you put this together with my proposal to create a middleweight twins class from the prior year. I've learned the proposal did design a better parity between the bikes, but was too timid as it did not go far enough create an additional class to the schedule. I'm actually in favor of running more bikes like yours, and pleased to learn the MRA will be getting a "Thunderbike" class for 2011 once the details are worked out.

I stated earlier that I have been with this club for ten years. In that time I have witnessed your generosity towards a number of racers. I was a direct benefactor when you sold off your TLR in 2008 as I got to ride it at Hastings. If I'm not mistaken the check you accepted for the sale of that bike didn't even cover what you spent to finish bulding it. But you shook hands on a price and wanted to deliver a racebike that worked. Even if I don't have any of the facts straight on that story, I was one helping the new owner load the bike and all the extras (engines, bodywork, fuel tank, wheels, etc). I realized it would still have been a bargain to buy it all at twice the price on the street. So it is sad to hear that others outside of our community are questioning your character when there are many who have benefitted from it. I hope the club can return to being a place where you can find the support you need to reach a better place in life. I know I've done this in years past whether I was racing or not, and whether those I turned to knew it or not.

It is obvious from your recent communication I overstepped a personal boundary with you back in May, and I will eagerly say that I am again really sorry. I have deleted my post that has been the touch paper for this thread and also sent a message asking the author of another post quoting me to do likewise. I hope this helps to clear the air. I am also sorry this has created such a distraction for everyone. I will be paying more attention to what little ears may be picking up at the track. I have to do it at home with the kids, so there's no reason I can't do it at the track... with the kids.

I hope we do really have you back, Jon. Peace.

Bartman
November 11th, 2010, 10:17 AM
Jon it will be good to have you back, I have known you when you were still riding a simple honda hawk. If you ever need someone to have a beer with and bitch about whatever I am game, I almost always have beer in the fridge so drop anytime.

T Baggins
November 11th, 2010, 01:17 PM
To John - my favorite red-headed stepchild...

You are welcome around here any time - always have been. Now take yourself out of "time out" and get your ass back on a bike in Colorado! :lol:

JWinter
November 11th, 2010, 06:33 PM
To the MRA and Jon, I have had problems with this issue ever since it started. I thought I was responsible for this misunderstanding and it has bothered me alot, but I couldn't get a straight answer from Jon if it was me that was the cause.

I like purpose built race bikes and I have a 250 GP chassis in search for a 4-stroke powerplant. The story that Chris Dale posted about the events at the track are true. I have raced with the MRA for seven years and I consider all who are involved with the MRA family. I have never confronted a member of the club with the intent to cause a fight or any other problem. I was simply joking with Jon about his "cheater" bike. God I wish I had a dollar for every time I was called a cheater for my 450 bike.

Jon I am glad that this is over. If you need anything...just ask.

Jeff Winter

Jim 'smooth' Brewer
November 11th, 2010, 09:06 PM
If anyone within the club wishes to come forward and explain anything or any event that they feel needs to be pointed out ... any issues or anything that I may not be aware of I hope you will share it with the membership.

Ok, I have a big issue with you finishing races in front of me. Please don't do it anymore, ok?

Thanks much.

Your buddy, Jim.

marty
November 12th, 2010, 01:18 AM
I wish I had a dollar for every time I was called a cheater for my 450 bike.


Jeff Winter



....cheater :twisted:

KFinn
November 12th, 2010, 04:56 PM
If anyone within the club wishes to come forward and explain anything or any event that they feel needs to be pointed out anything out of the many that items,bikes, trailers,generators, stands, warmers, and etc that I have sold, any issues or anything that I may not be aware of I hope you will share it with the membership.

Ya, that transponder you sold me doesn't read lower lap times like you promised me it did for you. :D

Just kidding!!! It was a fine purchase!

Jon
November 12th, 2010, 05:44 PM
Yo kevin,
I ended up getting another and it read faster times every time I went around the track. You my boy I assure will get there too but it's like the old saying how do you get to Carnegie Hall practice, practice, practice. Glad it's serving you well. Rememeber to charge it once a month and then allow it to discharge and it will last for a few years still.