Joined Jul 2006
11K Posts | 291+
Texas
this is a local CMRA Texas road racer who just got an AMA ride and was at Laguna to race...
J. Haners sponsor trouble
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in case none of you knew, Rockstar energy drink is his new sponsor. This is the trouble he had at Laguna Seca. Taken from the CMRA board.
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First and foremost I am posting this for the integrity of my sponsors and myself.
I was in compliance with ALL rules that were set by the AMA, S.C.A.M.P.(Laguna Seca), and Dorna.
I reserved a spot in the paddock with the knowledge that a parked vehicle in the paddock had to be a working team vehicle( meaning that you had to have a motorcycle and equipment next to the parked vehicle). On Thursday the 20th I and fellow ROCKSTAR employees parked the ROCKSTAR motorhome in the paddock, into the spot that I reserved (3 weeks prior, telling the name of the team to a Laguna employee when I reserved the spot). Flash forward 2 hours and 6-8 men from SCAMP(Laguna officials) came up to me at the ROCKSTAR motorhome Handing me a letter that was written moments before. They said I was in violation of the rules(which I read and I wasnt) and the motorhome had to be moved. I then showed them all the paperwork that I was given showing them that I was legit. The officials that approached me came and surrounded me like hey wanted to bully me out.(no b.s.) I told them I knew the rules and that is was a working vehicle and that my superbike and mechanic were at the KWS rig getting there stuff together to pit out of the ROCKSTAR rig. (Mind you it was Thursday 2 hrs after getting there, but I understood there complaint). Within 15 mins of the "lynchmob" coming over I had some equipment there while the KWS truck was still being unloaded.
Problem solved.
Later that afternoon I go to the grocery store to get my supplies for the weekend. In order to take a vehicle into the paddock that only has a #2 parking lot pass you had to get a delivery pass, go in and drop your stuff off, then come out of the paddock and return the pass in order to be taken off the delivery pass list. As we got to the gate and the guard said we could not go in.(I was driving a ROCKSTAR van that was provided to me as my
travel) The guard said that he was told by his boss that the ROCKSTAR van was not allowed on the premises. I then heard an official on the guards radio that said the same thing. ALRIGHT FINE. We will bring them in another way.
That evening I was asked by an AMA official if this was an F--- you to Red Bull. I told that person no and that we had been working on this deal for 10 months, and that I had been hurt and this was the 1st event that we were able to get things squared away. Then I was congratulated. Thank you I said.
At least there were people that were happy for me.
Flash forward Saturday after the Superbike. I get a knock on the door and a gentleman by the name of Joe, he asks if I was with ROCKSTAR. I said yes then he told me that our van was being towed away. I took off on the scooter to see what was up. I got to the wrecker driver and told him that was my vehicle and to put it down, He said no, so I pulled my scooter in front of him not letting him leave. I then got on my phone to get ahold of my guys from ROCKSTAR. I ask him why it was being towed and he told me that he had orders to tow it because it was not allowed on the premises and that it was parked to close to a RB display. (mind you it had the right parking pass and was parked in the spot directed). Are you kidding me? He tells me to go to the security office and he wont leave. I get to the security office and start asking questions. A guard for Laguna told me that the van wasn't allowed here because it was a promotional vehicle. I then explained to him that I thought we had figured this out on Thursday. He then got one of the heads of security to come talk to me. While we were waiting the 1st security guard we were talking to gets a call then tells me "the van was being towed because it was not allowed to be parked over night". ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
IT'S 6:30. The sun was still up. I then asked why the 200+ cars/trucks/vans directly behind me weren’t being towed. He said they would be and that more wreckers were on the way. (I told him he could go tell someone else that excuse). One of the directors of security got there and told me that we weren’t allowed to be there because it was a Red Bull sponsored event. I then replied that Yamaha was also a sponsor. Does that mean people riding Suzuki's cant race. SILENCE. How can I not have my sponsor there?
I then explained to them that we had already gone through this and things were settled on Thursday. Everything calmed down and finally they let us have the van. The security officers were even kind enough to let us drive the van in to get things out of the motorhome for that evening(yes we escorted in and out so the was no funny business).
Cool no more trouble.
Sunday afternoon one of the guys from ROCKSTAR is getting things ready for his departure when he comes down to the pits and tells us the van has been tagged with Red Bull stickers(big ones) and he peeled them off but the glue from the stickers had melted on the windshield and sides of the van. Now I don't care who you are....that’s just funny...
All in all it was a little bit of a headache but hey, we got people talking, and ROCKSTAR is totally pumped up. WOOHOO. So my advice is not to boycott Red Bull, they have done amazing things for our sport(and countless
others) and my fellow riders. Go buy a case, hell go buy two cases. Just get about 44 cases of Rockstar first!!
Thank you to all the people that have helped me get this far, You are not forgotten.
John Haner
#44
J. Haners sponsor trouble
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
in case none of you knew, Rockstar energy drink is his new sponsor. This is the trouble he had at Laguna Seca. Taken from the CMRA board.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First and foremost I am posting this for the integrity of my sponsors and myself.
I was in compliance with ALL rules that were set by the AMA, S.C.A.M.P.(Laguna Seca), and Dorna.
I reserved a spot in the paddock with the knowledge that a parked vehicle in the paddock had to be a working team vehicle( meaning that you had to have a motorcycle and equipment next to the parked vehicle). On Thursday the 20th I and fellow ROCKSTAR employees parked the ROCKSTAR motorhome in the paddock, into the spot that I reserved (3 weeks prior, telling the name of the team to a Laguna employee when I reserved the spot). Flash forward 2 hours and 6-8 men from SCAMP(Laguna officials) came up to me at the ROCKSTAR motorhome Handing me a letter that was written moments before. They said I was in violation of the rules(which I read and I wasnt) and the motorhome had to be moved. I then showed them all the paperwork that I was given showing them that I was legit. The officials that approached me came and surrounded me like hey wanted to bully me out.(no b.s.) I told them I knew the rules and that is was a working vehicle and that my superbike and mechanic were at the KWS rig getting there stuff together to pit out of the ROCKSTAR rig. (Mind you it was Thursday 2 hrs after getting there, but I understood there complaint). Within 15 mins of the "lynchmob" coming over I had some equipment there while the KWS truck was still being unloaded.
Problem solved.
Later that afternoon I go to the grocery store to get my supplies for the weekend. In order to take a vehicle into the paddock that only has a #2 parking lot pass you had to get a delivery pass, go in and drop your stuff off, then come out of the paddock and return the pass in order to be taken off the delivery pass list. As we got to the gate and the guard said we could not go in.(I was driving a ROCKSTAR van that was provided to me as my
travel) The guard said that he was told by his boss that the ROCKSTAR van was not allowed on the premises. I then heard an official on the guards radio that said the same thing. ALRIGHT FINE. We will bring them in another way.
That evening I was asked by an AMA official if this was an F--- you to Red Bull. I told that person no and that we had been working on this deal for 10 months, and that I had been hurt and this was the 1st event that we were able to get things squared away. Then I was congratulated. Thank you I said.
At least there were people that were happy for me.
Flash forward Saturday after the Superbike. I get a knock on the door and a gentleman by the name of Joe, he asks if I was with ROCKSTAR. I said yes then he told me that our van was being towed away. I took off on the scooter to see what was up. I got to the wrecker driver and told him that was my vehicle and to put it down, He said no, so I pulled my scooter in front of him not letting him leave. I then got on my phone to get ahold of my guys from ROCKSTAR. I ask him why it was being towed and he told me that he had orders to tow it because it was not allowed on the premises and that it was parked to close to a RB display. (mind you it had the right parking pass and was parked in the spot directed). Are you kidding me? He tells me to go to the security office and he wont leave. I get to the security office and start asking questions. A guard for Laguna told me that the van wasn't allowed here because it was a promotional vehicle. I then explained to him that I thought we had figured this out on Thursday. He then got one of the heads of security to come talk to me. While we were waiting the 1st security guard we were talking to gets a call then tells me "the van was being towed because it was not allowed to be parked over night". ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
IT'S 6:30. The sun was still up. I then asked why the 200+ cars/trucks/vans directly behind me weren’t being towed. He said they would be and that more wreckers were on the way. (I told him he could go tell someone else that excuse). One of the directors of security got there and told me that we weren’t allowed to be there because it was a Red Bull sponsored event. I then replied that Yamaha was also a sponsor. Does that mean people riding Suzuki's cant race. SILENCE. How can I not have my sponsor there?
I then explained to them that we had already gone through this and things were settled on Thursday. Everything calmed down and finally they let us have the van. The security officers were even kind enough to let us drive the van in to get things out of the motorhome for that evening(yes we escorted in and out so the was no funny business).
Cool no more trouble.
Sunday afternoon one of the guys from ROCKSTAR is getting things ready for his departure when he comes down to the pits and tells us the van has been tagged with Red Bull stickers(big ones) and he peeled them off but the glue from the stickers had melted on the windshield and sides of the van. Now I don't care who you are....that’s just funny...
All in all it was a little bit of a headache but hey, we got people talking, and ROCKSTAR is totally pumped up. WOOHOO. So my advice is not to boycott Red Bull, they have done amazing things for our sport(and countless
others) and my fellow riders. Go buy a case, hell go buy two cases. Just get about 44 cases of Rockstar first!!
Thank you to all the people that have helped me get this far, You are not forgotten.
John Haner
#44
