new STT owner?

[c7fx]

Pulled from the WERA board

We were at Barber with STT over the weekend and the announcement was made during the riders meeting both Saturday and Sunday.

Congrats to one of the best people I know, Richard Harris! I have ridden with and known Richard for several years and he is as good as they come in my opinion. I am sure the STT Staff and Riders will be just as happy to see Richard as the new owner of STT as all of us over here at STG are!

We look forward to the future for sure.

Brian Van

[natedogg624]

i was juuuuust about to post this.

[APCh8r]

from the stt forum from monte himself

http://www.sttforum.com/sttforum/viewtopic.php?t=8688&highlight=

This news was leaked prematurely but we are certainly glad to be able to post this now that the hand has been played for us!

Soooooooooo here goes....We have some very exciting news to share with you concerning the future of Sportbike Track Time. We know there have been rumors circulating about the ownership of Sportbike Track Time but have refrained from comment until we deemed it appropriate.

We are excited and very proud to welcome Richard Harris aboard as a new and major shareholder of Sportbike Track Time. Many of you know Richard from his ten plus years of racing with WERA, GLRRA and working as a Track Coach with STT. Richard and his wife Julie are fantastic individuals and we have been fortunate to call them friends for many, many years.

Richard brings with him a great deal of positive experience as well as many new and fresh ideas for improving STT while simultaneously retaining all the same family feeling and great at-track experience which, along with the best staff in the business, has been the foundational ingredient to the success of STT. Furthermore he has assembled a group of individuals who are committed to making STT even more user-friendly and will maximize technology to help streamline much of the membership and registration process as the company grows.

Richard will be responsible for much of the day to day decision making and management of the company. We will be assisting Richard with many duties and be involved in strategic planning, staffing as well as other various tasks well into the future including but not limited to scheduling and attending events in every region in 2011. We look forward to spending some time at the track with you all.

Thank you all for you past and continuing commitment to Sportbike Track Time. We ask you to please join us in welcoming Richard into his new position and offering him your support and ongoing commitment to excellence as he helps STT into its second decade of “Getting on the Right Track”.

If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact any of us directly.

Richard, Monte and Bonnie

[rusty]

i hope they do better job then last weekend at barber.one of the instructors hit me inside the turn 13 almost take me out.he went wide and cut back to inside line.hes stupid excuse was its his first session in A that day and he got new leathers and he struggle.we got every session all 3 levels least one red flag.lots of riders they should not be in A level.i am going back next 2 weeks with nesba hope its goin to be lot better.

[Moto-Brian]

Richard is a personal friend and probably one of the most honest and stand up guys I have ever known. Not sure what the future holds, but I can say that he is a great guy with some VERY great ideas and is a business man. All those things combined along with his racing background, sponsoring higher end riders background and overall industry knowledge and he'll do rather well...

Oh, and he can weld and machine stuff like nobody's business!

[redkow97]

Monte's post was still pretty vague. He calls Richard a "major shareholder," but doesn't say "majority" share holder. I think there's also the strong implication that Monte and Bonnie are retaining at least some ownership interest. (for now?)

I've yet to hear a bad word about Richard Harris; even after seeing his name sprinkled all over the WERA board! In that crowd, I would have expected someone to hate the guy I'm encouraged.

but I have to think that there will be few, if any, meaningful changes at STT as far as the customers are concerned.

From a business perspective, I am going to assume that Richard purchased interest in STT because it's profitable - so I doubt he's going to mess with a successful business model. That's too bad. I think there's always room for improvement.

[Moto-Brian]

Monte's post was still pretty vague. He calls Richard a "major shareholder," but doesn't say "majority" share holder. I think there's also the strong implication that Monte and Bonnie are retaining at least some ownership interest. (for now?)

I've yet to hear a bad word about Richard Harris; even after seeing his name sprinkled all over the WERA board! In that crowd, I would have expected someone to hate the guy I'm encouraged.

but I have to think that there will be few, if any, meaningful changes at STT as far as the customers are concerned.

From a business perspective, I am going to assume that Richard purchased interest in STT because it's profitable - so I doubt he's going to mess with a successful business model. That's too bad. I think there's always room for improvement.

Monte and Bonnie will still on board to a degree. That's between them and Richard as to capacity I imagine.

As for changes, there are always things that need changed. Richard has a fresh outlook and some great ideas in mind. He's going to do what he feels is best for the company and follows what he feels is the best course of action when it comes to such things...

[TSB67]

So when does Bluegrass open? Any Midohio dates?

[STT-Guy]

Monte's post was still pretty vague. He calls Richard a "major shareholder," but doesn't say "majority" share holder. I think there's also the strong implication that Monte and Bonnie are retaining at least some ownership interest. (for now?)

I've yet to hear a bad word about Richard Harris; even after seeing his name sprinkled all over the WERA board! In that crowd, I would have expected someone to hate the guy I'm encouraged.

but I have to think that there will be few, if any, meaningful changes at STT as far as the customers are concerned.

From a business perspective, I am going to assume that Richard purchased interest in STT because it's profitable - so I doubt he's going to mess with a successful business model. That's too bad. I think there's always room for improvement.

Richard is a fantastic guy in many capacities. I look forward to working with and for him well nto the future.

Have no doubt that Richard has some fantastic fresh ideas for STT. I started the whole track day thing over twelve years ago, maybe it was thirteen, I can't recall, but STT in it's current form is in it's tenth full year and Richard has been riding and coaching with us that entire time. He knows STT nearly as well as Bonnie and me. The time is right for someone like Richard to take over the helm.

Our baby called STT has grown up and sometimes one must come to the realization, however hard that might be, that there are people out there who can do a better job of taking the STT to the next level and bringing positive change (while keeping all of the great attributes) to the org which makes it a better experience for our members.

It's been one helluva ride with lots of ups and downs as well but the positives so far outweigh the negatives that its crazy. Bonnie and I have had the honor and privilege of getting to know so many great people, not just on the track but off the track as well and those friendships will last a lifetime.

I have a hunch that the next ten years of STT are going to be every bit as dynamic as the first ten and that STT members will benefit greatly.

[redkow97]

Hey Monte - long time no see!

I have no doubt that Richard is going to do a great job, as you and Bonnie have for as long as I've ridden with STT - I just feel that there are sometimes conflicts between what's best for the customers and what's best for the business.

the simple example is having a full event. Financially, you want every group to be full. That's good for business. I totally understand that. But from a rider's perspective, having 10 empty spots in each group gives us a lot more for our money, and ultimately allows the riders to have more fun, and (i would argue) learn more.

It's an inevitable give-and-take, and I know STT has always, and will continue to pursue the best balance possible. But that's always been the goal; thus why I said I don't expect many significant changes. It wasn't meant to be a criticism.

[jarvismb]

Let me just say that I find it impressive that a company with such a large coverage area, such as STT, has had such a good presence on local sites, such as this one. That response clearly took some time out of a workday (to find the thread, read up on it, and respond) and was very informative and honest. And I think the big seller is that the amount of time it took post, no matter short or long, really shows how dedicated organizations like these are to being in touch with their clientele, and I think that speaks volumes these days when people are really thinking about how to spend their money while other businesses still don't seem to grasp proper customer service.

The only thing I'd love to see is this kind of thing continue, but after seeing how Monte and crew have run this ship (for the past two years that I've known about them), I have no doubt that they wouldn't have gone with anyone who wouldn't care for the name of their business any less than they would themselves.

Congrats to the new captain, and I'll be seeing STT again, bright and early next season.

[redkow97]

^ 95% of STT's events are on weekends between April and September - if anything, I'm betting Monte's pretty bored on a Wednesday in October

But truly, it is cool to chat it up with the big man on occasion. I will miss Monte's jokes and stories in the pits. Either that, or I'll hear more of them, because he might actually RIDE a little more often!

[natedogg624]

i vote for yamaha appreciation days

[STT-Guy]

Hey Monte - long time no see!

I have no doubt that Richard is going to do a great job, as you and Bonnie have for as long as I've ridden with STT - I just feel that there are sometimes conflicts between what's best for the customers and what's best for the business.

the simple example is having a full event. Financially, you want every group to be full. That's good for business. I totally understand that. But from a rider's perspective, having 10 empty spots in each group gives us a lot more for our money, and ultimately allows the riders to have more fun, and (i would argue) learn more.

It's an inevitable give-and-take, and I know STT has always, and will continue to pursue the best balance possible. But that's always been the goal; thus why I said I don't expect many significant changes. It wasn't meant to be a criticism.

Totally understand and thanks for the comments and for riding with STT.