Dec 2014

Note from the President

The season has ended with an excellent event at the Meriden Boneyard. Once again, we were blessed with great weather just as we were with all the other events and everyone seemed to have a great time! The NETA board extends it thanks to MMC for hosting this event and is hopeful for two more events in 2015.

The fun didn’t end at Meriden. After awards, a number of folks headed over to On Track Karting to test their driving skills against their peers in high

President- Charles Gray Gray@newenglandtrials.com Vice President/Scorekeeper Sam Singer getplaster@aol.com Secretary/Membership Chair Jason Thibodeau thibodeau@newenglandtrials.com Treasurer- Roger Durno Durno@newenglandtrials.com Newsletter- Trebor Heminway Heminway@newenglandtrials.com NETA Website Trebor Heminway / Jason Thibodeau www.newenglandtrials.com

performance go karts. A great time was had by all thanks to the efforts of Kerry Coon who coordinated this end of season event. With the season now behind us, it’s time to look forward to our 42nd Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet which is scheduled for Saturday, Jan 17th 2015 at the Holiday Inn in New London, CT. A meal reservation form, along with information on discount hotel reservations, is provided in this newsletter as well as the NETA website and Facebook page. Please submit your reservations by Jan 5th! Those wishing to forgo the meeting can take advantage of the nearby attractions and join us after the meeting which ends at 5:00pm. A full course meal will be provided by the Holiday Inn’s La Luna restaurant, with the main entree being Chicken Francese (Fran-chey-ze), one of their flagship dishes. The entire venue will take place in a spacious, beautifully remodeled banquet room on the first floor offering easy access and ample space for members, families and dealers. I expect you will all enjoy this new venue even more so than last year’s. There will be a multimedia slide show that will include photos of riders, workers, spectators and clinic participants during the 2014 season. If you can’t make it for dinner, I would encourage you to arrive around 6:30 pm to catch the slide show. By the way, there is still time to add more photos if you have any. If so, please email them to me at your earliest convenience. Looking back, I’m pleased to say that we had another safe and successful year with everyone enjoying themselves. The shift of the intermediate class to the expert sections really paid off this year with the higher rider turnouts. NETA membership increased to 150 strong this year and I expect we’re going see additional growth in 2015. Much of this growth seems to be attributed to the work of our dealers and the various marketing initiatives that went into play this year. The most notable were the trials cross training clinics and trials demonstrations. We held 7 clinics with a total of 56 participants, many of which were from the enduro and hair scramble community. Several participants have bought bikes, joined NETA, and started riding NETA events. Two will even be receiving a year-end award at the banquet. Congratulations! We expect many others will be getting bikes and joining NETA next season based on a recent survey. That said, if you’re planning to get a new bike, this would be a great time to list your bike for sale under the “Used Bike Links” on the NETA website.

Trials Clinic at last Meriden event - 13 participants This year, as in the past, we will entertain ideas on how we might further improve NETA. The NETA board has a few ideas to share, but we would appreciate hearing any proposals you may have to offer. Please email your proposal to me at Gray@newenglandtrials.com if you’d like it to be presented for consideration at the annual meeting. Let me know if you wish to discuss in advance or would like assistance with composing your proposal. I’ll be glad to assist you anyway I can. Looking ahead for 2015 and beyond I would like to see NETA continue with its aggressive revitalization campaign because I feel there is still more to be done to boost membership. I received a lot of support from our membership and dealers this past season. Your help was greatly appreciated and instrumental to the successfulness of the various initiatives implemented this past year and I look forward to similar support in 2015. Together we shall decide how best to move forward and focus our efforts. To this end, I am considering conducting a survey amongst our entire membership to get more insight into our strengths and weaknesses. I believe this will help drive and support any decisions made at our annual meeting. This season, we had a fairly even distribution of 9 events with only one work requirement. This worked out very well and it would be great if we could do the same in 2015. Even with 10 events there will only be one

work requirement. I encourage NETA members, especially new members, to reach out to your local club to see how you can help out with putting on an event. Just a few extra hands is a huge help and can be the deciding factor on whether or not a club hosts an event. Riding clubs are generally very receptive to bringing on new members that are willing to help out. For those that haven’t heard, the Rhode Island Trials Club (RITC) will be hosting a World Round trials event on July 25th & 26th of 2015. A full write up is included in this newsletter along with a link to the website. This is a must see, so be sure to mark your calendar and tell all of your friends! I look forward to seeing all of you at the Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet on Saturday, Jan 17th. I encourage everyone to come regardless of whether or not you’re receiving an award. Everyone has a good chance of winning one of the many prizes being raffled off. Additionally, the banquet is a great opportunity to meet fellow riders, see some of the newest bikes and accessories and, most importantly, play a role in defining how NETA will operate in 2015. We had a great season this year and the NETA board is committed to an even better season for 2015. Please let me know if you have any questions and if there is anything NETA can do to improve your trials experience! Kind Regards, Charles Gray

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41st NETA ANNUAL MEETING AND AWARDS BANQUET The 42nd New England Trials Association Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet will be held on Saturday, January 17th 2015. The event location is the Holiday Inn / La Luna Restaurant, 34 Governor Winthrop Blvd., New London, CT 06320. (Exit 84S off I-95S & Exit 83 off I-95N). Discount lodging available. Please see details on 2nd page. Dealers who want to display bikes or accessories are welcome and encouraged to do so. Anyone interested in having space should contact Charles Gray via email: cegray51@yahoo.com 1:00pm to 5:00pm - Annual Meeting (will end earlier if possible) 5:00pm to 6:00pm - Social Hour w/Appetizers (i.e. gourmet cheeses, crackers, bruschetta and fruit - grapes, strawberries, etc.) 6:00pm to ~ 6:45pm - Buffet Dinner consisting of Chicken Francese (main entrée - light egg battered chicken with lemon butter sauce), Ziti w/marinara sauce, house salad, bread & butter, chef’s choice of potato & vegetable, coffee, tea and soda with “unlimited” refills. Dessert will be White Chocolate Mousse. NOTE: Please indicate any dietary restrictions with your payment so accommodations can be made. ~ 6:45pm to 7:30 Multimedia Slide Show featuring photos of riders, family members, clinic participants and workers over the 2014 season. Everyone is encouraged to see this show which will begin at the tail end of dinner so please plan accordingly. 7:30pm & on - Awards & Raffles IMPORTANT: Reservations for the meal will be required. If you’d like a meal the cost will be $26.00 per person. Children 10 and under will be $13.00 each. Please complete the section below and mail with your payment by January 3rd, 2015 to allow time to get an accurate meal count to the restaurant. Please call Charles Gray (860-455-3643) for any questions or concerns. I look forward to seeing you there!

- NETA MEETING AND AWARDS BANQUET - PLEASE RSVP NO LATER THAN JANUARY 3rd

, 2015 Name _______________________________________ Names of guests _______________________________________ Number of adults _____________ @ $26.00 each Number of children 10 years and under ___________ @ $13.00 each Total amount enclosed $___________ Make checks payable to: NETA Mail to: Roger Durno, 4 Bonnie Brae Dr., Newtown, CT 06470

LODGING RESERVATIONS  NETA Discount Lodging reservations are available at the Holiday Inn (venue location)  Cost: $109 + tax/night – Rooms avail with 2 doubles or 1 King bed.  (Regularly $145+tax). There is also a large indoor pool and fitness center and breakfast is available from 7am to 10:30am.  Important: Reservations must be made through the hotel front desk which can be reached at 860‐443‐7000. Please let them know that you’re with NETA.  

Nearby Attractions  Old Mystic Village Shops (60 shops) Cost: Free  Located: 27 Coogan Boulevard, Olde Mistick Village, Mystic, CT 06355 Phone:  860.572.5955  Hours:  Sat 10:00am – 6:00pm/Sun 11 am ‐ 5pm Distance:  9miles (12min)  Down Town Historic Mystic – Shops & Sights Cost: Free  Located:  West Main St, Mystic Phone:  n/a  Hours:  varies by store Distance: 9miles (12min)  Mystic Aquarium  Cost: See website  ‐> www. mysticaquarim.org Phone:  860.572.5955 (Severe weather, please call for updates) Hours:  10:00am to 4:00pm (Once inside, guests may visit one additional hour after close) Distance: 10miles (14min)  Submarine Force Library & Museum  Cost:  Free admission Located: 1 Crystal Lake Rd, Groton, CT 06340 Phone: 860.448.0893  Hours:  Sat & Sun 9:00am to 4:00pm Distance: 5miles (9min)   Foxwoods Museum  Cost:   

Adults (age 19-54) - $20 Seniors (55 & older) - $15 College Students - $15 Children (6-18) - $12 Children under 6 - Free 

Located: 110 Pequot Trail, Mashantucket, CT 06338‐3180 Phone:  800.411.9671  Hours:  Sat, 9 am-5 pm/Sun ‐ Closed Distance: 15miles (15mins) 

On July 25th and 26th of 2015 the Rhode Island Trials Club will be host to one of the most prestigious motorcycle competitions in the world, the 2015 FIM Trial World Championship - Grand Prix USA - in beautiful West Greenwich, RI. It has been over 15 years since this competition has been hosted by RITC, and on the last week of July, they will once again welcome the best trials riders from all over the globe. This event marks the 40th Anniversary of the Grand Prix USA via our "Wagner Cup" here in Rhode Island back in 1975! We are really excited on taking on this endeavor and we really want to make it an over the top event. Our website and ticket sales are up and running and we are aggressively seeking sponsorships to help fund this international event. We have many levels of sponsorship and we would appreciate any assistance or even leads for potential sponsors. We expect 3000-5000 spectators, most who will be motorcycle enthusiasts. This is a huge opportunity for sponsors to get a lot of exposure to the New England motorcycle community. For more sponsorship info, please checkout the website – link below.

We will be looking for checkers and volunteers, so please feel free to contact us if you wish to help. We expect to have a lot going on in our paddock that weekend including demos, stadium section and a band on Saturday night plus stay tuned for a few more surprises! There will be dry camping available at the ranch and the sites are first come first serve, so reserve your camping online as soon as possible. Visit our website for more information and check in for updates. www.wtc2015usa.com The best in the world, here in Rhode Island in 2015....it's going to be a blast! Dave Allen -organizer 508-285-6074 Trialsriders@hotmail.com

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Congratulations to all our 2014 NETA competitors! 2014 Award Winners

For complete 2014 results – please go to the

NETA website Events Page for the 2014 official year end results

Advertisements in the NETA observer are only $40 for a full page or $25 for a ½ page Ad – for the entire season!

Visit the JACKSCYCLES shop Sales and Service for: BETA, GASGAS SHERCO, SCORPA, and OSET We accept trade-in’s or assist you with private sales via our free classifieds, low cost shipping, and bike crating services for all brands. Contact: Stu Preston Address: 72 Mountain Rd. Phone: 207-337-1274 South Berwick, Me. 03908 Email:Stu@JacksCycles.com

For more info, Check our website: www.JACKSCYCLES.com

We are currently waiting for the new 2015 bikes to arrive and should have several of the most popular 2015 models from Beta and GasGas on display at the NETA annual meeting. New for 2015 is the exciting Contact 250 from GasGas, and will provide unprecedented Trials/Trail versatility to their lineup at an affordable price. Call for info!

New England Cycle Works and Power Products carries a full line of street bikes, dirt bikes, ATV’s as well as a large assortm ent of power equipment.

At NECW you will find many of the necessities for t rials and we offer a 10% discount to all AMA members. We have roots that go back to the early days of trials and are eager to support trials anyway we c an including sponsoring of one of New England’s top trials riders and hosting on-s ite trials demonstrations.

Give us a call or come by and check us out!

NEW D

Some of our more popular trials accessories Dunlop D803 trials tires (Front & rear) Heavy duty inner tubes Tire irons & spark plug wrenches Renthal Trials grips (open & closed end) Grip pad and adhesive Tie downs and bike stands 520 Chains and master links (Regina & DID) 2 & 4 stroke muffler packing Water proof grease Chain lubricants and bike care products No-Toil Air filter oil & cleaner Spark plugs Fork oil and motor oil Dot 4 brake fluid Hydraulic clutch mineral oil Elbow pads, knee pads, Socks, & gloves

New England Trials Demonstration

Please ask about “New 2015 Montesa Replica” and our race program that helps pay for parts and expenses.