Topic: 2014 CSRA Dragbike Association 5.60 index champion(Team Sam Green)

[dragracer]

Okay, so this was not done on an SOHC bike but.... it is a 2014 season championship win for Team Sam Green. I was able to pull off the 5.60 index points championship in the Central Savannah River Dragbike Association (CSRADA) for 2014. In our first race of the season, I was forced to leave before the first round of eliminations and only was credited with "show up" points. In the next two races, I made it to the final round but couldn't pull off the win and settled for the runner up spot. I was number one qualifier at 2 events which added points to my total. Get this, I was on 3 different bikes throughout the season but had good, consistent equipment under me in spite of it all.

I'm trying to get my F model ready for the last 2 races of the season; MIROCK final at Rockingham on the weekend of November 1st and the Man Cup finals the weekend of the 14th. The goal is to run in the street ET class. Hopefully all of the SOHC bikes that are planning to the Cup race will make some rounds and show the plastic bikes that you can still win with the old dinosaurs.

Go Team Sam Green!!! We've got to wrap this season up on a high note and make our leader proud. We owe him a win as a tribute!! 

[Jim F]

Good Job Frank and congrats
I will let your wife give you a kiss.........

Jim

[dragracer]

Thanks Jim, and I don't think my wife would take kindly to a man kissing on me. Friend or not, hahaha.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Great news Frank! See you in Valdosta.

[Bill/BentON Racing]

Congrats and way to go! Cool, Bill

[TurboD]

Congrats and good job. 

[Sam Green Racing]

Awesome news Frank and congratulations, you have done the team proud.
Although the Team is only a Team in name, I'm proud of what you have all achieved.
As you will already know, our team mates in Finland in the form of Juha Lieno and his Son Jesse both took the title of Champions of Finland in the Street ET and Junior classes respectively.
Your news today Frank is very nice coming on the back of the news from the UK.
Yesterday, Team mate Lewis Burgess sealed the Straightliners 10.10 Championship title with #1 Qualifier and elimination final win at Santa Pod raceway in his first year of serious competition.
As you all know, this was to be my last year in competition due to taking retirement at the age of 68. The year started good for us with me holding joint 13th place in the Manufacturers Cup Championship in April and following it up with the British Land Speed Record on the Saietta Electric Bike at Elvington in May and then it all went pear shaped.
After 49 years of competitive riding, who would have thought you could fall off riding in a straight line.
For whatever the reason, Samauto decided to spit me off with disastrous results to my well being.
Lots of broken bones and a blood clot on the brain ended my racing career.
And now for the real bad news and please guys let this be a lesson. Under no circumstances ever ride without full insurance.
I had always been covered by full racing insurance but after paying out for everything to do the event at VMP, I found I couldn't get cover that I could afford. I decided I had to take a chance this time and it all went wrong.
Although the donations that people made covered the cost of my family coming to see me safely home, I wasn't ready for the letter I received this afternoon.
A bill for the helicopter ambulance totaling $32,492. So I guess you can say we've had a good year but for me, a disasterous one.
Chin up guys, they saved my life and I am thankful to them, I just have to figure out now how I can pay them.     

[Old Scrambler]

I guess the med-staff on the helicopter adds to the cost   But its was well worth it to have you around for a few more decades. I'll be the first to propose another fund-raiser. I'm beginning to sell a few things from my garage so if someone will get the ball rolling.............

Also suggest someone may want to 'negotiate' for a discount.

[Old Scrambler]

More thoughts..................So TEAM SAM GREEN will have a presence at the track.............that means its an opportunity to 'pass the hat' or at least a big tin can with a slot in it and your face on it

Also............someone should take that HOOTER'S pic and get the girls to have a 'ALL TIPS TO SAM GREEN' fundraiser night.........maybe at all stores across the country. Anybody know some HOOTER'S management? 

[Sam Green Racing]

Thanks Dennis but I don't think that will be necessary, I'll have to wait till I hear from them, I've drafted a letter to them.
I'll have to wait for their reply but thanks for the offer. $32K would take some finding in change anyway.

Sam.  

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Sam,

That's the 'street price'. ie Full bogus retail. They bill excessively in hopes of collecting additional. This comes into play with AUTOMOBILE type policies where the insured may have a $100,000 liability coverage plus an additional $100,000 uninsured/underinsured coverage which is somewhat a standard figure. They want a BIG chunk of that! If you had MEDICAL insurance that had contractual agreements in place with them the insurance would disallow probably $25,000 of that and state that the patient is not responsible for the difference after their payment/determination. Some states like Colorado will allow you to make them run all medical claims through your MEDICAL vs automobile even though it was an automobile accident and they can ONLY get what the medical calculates as the contractually agreed upon price. Other states may allow it to go through automobile regardless since it was an auto/mc claim and there are NO contracts involved. Example - my bills totalled ~ $47,000 at a 'retail' price and after making them run it through my health insurance it was reduced to $17,000. IF you attempt to pay do NOT accept a $32,000 bill. Make them negotiate it down. Offer $5,000 or tell them to stuff it and come get you. They should realize the situation and be happy to take what they can get. This is the American way so do NOT go by whatever British standards you may be used to. It IS excessive by a LARGE amount and just not fair.

[dragracer]

Sam,

That's the 'street price'. ie Full bogus retail. They bill excessively in hopes of collecting additional. This comes into play with AUTOMOBILE type policies where the insured may have a $100,000 liability coverage plus an additional $100,000 uninsured/underinsured coverage which is somewhat a standard figure. They want a BIG chunk of that! If you had MEDICAL insurance that had contractual agreements in place with them the insurance would disallow probably $25,000 of that and state that the patient is not responsible for the difference after their payment/determination. Some states like Colorado will allow you to make them run all medical claims through your MEDICAL vs automobile even though it was an automobile accident and they can ONLY get what the medical calculates as the contractually agreed upon price. Other states may allow it to go through automobile regardless since it was an auto/mc claim and there are NO contracts involved. Example - my bills totalled ~ $47,000 at a 'retail' price and after making them run it through my health insurance it was reduced to $17,000. IF you attempt to pay do NOT accept a $32,000 bill. Make them negotiate it down. Offer $5,000 or tell them to stuff it and come get you. They should realize the situation and be happy to take what they can get. This is the American way so do NOT go by whatever British standards you may be used to. It IS excessive by a LARGE amount and just not fair.

Sam might be afraid of going to "debtor's" prison :-) . I doubt they'll be coming to the UK to extradite you for this Sam, although i can understand your concerns about paying that high bill. Good advice there Jerry. Hopefully they will work something out for Sam in the end to make it more affordable and with payment terms. 

[Sam Green Racing]

Thanks Jerry and Frank for the advise. What Jerry suggested is what I put in the letter but the amount I can afford seems so paltry compared to the amount they are asking. I can only hope they play ball and drop it to a reasonable amount.
After a great Sunday out watching my buddy Lewis with Jonathan, the letter came as a real shock this afternoon and this is the reason I'm posting at 4.30 in the morning. It was 1.45 when I went to bed and found I couldn't seep for thinking about it and there was me thinking my head was messed up... it sure is now.

Sam.

[Bill/BentON Racing]

Sam, it's as they said, they can negotiate it down or write it off! Two of Pat's stays were negotiated down to 5-10%! Looks overwhelming, don't let it be...they ain't coming for you. Try to relax, Captain.

[Sam Green Racing]

Thanks Bill, that's just what I need, I guess America is a whole different world, we just don't do things like that in the UK.
I can go back to bed now and perhaps get some sleep.
On a brighter note,

[bear]

Try not to sweat it to much Uncle Sammy.
I know no two situations are the same but hopefully my story may ease the stress a little.

After my accident the total ambo bill came to around $75000 in round figures.
While I did have Insurance, the company tried to shimmy out of the costs associated with the flight from Hobart Hospital to Melbourne.

Apparently the Tasmainian Ambo Service invoiced the retrieval team ( ie, two doctors,  two nurses) separate to the flight.
The invoice came in at $42000

They decided it wasn't part of the Ambo cost's, so they where not obliged to pay.

The first I knew about it was some shonky dept collection agency annoying the piss out of me.

I of course rang my insurance company and was told to go and jump.

I then rang the ambulance service and explained the situation.

They where great, no more problems from their end.

They took up the cudgel and it's turned into a legal stosh.

I asked Ambo's Taz if I would be up for the bill if the case when't the wrong way and the answer was a definet no.

So, long story short, don't sweat it to much Uncle Sammy l'm sure it will sort it'self out and remmember along with your family we're here for ya.

Cheers,
Brian

[Jim F]

Everything is negotiable Sam but the most important thing is you're still around
I got a call from the bank about some property that was next to my house
They told me what they would like to get and I threw A very low price and they excepted it
So when you get to that point throw a low-price At them and see what happens
Try not to lose any sleep over this
Jim

[Sam Green Racing]

Thanks guys, that's great news but the bill isn't the thing you want when your head is messed up as is.
Didn't sleep much last night and have only just got up, next job post office.

Sam.

[bwaller]

First, congratulations Frank. Well done man, it's not without much work and skill....and dollars.

Now your predicament bothers the hell out of me Sam, I think you've received some good advice from folks that know. This has hit close to home, albeit on a smaller scale, for my son. I wish you good luck negociating a settlement everyone can accept, tis a shame it has to come to that.

[Sam Green Racing]

Thanks Brent, my post was not to find sympathy for myself but to warn of the dangers of riding without insurance.
Strange as it is, when the letter came yesterday, also in the same post was the Auto Cycle Union magazine.
There was an article in the mag outlining the problems concerning their own insurance cover and why prices were going up.
The ACU wouldn't give me the cover that they do for International events because the Manufacturers Cup people were not an affiliated club/Organization and like all insurance companies, even if they did, the cost would be astronomical with the event being in the USA.
I was covered for all the other events I have done there by my own personal insurance through work because they weren't bothered how or why you ended up hurt but I have since retired.
The ACUs rider representative IAN KING (European Top Fuel Champion) searched endlessly for a decent price for me around the insurance companies with no luck, the cheapest he could find was almost as expensive as the return air fare of £600.
This was the reason for me taking a chance and riding without it.

Sam.    

[bwaller]

Sam, we all have taken chances. That you were so badly injured without coverage drives the point home. In my own case I decided to not race at Laconia this spring when I discovered the coverage I had purchased previous years wouldn't have covered me. 

I was in an email "back & forth" with a company VP who told me twice that this policy was what I needed. When I drew his attention to some paragraph in the fine print on page 12 which clearly stated "no competition coverage" or some such, and his reply was "oh well I guess I'm wrong on that one".    It infuriated me because I knew damn well had I been hurt this bloke wouldn't have manned up...so I didn't race and hated missing it.

My son & his girlfriend recently crashed in NY state (we're Canucks)and he's trying to deal with crazy bills for ambulances, hospital treatments etc. He fortunately has some coverage, she does not. They'll be fine, that's the main thing.

Sorry to highjack Frank but Sam is correct to keep this insurance point in plain view.

[dragracer]

This is a good place for Sam to post his dilemma. Not feeling hijacked, more like enlightened by this revelation. Its true the Man Cup series is not an officially sanctioned body so racing with them does carry certain risks such as the one Sam is experiencing insurance wise. We should all be aware of where we race and what  our personal liabilities may be before we throw a leg over our bikes to begin competition. Unfortunately here, we are being taught a lesson at a members expense.

Don't sweat this Sam, it will work out for you. They'd prefer to negotiate than to go through the process of collections.

[Sam Green Racing]

The letter to them is in the post anyway, I just braved the Hurricane hitting the UK at the moment and walked the few hundred yards to the Post Office, we don't have them like you do but there has been a lot of damage reported on the news.

Sam.