May Club Dinner & Meeting Recap

Joe’s Farm Grill, Gilbert, AZ

It was a bit on the warm side when I left for the 60 mile ride to Eastern Gilbert at one of my favorites, Joe’s Farm Grill! It was an investment because I kew later braving a little bit of heat would pay off in a really nice ride home! It was kissing 100 degrees in Buckeye by the time I fired up the Harley but was about 75 for the ride home at about 9:00 PM!

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April Club Dinner & Meeting Recap

Cuban Foods Bakery & Restaurant, Phoenix, AZ

I probably ate more pork last night than most people eat in a month! Over the years, I’ve picked Cuban Foods Bakery & Restaurant for our April dinner because of the close proximity to my birthday and I choose to quietly celebrate by gorging myself with delicious food from my family’s home country. This is the most authentic tasting Cuban restaurant that I’ve found in the Phoenix area that is still open. Havana Café in Scottsdale was a favorite until they shut down.

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The State of the Union, Jack (Part Deux)

In last month’s column, I went through the club’s history as best I remember it but this month, I’d like to review who we are today and the concept.

I personally am not a fan of very organized clubs. When asked why we ride a motorcycle, about 99% of us will mention the word freedom in our explanation somewhere. This is why there is no formal decorum in our breakfast or dinner meetings. If there’s something you’d like to bring up to one of the board members in attendance, just ask away and we’ll do our best to address it. Out on the road, as groups get bigger, for safety’s sake, there has to be a bit more decorum and following etiquette.

The club was founded as a Triumph Owner’s Club (Riders Association of Triumph) but over the years as Triumph owner participation dwindled, the concept had to change in order for the club to continue to exist. The club’s focus has changed over the years from what you ride to the ride itself. I personally love motorcycles of all brands and types and enjoy the variety that we have that participate in our events.

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January Club Dinner & Meeting Recap

George & Dragon Pub, Phoenix, AZ

We have a tradition of every January we hold our dinner at the George & Dragon Pub on Central Ave in Phoenix. In the club’s early days George & Dragon used to host our monthly meetings being that we were a Triumph Owner’s Club along with the convenience of being a short trip from our original dealer sponsor, Phoenix International Motorsports located on 7th St.

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8th Holiday Party & Awards Banquet Recap

Harold’s Corral, Cave Creek, AZ

Harold’s Cave Creek Corral was a new venue for our holiday party which we held in a private room near the bar closest to the entrance. The Fireplace Room as they called it, has a nice, southwestern, rustic vibe that I’ve come to appreciate since moving to Arizona.

We were set to get started at 7:00 PM, many of us started to filter in as the buffet style dinner was being set up. It was great to see and catch up with all of the awards recipients along with others that I hadn’t seen since our last ride in November.

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The State of the Union, Jack

The title of my column this month is taken from my yearly summary of the club back when we were a Triumph owners club. Now that I’m completing my 10th year of being president and the AZRATPack going into its 20th of existence, here’s a summary of where we’ve been, where we are, how we got here, where we’re going and some other tidbits.

I first heard of the AZRATPack in 2003 while on a bus transporting me and other Ducati dealer representatives from Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama to the local airport. I was sitting with a group at the front of the bus which included Peter Kramer of Phoenix International Motorsports whom I knew as one of my customers from my days at Fast By Ferracci. He was telling the group about the new initiative that Triumph had started similar to that of Harley Owner’s Group and that he had started a local R.A.T. (Riders Association of Triumph) Pack in Phoenix.

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Registration For All 2023 Rides Open, Possible Change To March Tour

Parts Unknown, AZ

We are happy to announce that registration for all 2023 rides is open.  Full details on all of the rides will be updated as soon as they become available so check AZRATPack.info often!

Also, Ride Chair, El Chino Loco is going to revisit the original concept for the 2-Day Tour set for March 25-26 that was originally set to go into California and ride around the Salton Sea.

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Board Member News

Carlos and Dean Accept New Rolls For 2023

The roll of the Board of Directors is to organize club activities, administrate, market, seek out and interface with sponsors. Our philosophy is to have a bunch of people doing a little so to not impact too much of our time while getting the necessary things done.

With that said, I’m happy to report that Carlos Goodwin will be taking over as Membership Services Director. Also, Dean Sarrocco will be taking on the role of Count Di Monet (Treasurer). Both are rolls I’ve been handling this past year and now will have more time to devote to other aspects of the club along with personal endeavors.

I sincerely thank both of them for taking on these responsibilities! Also, I would like to remind everyone that we do have two more seats open for the right people. Please let one of us know if you’re interested. We do ask that you are or become a member of the AMA.

Our current Board of Directors are: Victor Castaneda (President, Sargent of Arms), Rodney Chew (Risk Manager, Vice President), Dean Sarrocco (Treasurer), Carlos Goodwin (Membership Services Director) and Shain Bare (Member). The following is a list of positions on our board of directors:

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2022 GO AZ Motorcycles Ride Series Award Recipients Announced!

Parts Unknown, AZ

The results have been tabulated in less than a day! The 2022 GO AZ Motorcycles Ride Series Awards will be presented at our 8th Holiday Dinner & Awards Banquet on December 27th at Harold’s Cave Creek Corral.  It would be great if you could attend and receive your award in person along with some of our famously funny awards along with the Crowd Favorite Ugly Christmas Sweater Award!

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