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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Mission San Xavier Ride Recap

GO AZ Motorcycles Scottsdale

Today was going to be a beautiful day for a ride through the desert to see the San Xavier Mission in Tucson. As I pushed out of the garage to start the day it was a brisk 40 degrees outside, so I cranked up the seat warmer and grip warmer to MAX in order to stay warm on the way to GO AZ in Scottsdale. Upon arrival I only noticed a few members and thought maybe others decided it was too cold to ride today, fortunately I was incorrect as many others arrived a short time later. We had John & his wife Lorraine from GO AZ joining us on the ride today as well assisting us with paperwork, which is always important..

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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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December Club Breakfast Recap

Matt’s Big Breakfast – Phoenix, AZ

I had all the intentions of riding to breakfast this morning, just before I was to leave I took the dogs to the back yard for a quick stretch, that was when I noticed the frost on the grass. I knew the streets were safe to ride. I just did not want to start looking for the additional layer and winter gloves needed to make the trek. So off I went on my 4 wheel beast.

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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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