the Hammer & Tongs office

quiet days.

Letter to Vintage Racers in the Pacific NW
January 1st 2012

I have to say that canceling the 2012 Season is not exactly what I expected to be doing on the morning of the first day of the year.

A few days ago I was informed that for the last six months key members of the H&T family have privately been putting together a new club - I was not made aware of this - and so my apologies to everyone : the tentative nature of the dates at Riverdale now makes sense poor Dan Dale was being pulled in various directions - and like a fool I just had no idea.

I gather that PNW Vintage & Evo Racing will be bigger and better than Hammer & Tongs - more family oriented - and that there is a website & everything all ready to go, which is excellent. The last few days have been a blur for me - replaying conversations with all the colleagues & good friends that I have known, trusted and shared even the most difficult personal experiences with.

So here is the deal. If the scene has to compete against itself, it will be an absurd mess. I am prepared to get out of the way in the name of progress and unity - we are one family- as I have been saying for the last ten years. No bad blood, no reason for it.

And so the 2012 Hammer & Tongs Racing Season is canceled.

I have encouraged the new club to use the dates I have set out so riders won't have to change their plans based on H&T datesand here I encourage all H&T Riders and racers to help this new outfit. Of course this includes the Tieton Highlanders over in the Yakima area and Ryan Leach who may be putting together a Vintage Race Series at Albany and Woodland's revived Winter Season and Ahrma of course, not only the Northwest , but all across the country.

know that all you guys are going to have work your butts off to make this all happen.

every little effort, every little moment, helps those doing the heavy lifting every single kind word matters

I am very proud of Hammer & Tongs. Nine years.

the Classes, the rules, the easygoing approach - all this keeping the CHEAP EASY & FUN goal in focus

the key to it all is a website that highlights riders - especially those riders who are new, or slow, and not mx stars

we are ALL stars, and I went out of my way to make riders feel important
and have something that they could say SEE? there I am ~! to their friends.