Just for everyone's knowledge, there were some major issues with Michelin tires (and Bridgestone) at VIR this past weekend.
The Michelin rep did not arrive on Friday with the Dunlop or Pirelli vendors. While this isn't a major problem, it is frustrating when your vendor is the only one who doesn't come for the practice day. He was there on Saturday morning however, and was mounting tires. I always run my scrubs from the prior weekend during practice, so I don't need new tires mounted until after lunch on Saturday. However, because I have a second set of wheels that I use, I went to the Michelin rep at about 8:30 Saturday morning to get new tires mounted so that I would be ready for racing after lunch. It was at this time that he informed me that he had no more Michelin tires.
My plan was to run 3 sets of tires over the course of the weekend because I was also competing in the Team Challenge. My plan was greatly altered when I did not have tires available to me. As is the case for most of you, I come to the track expecting tire support from the vendor who serves that track. After speaking with several representatives in the Michelin network, including some in the direct chain of command for this weekend's vendor, and some outside that command, it was recommended to me that I should order tires ahead of time. I don't call that support. I neither have the money, nor do I feel like I should have to front the money, just to make sure I have tires. The decision to run the TC was also made just before the race weekend, so it isn't a guarantee that I could have had the tires reserved quickly enough regardless. Offering tire support for a major brand means showing up to the track on time and having enough tires for the weekend.
I do not feel the need to lay out names in this, though I'm sure some of you already know. I'm simply putting this information out there as an FYI. I have been happy with Michelin tires, and have been happy with some of the people in the Michelin tire network. I am in the process of attempting to fix this situation, and possibly work on a solution to keep this from ever happening again. If anyone would like information about people in the Michelin network that provide good support, feel free to PM me and I will be more than happy to let you know.
So switch brands. Dunlop and Pirelli's tires seem to work better any way.
I run Bridgestone and was forced to run only one set for the weekend, as the vendor at the track had little to no tires on hand. VIR is always has a large turnout and should be regarded as a great oppurnity to provide service to the guys running your product.
Not to start a flame on the list, but I would like to say that I was kinda put off by a statement the Michelin/Bridgestone vendor made to me, quote: "I raced at a pro level and do not have to serve a bunch of guys chasing a plastic cup!" :wtf:
Sorry... But I have spent a lot of money with these guys this year and I felt like I got kicked in the teeth.....!!
For the record, none of this should reflect the excellent service I get from Stickboy. Both in sales and technical information. He is a standup guy.
From what i heard from Leon at Pirelli.....who by the way showed up with 250 tires and drove all the way to western NC to pick up 80 more tires saturday night.....was that the michelin man went to summit and sold very few tires.....then showed up at VIR and sold out his tires on the first day. Kind of damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Quote from: Headdog122 on September 25, 2007, 08:17:53 PM
Not to start a flame on the list, but I would like to say that I was kinda put off by a statement the Michelin/Bridgestone vendor made to me, quote: "I raced at a pro level and do not have to serve a bunch of guys chasing a plastic cup!" :wtf:
What a dick! Obviously he didn't do too well. :)
I think a lot of people could say they raced at the pro level if they went for their AMA license so probably was just claiming more than he was.
That bites. I know I try to keep two weekedns worth of tires in my trailer at all times just in case the weekend turns out better than I expected.
Sorry ya'll had to deal with the shortages. I was off at Barber so I couldn't have helped much.
Leon is a good guy. He's helped me out in the past. I still think it's funny he comes from Fla to VIR. That's a long haul for him.
Which one of you spit on him.?? That is also a little uncalled for.
The guy hooked me up and helped me out all season, he's not mr.bib and couldn't make the tires there. I talked to him and he said he grabbed everything that was avalible to him, they were stocking up for Daytona.
I thought it sucked but that's the way it goes.
No one actually "spat / spit" on him. He was just crying to the CCS officials when several folks reacted to the lack of tires. The CCS oficials did a good job explaining that no one deserves to be talked down to, but I feel like they only got one side of the story. CCS handled things just fine.
I understand that no one can predict how many tires are gonna be sold on any given weekend. However, it would be nice for the vendor of said product(s) to take the time and post a message on this and other boards. As racers, we all may not see the message but I am confident the word would spread quickly among friends via email/phone. Then we can come into the weekend having planned accordingly.
I'm gonna excuse myself so I can help my "poser" buddy prepare his bike to chase a "plastic cup" at Daytona!! :whine:
Jamie...
P.S. Where do I fill out the paper work to become a vendor..??
I became a Michelin fan last year, swapping from Pirelli. The tires are awesome IMO... but I'll gladly swap back to Pirelli simply because of the support by Moose and Leon. Both are great guys who provide excellent support. I have had nothing but issues when trying to get ahold of Michelin tires. I don't think there's any room for excuses...i.e. there are 2, 3, 4 or more race events going on throughout the east coast... who cares... Dunlop showed up with a truckful...Pirelli showed up with a truckful... And I'm sure they're still at all the other races too...
Prepping for Daytona is the lamest... a month away?
Quote from: brotekind269 on September 26, 2007, 08:27:28 AM
Which one of you spit on him.?? That is also a little uncalled for.
The guy hooked me up and helped me out all season, he's not mr.bib and couldn't make the tires there. I talked to him and he said he grabbed everything that was avalible to him, they were stocking up for Daytona.
I thought it sucked but that's the way it goes.
I agree that it was completely uncalled for that someone spit on him. I would never do that to anyone, and I'm not sure I'd be able to control myself if someone did it to me. However, we can't excuse the original problem just because someone didn't handle themself properly. There are specific issues in the distribution line, and this is not a Michelin problem. "Michelin" was not stocking tires for Daytona. It is also not the fault of the specific individual that was at the track mounting tires. It is, however, an issue among those just above him. I've had nothing but GREAT support from some of the Michelin vendors. And next year I'll make sure I get all my tires from those individuals.
Quote from: steelcityracer on September 25, 2007, 08:07:54 PM
So switch brands. Dunlop and Pirelli's tires seem to work better any way.
I ran Pirelli all weekend, and did not like them as much as the Michelins. Personal opinion, but I couldn't get used to the feel that they offered. I was at least 1/2 second off my normal pace and was sliding the rear in about 4 different places on the track. It is your opinion that Dunlop or Pirelli work better. The bigger issue is that I should not be forced to choose a different tire b/c the vendor for my brand doesn't do his job.
If Michelin and Bridgestone won't have tires or enough "projected tires" for a weekend, it should be in their interest to advise at least the "Team" supported riders and the racing organization of their situation. I had to call my vendor to ask for supply, as he didn't get into specifics about not having enough there but kind of hinted that supply would be low.
It's unfortunate that major brands don't supply the vendors with as much as we may want to have at the track, but unfortunately there is a larger picture here. Brands commit to supply in their major markets, and motorcycle roadracing is not at the top of the list. This realization doesn't excude their attitude towards the needs of the riders in the series, but imagine if they leveled with everyone and said that their supplies were as off as they were? People would have to order far in advance and run the risk of never using them OR they would jump ship onto another brand. Imagine if trackside support of the future only included tire mounting and balancing, because everybody ordered their stuff online? Is that the direction some brands are headed?
I think that some of the people you talked to Joel should be held accountable for their comments. Degrading us as lowly "plasctic cup chasers", that guy can pack sand. We have the right to choose to spend our money (and for some it's a LOT of money) anywhere we want. Why should we support a brand if judging by it's actions regardless if it's verbal intent doesn't support us? The answer is; you shouldn't. And after hearing about it, neither should your friends. The tire business should be even more tough than it is. Tire manufacturers need to EARN our business, or get out of motorcycle road racing completely. Don't produce a product that people get used to liking, then fall apart (pertaining to supply) at the last few (and often busiest and most needed) rounds of the year.
The bottom line is that if enough people voice their opinions, the brands in question will have to listen. At this point, I think it goes way beyond what the vendor can do for us. My Bridgestone contract expires in Nov of 2007. I will be taking a hard look at who deserves my business in 2008.
Good luck at Daytona J.R.- go kick ass!
it was a sad situation. Having ran Michelin tires for my 5 racing seasons in the Florida region i have had nothing but great service from Frank Kinsey and Walt S. over the years. Ron Wood (Mr. Michelin USA for those in the know) is aware of the VIR problem. As stated earlier by some, and as i heard it from CCS it was a "damed it you do, damed if you dont " issue. This independent Michelin dealer went to Summit earlier with 60 tires and sold 6 tires TOTAL. Comes to VIR with 70 tires and sells out before the 1st Sat practice session. Maybe he made up the "spitting " issue but who knows. Im sure there were some pissed off people. I was glad in a way that the NE distributor never returned my call mid week to say he would be there as i picked up tires from my trusted Florida distributor Frank Kinsey. He will ship you tires for little cost AND discount the mounting fee so you can have them mounted by whoever you want.
Frank 321.267.4787 OR walt Shaefer 256-538-5906 Buying tires AHEAD of time is not as crazy as it sounds.
I offered a front to a guy and some good take offs to others having picked up my tires from Frank on the way up. Brian Stokes sold a couple very good take offs as well to a rider.
If you have specific concerns, email me and i will forward your concerns to Ron Wood. (dont want to post his email publicly until i find out if it is ok). gmelka@tampabay.rr.com
For those that really like the tires now, you will be BLOW AWAY by the new tires that will be available at Daytona.
Photos by Mike. http://mkfotos.com/albums/2007.09.21-23%20VIR/index.html
(https://www.ccsforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg249.imageshack.us%2Fimg249%2F1046%2Fvirshadowwu2.jpg&hash=dacd6c510a4774be171403a434d84802a60eee7e) (http://imageshack.us)
Hello All
I was the Pirelli Tire vendor at VIR this past weekend. Let me start by saying, that I was very sorry for any problems that were created this past weekend due to the Michelin tire vendor running out of tires. I try to always be in attendance at the trackdays prior to an event, with a large selection of tires to help all of the racers out. If you are not familiar with me, I am the Florida region vendor. I cover races for Trackside racers supply in the southeast and mid-atlantic regions from time to time. Mostly when there are multiple races on the same weekend at different locations.
I as a ex-racer, I know how important tire vendors are to the true privateer's racing weekend and trackdays. I try to do the best for all of the racers and run a business at the same time. The choice of tire brand is truly up to the racer and "I think that choice should be Pirelli Tires".
With that said, I will always do my best for all of the racers out there, no matter what choice you make. On Saturday afternoon at 4:00 pm I closed up shop due to running low on tires from switching some Michelin riders over to Pirelli's for the weekend. I drove 3 hours over to Canton, NC. to Tracksides warehouse and loaded up as much inventory as I could. I drove back 3 hours to Danville to catch 5 hours of sleep, and went at it all over again on Sunday. I am sorry if that short delay in service at the track, stopped anyone from changing tires at the Pirelli trailer on Saturday afternoon. I hate to tell the racers that "I am out of tires"
If any of you had to do this, you would understand what we go through to provide service. It's not all cake and ice cream. Hope to see all of you at the next race??? I hope all of you have a great season.
Leon Eddins
Competition Motorsports South
Leon Rocks!
Quote from: Headdog122 on September 26, 2007, 08:51:41 AM
I understand that no one can predict how many tires are gonna be sold on any given weekend. However, it would be nice for the vendor of said product(s) to take the time and post a message on this and other boards...
This is kinda funny... everyone's pointing at the vendor for being in the wrong...
Have you guys ever thought about calling the vendor and 'reserving' or making sure he's bringing some tires for you?
I mean damn, if you guys really needed tires, why didn't you call, reserve, or buy them over the phone ahead of time to make sure he had some for you?
I always call the dunlop guys and make sure they are bringing plenty of tires.
Quote from: ecumike on September 26, 2007, 10:40:47 PM
This is kinda funny... everyone's pointing at the vendor for being in the wrong...
Have you guys ever thought about calling the vendor and 'reserving' or making sure he's bringing some tires for you?
I mean damn, if you guys really needed tires, why didn't you call, reserve, or buy them over the phone ahead of time to make sure he had some for you?
I always call the dunlop guys and make sure they are bringing plenty of tires.
Actually, Mike...I DID do that. same race, same guy, exactly 1 year ago for 3 sets (plus 1 rear). I did it through the mid-atl guy who specifically stated to me HE would be there. Where was he? Mid-Ohio. Who was there? This guy. Now I don't hold anything at all personally against whoever this rep is, but to boot my 7 tires, again....PRE-ORDERED, got mixed up, and I did not get exactly what I had requested. And what I DID order/want was not on the truck...well there was a few, but they were also already promised to racers... which I also don't get... who chooses who gets screwed over???
Maybe I'll just continue to give Leon and Moose my business... since they aren't yet "stocking up for Daytona"....
By the way...I like cake and ice cream.
Leon, thanks for your support last weekend (my sig is wrong... GSXR 1k #5)
Greg
I don' think that it's unreasonable to expect a tire vendor to bring enough.....or more than enough tires for a weekend.
just a quick thank you to Leon for going out of the way and getting in more Pirelli tires for Sunday...especiallly with it being a Team Challange weekend - lots of tires being used up.
:thumb:
GregR6 yea in that case, that a shitty deal.
Quote from: ecumike on September 26, 2007, 10:40:47 PM
This is kinda funny... everyone's pointing at the vendor for being in the wrong...
Have you guys ever thought about calling the vendor and 'reserving' or making sure he's bringing some tires for you?
I mean damn, if you guys really needed tires, why didn't you call, reserve, or buy them over the phone ahead of time to make sure he had some for you?
I always call the dunlop guys and make sure they are bringing plenty of tires.
I actually did call Monte Lutz, who i THINK is associated with Quinten mize for the NE distributors but got no call back. Had they called and said they were comming i would have still been SOL as i doubt they would have sold me the amount of tires i wanted for 8 races. I picked mine up directly from my local guy Frank Kinsey on the way up. Im sure the Michelin USA will be looking into the matter of getting tires to the races and helping out however possible... pretty hard to pomote the new stuff comming out if the riders can only get tires some of the time.
Thanks for your assistance Leon, it is great that you help out and wont put another brands tire change at the back of the line. The many changes you did for me is much appreciated. Leon sells EBC BRAKES!! they rock as well.
Leon, thanks for all the help over the course of the weekend. Given a bad situation, you went out of your way to help me as much as possible. This is the type of service that I appreciate, but also expect to see from vendors at the track, and the type of service that earns my business.
Quote from: ecumike on September 26, 2007, 10:40:47 PM
This is kinda funny... everyone's pointing at the vendor for being in the wrong...
Have you guys ever thought about calling the vendor and 'reserving' or making sure he's bringing some tires for you?
I mean damn, if you guys really needed tires, why didn't you call, reserve, or buy them over the phone ahead of time to make sure he had some for you?
I always call the dunlop guys and make sure they are bringing plenty of tires.
Calling ahead and ordering tires requires several things. The first is knowing exactly what tires and how many you are planning to use. Because of the team challenge, I was unsure of this on Friday, much less far enough in advance to reserve tires. Second, it requires time and attention to make the phone call ahead of time, and possible money to buy them ahead of time. While these things are possible, they don't constitute service. Vendors have contracts with CCS and are expected to be there with enough product. I don't think that it's unreasonable to expect them to show up with enough product and be able to provide service to the racers.
And the claimed issue is that he couldn't get the tires before he came to VIR. If this is the case, then there should be no discussion about how many tires he sold here or sold there.
Melk-Man, you are correct in your understanding of who is associated with who.
I'll have to say that I have called ahead and then gotten shorted on tires just like GregR6. Been there, done that..!!
Mike, you might want to figure out how your gonna keep Butters behind you next year. You are his immediate GOAL!! he,he,he...
Quote from: Headdog122 on September 27, 2007, 12:35:08 PM
I'll have to say that I have called ahead and then gotten shorted on tires just like GregR6. Been there, done that..!!
Mike, you might want to figure out how your gonna keep Butters behind you next year. You are his immediate GOAL!! he,he,he...
He's got to get in front of me first. 8-) I just have to stop handing him races/points.
I've got butters on a strict "Weight Management" program..!! He has about 20lbs to loose.... :thumb: I can't figure out which leg its gonna be..!! :wtf:
i run dlop takeoffs from dwire and robby..i can always count on them being at the track with a sufficient amount of tires for my choosing..i like cake and ice cream too..thats how i got my figure.. :thumb: BTW, where is the plastic cup that where suppose to be chasin and what kind of bike does is it on..it takes a real douche bag to shoot off with the lip like that..i would take business elsewhere..
"i like cake and ice cream too..thats how i got my figure.."
I thought Traction Control was illegal under CCS rules.... Damn.... Boy....!! :thumb:
Quote from: Headdog122 on September 27, 2007, 09:45:28 PM
"i like cake and ice cream too..thats how i got my figure.."
I thought Traction Control was illegal under CCS rules.... Damn.... Boy....!! :thumb:
When your as fat as me thats all you have is traction control..no tire spinning here.. :-)
The Michelin man sold more than 6 tires at Summit two weeks ago. I was there, in line with others patiently waiting to get my tires mounted - so I know that's a bit of a tale. When I asked if he had what I needed (PRC front PR5 rear, his reply was - I'll have to check). Red Flag, Red Flag!!
Fast Forward to Friday night 11:30 at VIR. Mr. Dunlop and Mr. Pirelli had been there all day mounting tires, but Mr. Michelin was just arriving. Saturday morning at 6:45 am the door went up on the Michelin truck, because of his "I'll check" comment at Summit I was the first in line at VIR to get my tires.
Here's my point, until these last two weekends at Summit and VIR I never had a worry about whether the Michelin man would have my tires on race day. I expected to roll up, throw him some $$$ and receive my new shoes. The key word is expected. As Customers, once our expectations are set, any deviations from them are sometimes intolerable. If this is the way Michelin wants to conduct business than they should inform us of so. That way we as customers can be proactive and either utilize another brand or pre order. Makes no difference to me, just set the standard and let's get it on!!
Shit... I'll just run Eric's "Take Off, Take Off's"!!!!! The only thing holding my bike up is the doooode in the seat..!!
Jamie... :thumb:
I just want to let some of you know that these vendors have to buy the tires up front also, but point being made that they should have had a good supply of tires
Quote from: Headdog122 on September 28, 2007, 01:18:21 PM
Shit... I'll just run Eric's "Take Off, Take Off's"!!!!! The only thing holding my bike up is the doooode in the seat..!!
Jamie... :thumb:
Shit you dont want my takeoffs..there gone when im done with'm..i have a hard time selling them to the street guys afterwards because they are so pathetic looking..lol :-)
As a long time tire vendor I can tell you it is a hard gig just like Leon said. We do a lot of thinking on the fly. Here's an example of a crazy week I had earlier this year.
I was set to do a WERA event on the weekend that CCS was at Barber. I was trying to let everybody know what was going on, I believe I even posted here I wouldn't be there. After several calls and talking with CCS HQ, I went out and found a guy that had the tools and could show up. I found him on Tuesday before the race. I then had to order an extra $20k in tires. I knew he wouldn't sell that many, but I didn't know what would be needed so I had to send a little of everything.
So in about two days I had to find help get tires and get the word out. Things didn't go exactly to plan and I got some feedback from people at the event. My customers asked for something, and I had to deliver. That weekend cost me money, but saved me customers. In the long run, customers are who I need to pay the bills.
I don't feel I should ever run out of tires. It bothers me a lot more than it bothers most of you guys. If any of you even need Bridgestone help call me. Even if it's just to check to see if there is a stock problem in the country.
Thanks for the response Stickboy. Though I'm a Michelin rider, I've heard nothing but good things about you and your service. To follow up on your last comment, the distributor that was at VIR carries both Michelin and Bridgestone. I believe that his claim was that Michelin was 8 weeks backordered and Bridgestone was 12 weeks backordered. Are you aware of any problems with Bridgestone stock in the country? This info could shed a lot of light on what the situation truly was......
There are some shortages, but I was able to carry over 200 tires to VIR that same weekend. The only thing I didn't have was 180 slicks, and soft front slicks. I still had mediums though.
Now that could be because I run such a high stock to make sure I don't run out. I usually can't carry all of my tires with me because I only have a 24' trailer and the back of the truck only holds 70-80 tires under the cap.
I also plan my inventory for at least a month out. That way if things go better than expected I still can cover 2-3 events without trouble. It kills my cashflow, but that's what my customers need.
Quote from: MELK-MAN on September 27, 2007, 10:41:00 AM
I actually did call Monte Lutz, who i THINK is associated with Quinten mize for the NE distributors but got no call back. Had they called and said they were comming i would have still been SOL as i doubt they would have sold me the amount of tires i wanted for 8 races. I picked mine up directly from my local guy Frank Kinsey on the way up. Im sure the Michelin USA will be looking into the matter of getting tires to the races and helping out however possible... pretty hard to pomote the new stuff comming out if the riders can only get tires some of the time.
Thanks for your assistance Leon, it is great that you help out and wont put another brands tire change at the back of the line. The many changes you did for me is much appreciated. Leon sells EBC BRAKES!! they rock as well.
Greg - The email I sent to you said Michelin would be there and it also advise dyou that an up to date list is always available at Bibmen.com... As far as the amount of tires. Mize sets his inventory levels as he thinks demand dictates, obviousely he was way off.
Monte, don't know if you had another email for me or not but i never got an email from you prior to or just after the VIR races. If you replied to my initial email i do not know why i would not have recieved it. I do check emails trackside and evenings during race weekends. THanks for the info however. Hopefully things can get better for the trackside vending up there. .
I was there when the last Michelin tire was sold...and I knew it was going to get ugly. I know how much that sucks because I've had the issue where I actually pre-ordered and paid for tires and they were not at the track when I was told they would be. Lucky for me I already had a spare set and a friend sold me a front.
I called the vendor and told them this was unacceptable, if I paid...they owed me tires and should have at least called and told me ahead of time that the tires would not be available.
I run Bridgestones and I like them a lot...I'm hoping they learned from this past year and they correct the problems that took place this year. I don't know the logistics so I won't speak about that but to sit and watch racers come up and find out no tires were available was not cool.
It's not just the case of switching a vendor but learning a new tire, adjusting the bike for the profile...which in the end "could" put a rider in a bad position. We all bust our ass to race because it's expensive and most of the cost is in tires so the least we'd expect is good service.
I can say that aside from the one race where my tires did not come in I did get all of my tires and service.
What I did that worked for me was pre-order and have the tires delivered to my house so that I had them in hand when I went to the track. Although, with the expenses and prep it would be nice to know tires would be available at the track especially if you've already paid for them!
Quote from: Chris410 on October 09, 2007, 10:25:57 AM
It's not just the case of switching a vendor but learning a new tire, adjusting the bike for the profile...which in the end "could" put a rider in a bad position. We all bust our ass to race because it's expensive and most of the cost is in tires so the least we'd expect is good service.
This is the whole problem. This is how I ended up running Bridgestone's to start with. The tires I normally ran weren't in the pits when I needed them. The vendor descided to not show up ever again, so now that I'm a vendor I try to make sure this doesn't happen.
Quote from: Chris410 on October 09, 2007, 10:25:57 AM
What I did that worked for me was pre-order and have the tires delivered to my house so that I had them in hand when I went to the track. Although, with the expenses and prep it would be nice to know tires would be available at the track especially if you've already paid for them!
Chris, I could pre-order my tires from one of several sources pretty easily. But that would add $30 to the cost of each set. Add $30 per set to $360 a set and the cost starts to get prohibitively expensive, or at least to the point where it doesn't make sense. If a vendor is going to have a contract with the racing org to provide tires at a certain track he should be there on time and with enough tires for the weekend. That's the whole idea of giving that vendor exclusive rights to sell a brand of tires. If they're not going to do it effectively, someone else should be allowed to.
I am a new vendor too. There are a lot of good points on here from both sides. It all boils down to customer service. And anyone that has worked in retail, knows you cannot please all all the time.
That said- here are some other suggestions and thoughts about your tires:
-I always post on the local forums at least 2 weeks out so folks can contact me. It gives me an idea of what I might need. Here we have over 9 different choices for our brand. As the new vendor, I am still finding what model sells, at what track at what time of year. Of course you have to have a couple of tires available for the racer who runs something that no one else does too. The excuse "I don't use the internet, or surf forums" is BS. It is 2007, technology has changd the way 98%of the world communicates. The 3 people who don't like technology can send thier carrier pigeon to the vendor with a note taped to his leg telling him what he would need next week.
-At the end of the season, the manufacturers are shutting down the '07 line and starting the '08 line. There is AMA GNC, WERA GNF, Toyota 200, and ROC (not to mention the four regions fininshing the year) within a month. Not an excuse for any manufacturer- but maybe they need to work on that end of it too. Help yourself if you can. If you know you need X tire, and only it will do, and you will need 8 sets before season end- let your vendor know. Most won't make you pay in advance, but would welcome the warning, and a small deposit could earmark them for you too.
-I do not require pre-pay for pre order, but encourage it. It costs no more than at the track if your finances can handle it. IF a rider reserves a set-PLEASE COME PAY FOR THEM AT THE TRACK. If your finances wake you up on saturday and you cannot afford tires that you reserved, that is not the vendors problem. Don't burn the vendor who locks up cash for another month on an expected sale that does not take place.
-I appluad the vendor that makes the midnight run for tires- buy tires from that dude because he cares!
-Planning ahead really helps. Especially in the east where entries exceed 1000 easily. Tires are costly to order, costly to stock, costly to transport. That is the vendors choice when getting into that business- but help him out some.
Have fun over the winter- we got two more weekends to go here!
Hello Guys, sorry it took so long to notice this but I've been busy with my tire company, and the new machining section of our shop, and also the new website. I just registered on this forum today, and noticed this was apparently a hot topic. Since I am the owner of the distributorship in question, I thought I should reply.
I am not only a competitor, but also a friend of every tire dealer east of the Mississippi river and I can tell you that every single one of us has ran out of tires at one point or another. I read one tire vendor's humble explanation that he had to buy 20K in extra inventory just to cover his boys sort of thing..... but this same exact individual ran out at Road Atlanta at a wera regional in 2005 and a few Southeast Bridgestone guys were calling me in early 06' because they were so mad about his "lack of inventory." Moose and the other Pirelli guys have been selling 06 overstock all through 2007 because they couldn't get enough of the new tires. How many Pirelli converts did I get this year onto Bridgestone and Michelin just because they were tired of running 06 Pirelli fronts in front of 07 rears. And Dunlop has been telling their B riders all year that there are only enough N-Techs to go around for the A guys. Now, I'm reading that apparently I'm the only tire guy in the world who ever ran out of tires recently....... come on guys....... lets be honest.
If anyone is interested in how the shortage happened, I'll be glad to tell you. This will get me in trouble with the corporate types, but oh well, it's their fault for not listening to me so they can deal with it. Here it goes......... At Summit Point the weekend before sales were pretty light, and we covered everyone from what my employee told me, (again, I was covering another race, at another location) so I was scrambling to get enough tires to do the VIR and the Mid-Ohio events on the same weekend. As for Michelin's dilemma, they simply didn't get me enough of what I needed soon enough to cover both events. I sold out of Michelins at both VIR and Mid Ohio that weekend. And to boot, they had just sent me an email two weeks prior taking 20 or so tires of my preciously dwindling stock to cover, "sponsored riders." My employee was spat at in Virginia, and I was harrassed and reeled against at Mid Ohio. As for Bridgestone, there was a NATIONAL SHORTAGE THAT EVERY SINGLE DISTRIBUTOR FELT, AND RAN OUT OF STOCK OVER, INCLUDING EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US IN THE US NO EXCEPTIONS. There is one Bridgestone guy claiming to have never ran out of anything, but his customers were calling me to buy them from me since he ran out of those items also. Didn't matter, I couldn't get them either, but that's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but.
The market demand from VIR and north has swayed significantly. Pirelli used to sell the most, and then Dunlop got everything else, and Michelin and Bridgestone were not even on the map. So, when I decided to become a tire guy, I picked up the two brands that were doing the best in MOTOGP, and they happened to be available to me in my area. At the WERA races at Summit Point, Pirelli still has a solid hold, Moose does a good job, he's been around a long time, and he does what he can to serve best he can, same as the rest of us. But from BeaveRun and north into Nelson's, Grattan, Putnam, the whole Fasttrax series, etc etc Mize Mobile (Michelin and Bridgestone) have outsold Pirelli and Dunlop put together for the past couple years now. This has led to Dunlop not even showing up for WERA races at these tracks at all. I know it was frustrating for you guys to not have enough product at VIR, but think of us too to be fair. We spent the money to make the trip KNOWING that we'd lose money, face financial damage, and publc ridicule. But we came anyway. Other tire vendors may have made the decision to not even show up if they were back-ended and forced to face a situation like the one we had in front of us. At least I sent my employee to SPEND MY MONEY TO COME AND MOUNT YOUR TIRES FOR YOU the best we could with what we had, knowing we were going to lose. If that isn't appreciated, well, then, you understand why not too many people want to be trackside vendors.
As for my employees unprofessional comment, well, I apologize. Though he is used to working on vehicles that cost more than both of my houses put together, he had no right to make a comment like that, (if in fact he did, I still don't really know,) but I know that if I spit at you guys you'd be making slanderous and negative comments to. I'm offering a free set of tires to the first person who gives me (with confirmation,) the name of the guy who spit at my employee. I will NEVER mount, sell, or ship him another set of tires again, that is until I get a written apology for my employee.
To sum up MY apology, let me say this. Most of the tire vendors who have expressed support or critisicm, (either way) towards us in this issue, have only one, maybe two trucks on the road. We have three. Most of them do anywhere from a low of 12 events per year, to a cap of about 25. We at Mize Mobile covered 47 events this year alone. With our two brands, three trucks, and growing market base, we are quickly becoming one of the countries largest motorcycle tire distributors. This comes with HUGE growing pains, mostly from demand being higher than supply, and I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE. Our CCS presence is not as good as the "yellow trucks" yet but in the Northeast WERA and Fasttrax markets we rule the roost, and it's hard to keep everyone supplied well enough all the time. Measures have been taken at both Michelin, and Bridgestone to up supply for 2008, and as always, we'll cover 45+ events just like we have since we started. I was and am still a motorcycle road racer myself, and I understand the inconvenience, and apologize deeply.
May God Bless each and every one of you, (including the spitter,) and forgive us all for our iniquities. Ride Safely, enjoy the winter season, and I hope to talk to you all soon.
Sincerely,
Quentin Mise
President, Mize Mobile LLC, and MizeMotors.com
Be careful who you talk about behind thier back, they just may see it.
BTW, I was at Barber that same weekend and didn't run out. It was a really large event. I was still mounting tires at 9pm Sat.
Derek, who's talking about you behind your back? Whichever comment you're referring to by whomever said it must have been made publicly, because you're stating that you can "see it". Maybe if you were a little more, shall we say.......... honest......... with the public declaration of never running out of something, or of never missing a friday practice, or what have you, the comment that was made "publicly" would not have been required. It's like this man, you wait until someone gets slammed, and then you talk about how good a job your doing to smooze in on the situation like a hero. Truth is, you don't cover NEARLY as many events, and have NEARLY as many logistical issues or problems with three rigs, employees, etc etc etc to balance, so it might be a good idea to take a little more neutral position on a negative situation, when a fellow service provider takes a black eye. You still have a job you work during the week, and that is cool, no negativity there, but some of us have made the full time this is our only bread and butter commitment and VIR was a tough deal for us. Yes, we went into a gun battle with a plastic toy knife, but we knew that, and did the very best honest job we could with what we had.
Using the thread to self promote at a time like that seems a little unstasteful, considering we're supposed to be on the same team. I just couldn't help but be truthful about your supply issues in the past. You have in fact ran out of product, more than once. No one is talking behind your back. I am talking publicly, on this forum, and calling out an untruth in an effort to defend myself.
Oh, by the way, when you took your 200 tires to Barber and didn't run out, I took 115 to VIR, and ran out, and took another 236 to Mid Ohio, and RAN OUT THERE TOO> That's 351 tires sent out on two trucks, and when we both got back and counted we had a total of 34 tires left, between BOTH BRANDS. The glass half empty side of this is that we ran out of stuff and some guys did't get what they needed, when they would have liked to have had it, and a pissing contest between two tire guys, one with a bruised ego, (that's me,) and one with an opportunisitic slide, (that's you,) are in piss match now. The glass half full side of this is that 317 tires were sold, and about 400 mountings were done, for people that needed our help, so we must be doing SOMETHING right.
Ok, your turn, flog away.
-Quentin
President, Mize Mobile LLC
-Quentin
Mize Mobile
I never said that I haven't run out of tires, but I know a little more on the back end of this than you are admitting, but then again you are the guy that looked right at me and said "I'm as two faced as anybody"
I know you go to more events and run more trailers, I still easily out sell you in my brand. I do work a day job, and cover my events, 7am till 8pm+. It would be easier if I just did this. It would cut me back to 60+ hours a week insead of 5am till 11pm seven days a week.
Don't question my honesty ever. I told you that before. You have lied to many of my people. I sent a guy to you at VIR, different event. He called and tried to pay for tires up front and you said you had plenty. He came to you friday morning and you suddenly never had the tires. You stalled just long enough to get the sale and screw up his weekend. That's weak. If you can't sell any other way you need to get out. I have to fix so many of your mistakes that I can predict them now.
The guy you sent to CMP in july with the wrong tire for the front, it would have been fine if it was on a completely different bike with different sized rims. You also sent him with ultra soft front and rear to run a 20 lap race in over 100 deg weather. You really wanted that sale didn't you?
It's not kewl to risk someone elses ass so you can get paid.
God bless, my hipo-christian brother
Next
Ok Derek,
Shall we continue to banter about this publicly, should I get into your total sales numbers, and my total sales numbers, and embarrass you where your few customers can see it? Shall I come on the record and disclose why you only have one brand, even though at my suggestion you tried to get two, and failed?
Come on man, you're embarrassing yourself, and it all started when you tried to kick a man when he was down. Now you've put yourself on the ground next to him. Your best course of action is taking a hands off approach when someone has difficulty. It's a true hypochrite that tries to make themselves look good in the face of someone else's adversity, even though YOU HAVE SUFFERED THE SAME ADVERSITY. You can point to me and cry hypochrite, but three of the four fingers on your hand are pointing right back at you.
Either call me and rip my face off personally at 410-437-6611 m-f 9-6 or calm down, take a breather, and stop following my forums activity. But continuing to handle this on a public forum is not the professional thing to do.
Stand on your own, back off of posts that have to do with me, and stop embarrassing yourself. Now either call me and talk to me directly, or flog me one more time on this post and we'll let it end. You can have the last word, I said what I needed to.
As for being two faced I jokingly said that in response to critism regarding my two brands. You were standing there, and we laughed together. How convenient for you to turn it on me as a negativity in times of disagreement. Truth is, my customers know that I have more than one option for them, and that I will not ram the one thing I have on them. This shows a higher level of honesty not a lower one because it opens up options for them.
hipo-Christian, well, yes, you have me nailed. There was only ONE that was perfect. He saw this world, died, rose again, and left to go make us a better place so that where we go, it won't be like this. But here on earth I'm as imperfect as anyone. My ego can be damaged, and I can get my feelings hurt too, so forgive me please.
God Bless you Derek, I hope for peace between us. Ever since I came on board in 2004 it's been shaky between us, you have always seen me as a threat to your business. I wish you didn't see me that way. I am north, you are south, but we're supposed to be team mates.
-Quentin
Stick, i'll still let you mount up my tires at VIR. :biggrin:
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