Chad Sanner's side of the story

yamaha189
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yamaha189
Edited Date/Time 1/8/2016 1:23pm
http://racerxonline.com/2016/01/06/insight-chad-sanner-part-2

New interview on racer x
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Olson
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Olson 1/6/2016 10:38am
1/6/2016 10:38am
Thanks for posting. Been waiting.
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twnorton 1/6/2016 10:52am
1/6/2016 10:52am
There are always two sides to a story, I'm glad Chad got to tell his
newmann
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newmann 1/6/2016 11:21am
1/6/2016 11:21am
Good stuff, again.

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peelout 1/6/2016 11:24am
1/6/2016 11:24am
i waited to read the first half until the second half was out... great read and really puts things in perspective. props to Davey for not asking questions that would relate back to some of the things the guys in the last interview were saying. i thought it was a really well put together bench racing session.

thanks for posting

The Shop

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Reefer Sutherland 1/6/2016 11:28am
1/6/2016 11:28am
Shad Channer is re-opening Eleven10 Mods as we speak.
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hasko158 1/6/2016 12:22pm
1/6/2016 12:22pm
He did a lot of finger pointing back at the riders.
Matt Fisher 1/6/2016 1:48pm
1/6/2016 1:48pm
hasko158 wrote:
He did a lot of finger pointing back at the riders.
I didn't get that impression. More like the riders didn't understand how bad the financials were, nor did he seem to expect them to.

I thought he really avoided making the riders out to be bad guys.
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newmann 1/6/2016 2:07pm
1/6/2016 2:07pm
hasko158 wrote:
He did a lot of finger pointing back at the riders.
I seemed to get more of "Chad had no money" than finger pointing back at the riders. I have said it before and Sanner said it himself here, he had no business doing the team deal. I could see that from fugging Texas. Dude seriously stuck his neck out to help others to the point of being detrimental not only to his business but also to himself personally. It's been obvious from posts here on Vital that some customers got beat up along the way and that will be a hard obstacle for him to overcome. People don't forget that stuff...he fugged up. I've stressed over money before and don't ever consider myself having gotten myself in over my head. Not a good place to be...lol.

Always admired what he did and glad I got to hang out with the team one day. Those kids kicked ass all day getting bikes prepped and ready, they all busted their asses. Phil and Alex put in a great effort. No telling how much better they all could have done with a bit of money behind them.

Now on to that billionaire effort that went tits up?Whistling
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moscrop940 1/6/2016 2:14pm
1/6/2016 2:14pm
hasko158 wrote:
He did a lot of finger pointing back at the riders.
Matt Fisher wrote:
I didn't get that impression. More like the riders didn't understand how bad the financials were, nor did he seem to expect them to. I thought...
I didn't get that impression. More like the riders didn't understand how bad the financials were, nor did he seem to expect them to.

I thought he really avoided making the riders out to be bad guys.
I don't know Chad personally, and I give him nothing but the utmost respect for trying to put together a team and help fund some dreams. He's a better man than I

But with that being said.

The thing that bothered me the most was how the guys would say that they would drive all night to a hotel that they were told they had a reservation at, only to show up and have the hotel tell them they never had a reservation.
I have no problem working with people whom are straight up and say "hey, yea your order is going to be a week late. I am sorry and we are doing the best we can" as oppose to the guy who strings me along for a week straight saying "tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow"

E
Underground 1/6/2016 2:39pm
1/6/2016 2:39pm
This is motocross. Thanks RX, Sanner, the riders and mechanics for giving us this to watch and read. Anyone who's had to work extra jobs to race MX understands
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zehn 1/6/2016 3:12pm
1/6/2016 3:12pm
Underground wrote:
This is motocross. Thanks RX, Sanner, the riders and mechanics for giving us this to watch and read. Anyone who's had to work extra jobs to...
This is motocross. Thanks RX, Sanner, the riders and mechanics for giving us this to watch and read. Anyone who's had to work extra jobs to race MX understands
Yeah, it's a little different when you're fielding a professional race team
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DL 1/6/2016 3:32pm
1/6/2016 3:32pm
To compete against the factories on the level Chad has done is nearly impossible. He did it and better than any other aftermarket company and for that I give him big respect. As for the day to day drama they all endured all I can say is they got it done, most of the time. Great story!
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Tracktor 1/6/2016 4:18pm
1/6/2016 4:18pm Edited Date/Time 1/6/2016 4:19pm
Cool read. I hope in the time since then he has learned how to say "No".......It can be tough but sometimes a healthier decision.....It's tough when you say yes to people and try to help and they end up more pissed than if you had just said no in the first place.............
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TeamGreen 1/6/2016 5:41pm
1/6/2016 5:41pm
DL wrote:
To compete against the factories on the level Chad has done is nearly impossible. He did it and better than any other aftermarket company and for...
To compete against the factories on the level Chad has done is nearly impossible. He did it and better than any other aftermarket company and for that I give him big respect. As for the day to day drama they all endured all I can say is they got it done, most of the time. Great story!
It's kinda nice to see one of his direct competitors show such huge respect.

Nice, indeed.
Underground 1/7/2016 1:33am
1/7/2016 1:33am
Underground wrote:
This is motocross. Thanks RX, Sanner, the riders and mechanics for giving us this to watch and read. Anyone who's had to work extra jobs to...
This is motocross. Thanks RX, Sanner, the riders and mechanics for giving us this to watch and read. Anyone who's had to work extra jobs to race MX understands
zehn wrote:
Yeah, it's a little different when you're fielding a professional race team
Never said it was the same, just understand burning the wick at both ends all week working full time and fixing other peoples bikes after work to get to the next race meet and betting on a podium and winning a little cash to pay for the fuel home. That is all.
fullfloater 1/7/2016 1:49am
1/7/2016 1:49am Edited Date/Time 1/7/2016 1:52am
Awesome story. How many of us would love to paint a cube flat black, head out on the circuit and have guys as fast as Nicoletti, Martin, Durham surprising you every weekend and putting your brand out front on the track and in the press. No wonder the guy got in over his head.


Ghost of Jabroni 1/7/2016 2:40am
1/7/2016 2:40am Edited Date/Time 1/7/2016 2:42am
I had to go back and read Matthes' piece before commenting. Im going to assume that article spurred Sanner to do the interview with DC?

The commentary by (mechanic) Nathan Alexander pretty much says it all. He took way too many unnecessary shots at Sanner. The fact that he was telling his rider (Alex Martin) all the drama behind the scenes is a major WTF. Riders are head cases enough without some weasel in their ear feeding them negative day 2 day gossip.

A little piece of advice for anyone with a kid who races seriously or if you aspire to work with serious racers as a mechanic: Stay the fuck out of their heads. Your job is to create a bubble around them, not a shit storm of drama. Insulate them from the noise and inspire confidence. Youre not a shrink. Youre not a tuner. Youre not a business owner that has to run a team and understands what goes on behind the scenes. Youre not there to be the riders party buddy. Just do your damn job (which in most cases is a glorified pressure washer that occasionally has to change a sprocket and keeps fresh tires on the bike).

I dont blame Sanner for being burnt out one bit. And props for him taking the high road in his interview, cause lord knows he couldve easily thrashed the mechanics whom's careers they owe to Chad.

Hopefully someone does a tell-all one day about Matthes' final days with Factory Yamaha. Then he'll know how it feels to have to a "his side of the story" piece.

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Nathan_Alexander 1/7/2016 2:52am
1/7/2016 2:52am
Ghost of Jabroni wrote:
I had to go back and read Matthes' piece before commenting. Im going to assume that article spurred Sanner to do the interview with DC? The...
I had to go back and read Matthes' piece before commenting. Im going to assume that article spurred Sanner to do the interview with DC?

The commentary by (mechanic) Nathan Alexander pretty much says it all. He took way too many unnecessary shots at Sanner. The fact that he was telling his rider (Alex Martin) all the drama behind the scenes is a major WTF. Riders are head cases enough without some weasel in their ear feeding them negative day 2 day gossip.

A little piece of advice for anyone with a kid who races seriously or if you aspire to work with serious racers as a mechanic: Stay the fuck out of their heads. Your job is to create a bubble around them, not a shit storm of drama. Insulate them from the noise and inspire confidence. Youre not a shrink. Youre not a tuner. Youre not a business owner that has to run a team and understands what goes on behind the scenes. Youre not there to be the riders party buddy. Just do your damn job (which in most cases is a glorified pressure washer that occasionally has to change a sprocket and keeps fresh tires on the bike).

I dont blame Sanner for being burnt out one bit. And props for him taking the high road in his interview, cause lord knows he couldve easily thrashed the mechanics whom's careers they owe to Chad.

Hopefully someone does a tell-all one day about Matthes' final days with Factory Yamaha. Then he'll know how it feels to have to a "his side of the story" piece.
I'm slightly confused. Could you explain a little more please?
Underground 1/7/2016 3:03am
1/7/2016 3:03am
I wanna know more about Matthes' final days at Yamaha
chuckdavies 1/7/2016 4:54am
1/7/2016 4:54am
Nathan_Alexander wrote:
I'm slightly confused. Could you explain a little more please?
Nate don't even waste your time with people who don't understand what they're reading...
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fidiot 1/7/2016 5:09am
1/7/2016 5:09am
Wow! Great story.
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mx_563 1/7/2016 5:37am
1/7/2016 5:37am
So Phil's "in" with the team was the promise of support from his doctor friend. Sanner claims the doctor didn't pay what he said he'd pay. At this point, I'd apologize to Phil and send him on his way. A deal is a deal. Instead, Sanner keeps Phil on by utilizing funds previously allocated to keeping Alex Martin going. I see this as unfair to Alex and poor business practice.

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BSmooth13 1/7/2016 6:11am
1/7/2016 6:11am
Interesting read, though a little "puffed up" IMO. Regardless, always nice and fair to hear both sides of a story, though I'm not sure the original article set out to create a 2-sided argument/story that required a response...but nevertheless, good read.

One thing that stuck out to me, beyond what some of you have already mentioned, were the comments along the lines of "...if it weren't for me, those guys wouldn't be where they are" - especially when speaking about the mechanics. It seems clear that this was the thing that displeased him about the original article. I'm not necessarily suggesting it is an incorrect statement, just comes off a bit petty and self-aggrandising. I guess he gets some satisfaction in making it known that he is responsible for those guys having the careers they do (at least in large part), but I think that was already pretty obvious - that's how careers work, the person who gives you your first "big-break" into any profession always is an important factor in your future successes. Maybe it was just me, but those types of comments definitely jumped off the page.

Anyhow, just my thoughts, but again a good read.
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hvaughn88 1/7/2016 6:22am
1/7/2016 6:22am
I can't really decide what I think about the whole deal (not that what I think matters, though). On one side I understand that Sanner was trying to whatever he could to make the team work. But at the same time, maybe he didn't have any business doing it in the first place. I mean, I would absolutely love to have a race team. But I don't have the resources to do so, so I'm not going to attempt to have a race team.
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JBlain619 1/7/2016 6:31am
1/7/2016 6:31am
BSmooth13 wrote:
Interesting read, though a little "puffed up" IMO. Regardless, always nice and fair to hear both sides of a story, though I'm not sure the original...
Interesting read, though a little "puffed up" IMO. Regardless, always nice and fair to hear both sides of a story, though I'm not sure the original article set out to create a 2-sided argument/story that required a response...but nevertheless, good read.

One thing that stuck out to me, beyond what some of you have already mentioned, were the comments along the lines of "...if it weren't for me, those guys wouldn't be where they are" - especially when speaking about the mechanics. It seems clear that this was the thing that displeased him about the original article. I'm not necessarily suggesting it is an incorrect statement, just comes off a bit petty and self-aggrandising. I guess he gets some satisfaction in making it known that he is responsible for those guys having the careers they do (at least in large part), but I think that was already pretty obvious - that's how careers work, the person who gives you your first "big-break" into any profession always is an important factor in your future successes. Maybe it was just me, but those types of comments definitely jumped off the page.

Anyhow, just my thoughts, but again a good read.
Honestly, the mechanics wouldn't be there if it wasn't for Eleven 10. They learned their technical skills from Chad, got real work experience at the races, and made connections in the industry that led them to their current positions they they wouldn't have received going to MMI.

It should also be telling that Davey had to do this interview instead of Matthes. I'm sure DC has a hell of a lot more important stuff to do but yet had to go behind Matthes and clean up his mess.

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hvaughn88 1/7/2016 6:32am
1/7/2016 6:32am
BSmooth13 wrote:
Interesting read, though a little "puffed up" IMO. Regardless, always nice and fair to hear both sides of a story, though I'm not sure the original...
Interesting read, though a little "puffed up" IMO. Regardless, always nice and fair to hear both sides of a story, though I'm not sure the original article set out to create a 2-sided argument/story that required a response...but nevertheless, good read.

One thing that stuck out to me, beyond what some of you have already mentioned, were the comments along the lines of "...if it weren't for me, those guys wouldn't be where they are" - especially when speaking about the mechanics. It seems clear that this was the thing that displeased him about the original article. I'm not necessarily suggesting it is an incorrect statement, just comes off a bit petty and self-aggrandising. I guess he gets some satisfaction in making it known that he is responsible for those guys having the careers they do (at least in large part), but I think that was already pretty obvious - that's how careers work, the person who gives you your first "big-break" into any profession always is an important factor in your future successes. Maybe it was just me, but those types of comments definitely jumped off the page.

Anyhow, just my thoughts, but again a good read.
JBlain619 wrote:
Honestly, the mechanics wouldn't be there if it wasn't for Eleven 10. They learned their technical skills from Chad, got real work experience at the races...
Honestly, the mechanics wouldn't be there if it wasn't for Eleven 10. They learned their technical skills from Chad, got real work experience at the races, and made connections in the industry that led them to their current positions they they wouldn't have received going to MMI.

It should also be telling that Davey had to do this interview instead of Matthes. I'm sure DC has a hell of a lot more important stuff to do but yet had to go behind Matthes and clean up his mess.

Didn't matthes try to contact him to get his side, too?
JBlain619
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JBlain619 1/7/2016 6:38am
1/7/2016 6:38am
Nope. Matthes and Sanner do not like each other at all. Even if he did, Chad wouldn't have done an interview with Matthes.
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hvaughn88 1/7/2016 6:44am
1/7/2016 6:44am
JBlain619 wrote:
Nope. Matthes and Sanner do not like each other at all. Even if he did, Chad wouldn't have done an interview with Matthes.
Fair enough. I thought it was said that Matthes did try to contact him. Guess I heard/read wrong.
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BSmooth13 1/7/2016 6:44am
1/7/2016 6:44am
JBlain619 wrote:
Honestly, the mechanics wouldn't be there if it wasn't for Eleven 10. They learned their technical skills from Chad, got real work experience at the races...
Honestly, the mechanics wouldn't be there if it wasn't for Eleven 10. They learned their technical skills from Chad, got real work experience at the races, and made connections in the industry that led them to their current positions they they wouldn't have received going to MMI.

It should also be telling that Davey had to do this interview instead of Matthes. I'm sure DC has a hell of a lot more important stuff to do but yet had to go behind Matthes and clean up his mess.

I won't dispute the argument that they mechanics wouldn't be where they are now, that was kind of what I was saying - that fact was apparent to me from the first story. I was more speaking to how he felt the need to point that out on a couple of occasions, and say "they wouldn't be there if it weren't for me," which while true, just comes off as odd IMO.

However, I would disagree with you calling the first story a "mess." Furthermore, as the head of RacerX, I would think that DC would love if every article got as much buzz/discussion as the Eleven10th Hour story did. From what was said after the fact, it seems Chad was upset with Steve and unwilling to go through him for the story, and I wouldn't be surprised if Chad agreed to it with stipulation that DC was the interviewer. That last bit is pure speculation, but regardless, I'm not sure how the original story was a "mess," I think it was just a compelling story.

Again, just my thoughts...

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