A Depressing Message from Mark Hales

Keith

Moderator
I cannot remember the original thread title despite searches and if a Mod would care to combine this post with the original thread I would be grateful (If he finds it that is!)

(Refresher - Mark Hales, a well known freelance racing journalist in the UK was driving David Piper's 917 for a magazine article when, for whatever reason, the engine blew. Subsequently, Piper took Hales to court to recover the cost of repairs. I do believe in the meantime that Piper sold the repaired 917 for over £1 million although I cannot be sure of that)

Anyway - this is the unfortunate message:

"To everybody who has been kind enough to donate...

Apologies again for this round robin email, and also to those kind people I may have missed last time.

Thank you all so much for your generosity and support in this unpleasant matter. Your contributions allowed me to keep the fight going for a bit longer, and to survive while it was all going on. It’s amazing how these things completely take over your life and working productively is one of the first things that suffers.

I use the past tense in the context of the fight, because on June 11th Piper purchased the last piece of his retribution and succeeded in making me bankrupt.

Piper has now spent nearly £80,000 in his efforts to bankrupt me and has refused all offers to settle. A group headed by the CEO of Nick Mason’s businesses had organised some serious fund raising activities and Nick and others had kindly underwritten a minimum of £50,000. This was on the table, plus whatever surplus came from the fundraising, plus anything remaining in your fund. Piper refused the offer saying he would continue with the bankruptcy proceedings.

I have the interview with the Official Receiver on Tuesday. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Thanks again

Mark "

:thumbsdown:
 

Mike Pass

Supporter
Thanks Keith,

I have revived the original thread in addition to this one as I am disgusted by this latest assault on Mark by Piper over a blown engine in a magazine test. I and many others are clear about where our sympathies lie.

Cheers

Mike
 

Larry L.

Lifetime Supporter
'Pretty darned extreme. 'Disgusting really.

It would appear Mr. Hale's sad situation lends credence to my own personal long standing rule; namely, "Never drive someone else's car unless it's a rental, a dealer demo, OR sudden/oddball/emergency circumstances absolutely demand it."
 
"Never drive someone else's car unless it's a rental, a dealer demo, OR sudden/oddball/emergency circumstances absolutely demand it."

and, likewise I would add;

Never allow anyone else to drive your car unless a sudden/oddball/emergency circumstance absolutely demands it, etc.

Jim
 
This is sad.

I often have guys asking to drive my car. Sometimes I feel like a selfish heel for refusing. In futre, I will cite this sad example. I would like my friends and aquaintances to remain such and not become enemies.
 

Malcolm

Supporter
Nothing wrong with driving other peoples cars or letting them drive yours. The issue is that you must categorically get the deal straight for when something goes awry before the keys are handed over. Its not rude to have a conversation about this sort of stuff. However Piper does seem to be a bit strong on his tactics although no one has posted his comments so both sides of the story are not represented.
 

Seymour Snerd

Lifetime Supporter
you must categorically get the deal straight for when something goes awry before the keys are handed over. Its not rude to have a conversation ......However Piper does seem to be a bit strong on his tactics although no one has posted his comments so both sides of the story are not represented.

Actually there is another thread
http://www.gt40s.com/forum/race-track/39264-warning-borrowers-lenders-race-cars.html
that does go into some of the issues and there are some important events in the sequence of the dispute you need to understand to see how Piper prevailed. Most illuminating is to read the judge's writing on the decision.

As I think I said there, what I find striking is that Mark apparently thought he was covered by insurance and then found out later he was not. It was in pursuit of that insurance claim that he got somewhat crossed up in a way that hurt later on. Trying to protect yourself that way brings in a third party and with an insurance company it may not be possible to truly "get the deal straight." They tend to have the last word. I also wonder, perhaps naively, if Mark had personal liability insurance and what role, it any, it played in the dispute. My thought is that personal liability insurance, like you get as a part of a homeowner's policy in the USA, would cover this kind of issue even though an automobile is involved.

In any event with a car of a value that can lead to your personal bankruptcy, it has to go far beyond "having a conversation" and needs to be in writing and probably needs the attention of one's attorney.
 
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