The Hartford Courant reported Wednesday that two victims involved with recent charges filed against New London-Waterford Speedbowl owner Bruce Bemer are attempting to freeze his assets.
The move could put any hope of Bemer making a swift sale of the facility in jeopardy.
According to multiple sources close to the Speedbowl, Bemer has privately indicated hopes of selling the Speedbowl property so that it could continue as a racing facility beyond the cloud of his personal legal issues.
According to the Courant: “The filing in Superior Court in Bridgeport Wednesday by attorney Joel T. Faxon is the first step in a personal injury lawsuit Faxon said he plans to bring on behalf of several alleged victims. … The motion seeks to freeze up to $10 million in assets of Bruce J. Bemer, a businessman from Glastonbury, and William Trefzger, a convicted sex offender from Westport.”
Bemer was charged last week with patronizing a trafficked person.
Bemer was the high bidder in a foreclosure auction of the Speedbowl in October 2014.
Scott Gregory, who is currently overseeing management of the facility, said last week that track officials expect the facility to open as scheduled for Blastoff Weekend May 6-7.
On Tuesday Tom Fox led a group of high ranking New London-Waterford Speedbowl officials who announced their resignations from the track.
Not the end of the world necessarily as a case for a sale and/or lease to facilitate the needs of the
victims by their attorney(s) might be beneficial to all parties concerned. A closed SpeedBowl doesn’t do anybody any good. What we don’t know are the intricacies and detaisl of the Bowl’s financing by Bemer. Hopefully the lawyers involved will sort this out on some reasonable time line to at least salvage some kind of season there.
Folks, this isn’t all about you. It isn’t about you at all. You racers and fans are inconsequential damage. You have no standing in this issue. You are not the victims, you are not harmed.
This is about Bemer and the victims. It’s between them. You have nothing to do with this.
The selfishness that goes on here is unbelievable.
Nobody is saying that they want to take anything away from the victims of the tragic actions of a selfish rich man. By the same token the race fans are also victims of the consequences. Many have cars ready to race there, money is spent and Stafford and Thompson aren’t really welcoming anybody with open arms. I think all people are saying is perhaps the racers and the victims could work together, MAYBE. There are enough racers who are sickened by all this and we are all sure He will get what’s coming to him, not to mention that the public isn’t impressed by all this and that it ill be difficult to sell tickets, but there has to be a way to benefit everyone. If the victims get the bowl the racers will put on the show. Maybe?
I believe THIS is the death knell. I don’t see it opening this year, and I can see it tied up inlegal proceedings for years. I agree with dareal, this ALL about the victims.
I agree with DaReal 100 percent. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
The question remains then… Is the speedbowl worth more for the victims as a functioning running profitable race track or as a dormant, never to be opened again race track with contaminated land…. That’s the question to be answered that would best benefit the victims…
Happy to hear Bruce is willing to sell quickly to keep the speedway going. Don’t know his financial situation but perhaps he can put up the 10 mil without using the Speedbowl as collateral. The next few weeks will be interesting.
Just a thought put it in receivership with all proceeds going to the victims you will see how great the racing family is.I know that is going to be difficult there biggest problem they would need a bigger parking lot
I can’t believe I am saying this and it pains me greatly but I have to agree with the deal on this one .
ok ..say this was you without the speedbowl involved…and you had a family with kids and they wanted to take everything you had before you even went in front of a court ….is it fair that your family must be part of this ? have there lives be turned upside because your a sick person …i think not ….the race track itself is the same thing …..done nothing wrong….that has impact on 1000’s of people ..but because of that the lawyers attack …they can over see it in court like the garbage guy or if he leases it etc. they can still go after the money after his day in court …again this country is all about getting the money for the lawyers not the victims ….there is one on ever corner but the real people that get hurt never get a dime …. ten big dollar lawyers just licked there chops when this news broke …$$$$$$$$ dancing in his head …no fees i will get you millions ..reported these victims are were they are because they got no help by our system in the first place …why ? ….money ….because the lawyers and the government keep it for themselves …..now these vipers say they are going to save the day ….lets seize the speedbowl…..sorry to late where were you before this happened …everything goes back to how this world has sunk to such lows….those poor victims will never be hole they have to live with it everyday and i think no amount of money will really ever really help them ….only other human beings kindness will help them be whole again …. …..jmo
For those of you that have spent money and time getting your cars ready to race at NLWSB, go get a lawyer and petition the court to be allowed to claim harm in this case. What would happen if he just decided not to open this season, would you still play the victim card?
Please report back so we can laugh our asses off.
Bemer has more important things going on right now than worrying about you racers that are toiling over a few thousand bucks. He’s looking at liabilities in the millions, far greater than what he paid for NLWSB, and prison. He doesn’t give a crap about you, nor should he.
I also agree with dareals post.Whatever shakes out with the bowl is secondary and the fans are in no way victims.There are clearly victims here.
How bout building a track in the parking lot
Good idea right??
This was not a surprise to him. We all knew with what transpired last year with his oil business being raided that something was going to happen. If he truly cared about the track, employees, teams and fans he would have done something before now to turn it over to someone else but he didn’t. He has a responsibility to all that are involved with the track whether they are employees or teams. He took on that responsibility when he bought it. So I’m sorry if you don’t understand the bitterness of those people.
Unfortunately the Speedbowl participants, employees, and fans all became collateral damage in this circumstance. What happened was incredibly horrible and the real victims certainly deserve justice. It’s just a shame that the collateral damage is far reaching and may cost us all a racetrack. Personally I hope I’m wrong and the Speedbowl somehow is able to survive. I go to at least a dozen different tracks during the racing season, and the Speedbowl is my favorite “race place”.
I understand what you’re saying but how is a racer who puts countless hours and tons of money into a car specifically set up to run the bowl not a victim of this as well ? Certainly they are two totally different types of victims but both did nothing wrong to deserve what’s happening. I don’t see it as being selfish for people to vent there frustrations with a rich sex predator who’sactions they had zero to do with, yet it may cost them a hobby,pastime, passion and family tradition of racing the bowl.
This will be my last response to your horse pucky logic. You honestly call yourself a race fan.lol. He put himself in this position being a scum bag. Why would you laugh your ass off at people being frustrated with spending time and money to prepare cars that you ” supposedly” are a fan of? What about the family that takes there kids to the Thursday night show because it’s all they can afford. Want to laugh at them for being upset with Bruce and venting also? My guess after two years of reading your ramblings about Coby,the tour and many other things is you think you know everything and everybody else is stupid. My guess is your a lonely old man that’s way out of touch with reality.
Bemer does want to sell the Speedbowl.There are interested,qualified buyers.He would like the track to continue operating.With luck,the seller,buyer and court will be able to craft a deal that will work for all parties involved.Patience will be required by all.
Brian n, this is not about you at all. Nobody cares about you being upset that the Speedbowl may not operate. Nobody. The track is not obligated at all to the racers or fans. The racers participate at their own risk. The fans are customers, they can go to other tracks, or not. Find another hobby.
Now think of the victims in this case. Would you prefer to be another victim of Bemer, or a former racer/fan of the Speedbowl?
That was not your last response.
Boom boom boom. I think the Moodus Noises have nothing on the rambling, rumbling coming from
the Dareal’s and NH Mark’s of the world. News Flash fella’s!!! The crime is done. An open or closed
SpeedBowl doesn’t change that. If you go scoop up Bruce and throw him down that cavern in Moodus the facts still wouldn’t change. The deed done, all a court can offer up is compensation ..meaning cash. A sale of Mr Bemer’s assets will go to that compensation (including ….you guessed it.. The Speed Bowl.) Nobody on here is dismissing the victims of the alleged crime(s). Nobody …….
This site is about racing and in the case of the SpeedBowl …the lack of it. Come on down from your paper throne and spare us all the righteous preaching already.
Nobody will go near the place as it is. The season opens in a couple weeks. No way the place will be sold by then. Opening to no fans, no revenue, will be a huge mistake and incur losses, making the situation worse.
It’s a stench that is going to stick around the Speedbowl for a very long time.
Your only hope is that the fanbase doesn’t read or pay attention to the news, so they have no idea what is going on.
I guess Nascar agreed with our “righteous rumblings”.
As an example… 52 sponsors have cancelled support for Fox/Bill O’Reilly. Will you play the victim card when O’Reilly goes off the air?
This is democracy and capitalism at work.
If set up as an LLC no one can touch it that what the LLC does it protects anyone from going after it because of a lawsuit and protects him personally from anything with the bowl so it would be best for courts to allow a sale for the monies toward victims. I understand everyone leaving bowl and fans saying their not going but if sold your only supporting the racers not Bemer so if sold why won’t you go?? I agree mr Bemer will get his..
Hate to break it to you NH Mark, NASCAR doesn’t know your alive and was waiting around for you and Dareal to chime in? LOL… love that. NASCAR is all about PC you should know that. NASCAR pulls sanction… crime undone? Nope. You and they feel better about yourselves though. That’s nice.
The victims are going to get paid…clear as day and the more Bemer’s asset value the more they likely will get. Is it better to shutter the Bowl? I don’t see how.
The Bowl is nothing more than an asset to be liquidated. The Court and legal justice system has no interest in running it as track, or concerned if it ever does so again, only as an asset to be liquidated if it comes to that. The legal justice system doesn’t care if it opens or not, nor should it.
But we do.
One other thing; to the guy who says “get a different hobby or sport” never raced anything but his Kia when he was late for work. When racing is all u ever wanted to do since u were 10. All the years of sacrafice. Not eating so u can buy a new tire. All niters in the garage. The feeling when u get in the car and head out the pit gate. The rush of it all. When it’s ur life; and it’s taken away; a part of u dies. Who u are dies. May sound dramatic but true. Please; not to take anything away from the victims. I hope they pick him clean. But don’t belittle us owners and drivers by simply say “find another sport or hobby”. You have no clue.
While my heart goes out to the victims and their families the legal more here is as dumb as it gets. Any person with an ounce of business acumen would tell you the lawyers just cut the value of the property in half and if it remains closed and none operational in its current capacity for a year or more it will be worth even less. From that point of view, the move by the lawyers is not about the victims. One has to remember the real value of the property is the “Speedbowl” and the current permits allowing it to be operated as such. Once that function passes there is a great chance that the property will never be allowed to return to such a function. Resale, after that function passes also greatly diminished the value of the property while increasing the liability of future property owners based on probably environmental impact on the aquifer basically rendering the property off limits to any future investors.
Dj, the Speedbowl has been on life support for the last few years as it is. The recent auction sale drew very little interest. The value of the Speedbowl couldn’t get any lower. Then this happened, and that means that a good percentage of the fans will not show up, when the fan base was already extremely anemic. So just the news of what the owner has been admitting to has done plenty of financial harm to the Speedbowl.
Just as dareal said sponsors leaving Bill O’Reilly is democracy and capitalism at its finest. As were the results on election day the results of democracy and capitalism at its finest. Here’s hoping the Bowl can confound all the “experts” just like President Trump did on election day and continue to survive after all the “experts” have written it off.
Mike H, Trump pulled off the biggest con job ever, just in case you haven’t figured that out. Trump made promises he has now walked back and pivoted away from. Need the list? Not even close to a similar situation as to why sponsors are abandoning O’Reilly and the Bowl.
The biggest con job was conning the Democrats into thinking he had no chance
So has the Bowl been sold yet? Where’s that guy that knows?
Under new ownership yet?
News here?
http://sidsview.com/2017/04/17/a-slight-change-of-plans/