Texas Mike, Permanently Banned

"Texas Mike" who has posted probably over 30k photos on F-Chat was permanently banned yesterday for posting photos of a Tech session we had at my workshop "Moorespeed" for the Ferrari Club this past Saturday because he is now one of my employees. One of my clients loaned me his Matte Black LaFerrari so I could conduct Technical discussion covering all the amazing technology of this badass Ferrari. He was sharing photos of the newest most powerful Ferrari ever built for the street, not some off the wall topic but only after getting permission from the owner he could share photos on social media.....

Mike went back to the post to add some photos, tried logging in and got a note he was banned permanently for promoting a business. Really, come on, I fail to see the problem? I don't need help promoting my business, the only real help I possibly need from F-Chat now is helping me find another quality Ferrari Tech to hire because we have so much work here.

I knew nothing of Mike’s posting. He did not do it because I told him to do so, he did it to share something he was proud of and wanted to share with his friends....you folks. I could tell today something was bothering him and that’s when he told me about it. He’s really hurt and can’t believe he did anything causing him to lose his ability to communicate with his network of Ferrari friends on F-Chat.

Mike is a good kid who has grown into a good honest young man. I took him under my wing when he was down and out. I met him THROUGH FCHAT where he had taken pictures at my shop and used the name of my workshop in the description just like he had when at Ferrari of Houston or any other shop....he was not banned then. I chewed on his butt a bit for publishing a customer's name. After explaining I don't mind photos but clients names, VIN numbers, and license plates were not to be displayed in public. He got it.

Back then he was working at a Subway sandwich shop for $6 bucks an hour and struggling to live. It was obvious to me his passion was with the F-Cars so even though he had no car skills other than photographing Ferraris, I offered him $10/hr to come work here. I told him if he worked hard and learned the business, there was no limit to his growth with us. He started out the low man on the totem pole as the janitor, then to porter where he moved cars in and out and then to preparing cars to deliver where he detailed cars and help QC them. He has worked hard since those first days and he worked his way up the ladder to where he now interfaces directly with our clients. I'm proud of him, his skill set has evolved using his passion for Ferrari's as a springboard where now he actually writes service, orders parts, prepares estimates and many other hats here at our workshop. He pitches in where help is needed, a skill not many young many have these days….called initiative. Last week he came into my office and asked if he could help with the Tech Session. So I let him run with the ball. He set up all the details for this past Saturday’s LaFerrari unveiling where I could focus on the car and our visitors. It was his first time to organize an event like this. He arranged the breakfast and coffee vendors, coordinated employees to help; he took care of all the details so I could focus on presenting the car and its technology which is damn sure incredible. It was cool, he even had one of our techs play "Back in Black" by AC/DC on the shop stereo loudly as the car covers were lifted off the car. I call Mike the "Officer of Information" when it comes to Ferrari's. He loves them. He's an avid Ferrari aficionado that one day will have advanced his career enough to where he could potentially own one himself. It’s a real shame that the wind has been taken out of his sails. It doesn't have to be this way. He's really bummed.

Even more interesting, Mike posted the exact same photos in the section for the LaFerrari and left them all up intact. Nobody complained. It was appreciated.


It is guys with a passion for these cars like Mike that work or own workshops like mine that spent countless hours donating time as a "Consultant" that gave this website credibility early on. Guys like me that no longer post here. I don't post like I use to. Maybe once in a while in F1 section in the wee hours of the morning will I post so I can have someone to watch it in the middle of the night as my wife ain't doing that. But, why should I, or Mike for that matter anymore? My consultant status was taken away as well as other consultants as most of you know a few years ago. I was not a consultant of how to smoke cigarettes or a consultant because I'm an expert on Golden Retrievers, I was a consultant for my knowledge and experience working on real Ferrari's....what this website is all about, or so I thought. Now I can't even post a photo if I needed to help someone unless I "PAY". Why should I pay, I get paid to help people with their Ferrari's that's what I do. Giving away my time on this site has value, at least some people think so, and that was why I was made a consultant to help this website in the first place, in order for it to grow which it did....oops I guess I and others are not needed or appreciated anymore.....so I don't post anymore. It does not have to be this way.....I quit posting because I got reprimanded for trying to help the community exposing a scam with a photo of a fake title as compared to a real Texas auto title warning everyone that the scam artist was so thorough he even tried to legitimize getting a $20k deposit by setting up a PPI at Moorespeed "my shop" by calling me on the phone for the buyer. I posted my contact info and asked anyone to contact me direct if they had any info so we could put this ring of thieves in jail..... I get a post from Rob Lay telling me to stop as I was "promoting my business" and if I did it again, I'd be banned. I don't think I've posted a damn thing since other than meaningless F1 race chat. I fail to see how that post was doing anything but trying to help the entire Ferrari community pull together to catch a crime ring as well as save potential buyers from losing substantial investment on a fictitious Ferrari. And now this with Mike getting banned, it really strikes a nerve........

IMHO......"What comes around Goes Around "

I did not post this to get into a pissing match and I'll probably get banned too for this post and it will be completely erased so only a few of you will see it anyhow.
Reinstate Texas Mike.
Life is way too short, he did not do anything wrong.

David