Welcome to the November 2021 edition of CHALLENGE and my final column as Editor in Chief. 

“If you’re going to stand on it at all, stand on it now. The longer you wait, the slower you get”

– Stroker Ace

That line is from the dedication page of one of my favorite books about cars and the car culture – Stand On It by Stroker Ace. Stroker’s character – a hard-drinking, hard-driving, race-car driver – is thought to be based on the real-life exploits of several professional drivers: AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti, and Richard Petty among them. And that line, one of two from the book that has been burned into my memory, pretty much sums up how I go through life. (The other line being, “7 & 7 – the drink that makes better drivers of us all”).  Set your sights on something, put the hammer down, and go for it as hard as you can. And if you break a few things along the way, well, that’s just the way it goes.

When I started working on the digital version of CHALLENGE in January of 2019, the goal of the Challenge Transformation Team (Shelley, Phil, Jeff and myself) was to create a digital version of the much-beloved printed magazine. My goal was a bit more expansive: I wanted CHALLENGE to be better than the PCA website and Panorama. I wanted to stand on it.

In my vision (or delusion – you’re allowed your opinion), I saw a digital magazine that would have color photos and videos in the articles, stand-alone photo galleries; a calendar that would appear on every page of the website, which would contain more comprehensive data about the events and include a ticketing system. The new CHALLENGE would have columns from all the activity chairs, and Feature articles from notable writers, and subject matter experts within the automobile world. I envisioned a YouTube channel that would contain highlights from our activities, instructional videos, and videos from the Members; a password-protected section of the website that would be available only to club members with race results, electronic forms to simplify processes; an enhanced social media presence that, when combined with the new digital version of challenge would be a catalyst for growing the club beyond where it was and into the larger Porsche enthusiast market. I saw a way of doing advertising that would both increase revenue to the club and provide actionable visibility into the interactions between our users and those advertisers.

For the most part, the rest of the transition team got out of my way and let me run with my vision. Maybe they were afraid that they’d get run over, but in the end, I think it all worked. CHALLENGE has exceeded my expectations for what a Club magazine should be. I didn’t get everything I wanted, but who does? And it’s now time for me to move on.

A big part of moving on meant leaving the club. So I sold the Boxster at the end of September (it took 2 days in this crazy market) and went back to a Mazda Miata. I’ve had two others before this one (a black 1996 NA and a black 2009 NC MK3) so this will be my third. Truth be told, while I loved my Boxster, Miata’s fit me like a glove or a well-worn pair of jeans. And, if I’m being completely honest, the Miata costs substantially less to repair when something breaks.  At my age, a lower cost of ownership means one less thing to worry about.

This one is an arrest-me-red (aka True Red) 2006 NC MK 1. I’ve already fitted the car out with a new Japanese Domestic Market only OEM flat-bottom steering wheel and a new exhaust system from Good-Win Racing. The new seats (black with red center inserts) go just before Thanksgiving, and over the winter, SpeedSport Tuning is adding new wheels (black) and tires (wider), a roll bar, coil-over shocks, a sway bar, and some chassis bracing. But I digress.

Beginning with the January issue, Caroline Abba will assume the role of Editor-in-Chief of CHALLENGE. She will also be taking over the challengechair@cvrpca.org email address so going forward, if you need to reach me for any reason, please use eric@standonitmarketing.com or support@carsandcoffeeevents.com. I couldn’t be more pleased. Caroline has done a remarkable job with Advertising Sales and she’s going to make a great CHALLENGE Editor. Mike Keller will continue as Webmeister for the Club’s website and will take over the technical maintenance of CHALLENGE. If something breaks, y’all can reach out to him. Jeff Coe will be handling the Club’s Event Calendar, the weekly Event Update emails, and The Mart. Paul Roth will be overseeing the Photo galleries. Capable people, all around. (CVR-TV is still unstaffed, so if anyone wants to step up, please let Allen or Shelley know.)

It’s been a blast, and I will never forget the friends I’ve made at CVR. I’m still working with Lime Rock Park and the Lime Rock Drivers Club, so if you’re up there for any non-CVR events, you’ll probably see me around from time to time.

In the meantime, y’all stay safe. Don’t forget, life is short – Stand on it.

Eric