Thank you to those companies and families who we call EKN Partners (Photo: USPKS)

As this post-Thanksgiving holiday week closes in on a new weekend, I find myself working away at my desk and giving continued thanks for blessings in my professional life. Among these blessings is this opportunity that my staff and I have to work in a sport that we love, day-in and day-out. EKN is a full-time gig, often far past ‘full-time’, and my overall commitment on a personal level through what I do with EKN and the USF Pro Championships took me on the road for 30 weekends this year. Over my 30 years as a journalist in the sport, that’s my most intense travel schedule. It was physically and mentally demanding, but I’m also incredibly grateful for this unique life focus.

2023 eKartingNews staff – David Cole, Rob Howden, and Nate Dean (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

With the SKUSA SuperNationals and Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror, I’m now focused on an annual task of a publisher who does business as a media outlet. At this time each November, I reach out to our advertising partners to confirm the renewal of their contracts with us. This year feels a little different, and I expect it’s because my company celebrated its 25th anniversary this month. As I reach out to our partners, I’m struck once again by the overwhelming feeling of gratitude. There would not be an eKartingNews without them. The banners you see on the website and our email bulletins, the commercials you hear in our podcasts, these are the companies that make EKN a reality. I fully understand what EKN provides the sport of karting, because I know the hours that we put in to produce the daily content that we do, and I hear and read the comments and offers of thanks from karters and their families around the country on a regular basis. It’s also because the people at the helm of these companies aren’t just partners, they’re friends. I don’t have a lot of friends at home, and when people ask about that, concerned for my well-being, I simply tell them that all of my friends are out on the road with me. I get to see them all the time, sharing the love we have for the sport each time we’re together.

As I said, we get a great deal of positive input from the community for what EKN brings to the sport, and that means the world to us. Early mornings and long nights during race weekends get a little easier when a mom or dad stops us in the paddock to thank us for our efforts. That said, we need to pass along some of this ‘love’ because none of it would be possible without our friends and partners in the industry. Like any karting business, it’s expensive to run a media company, and costs continue to rise. For us, the life blood is our marketing partners in the industry. I like to mention Curtis Cooksey and Brooke Parker from Acceleration Kart Racing when I speak of the longevity of EKN, because they’ll been advertisers on EKN and staunch supporters of our efforts since the day I bought the site in 2004. What more could a publisher ask for than a community of readers and enthusiastic racers, and a family of industry partners?

As you enjoy our content over the next month while we take a little break in the trackside action before 2024 fires things back up in Florida, please take the time to notice the banners on the website and the commercials in our podcasts. It’s these companies that make EKN possible. If they go away, EKN goes away. It’s the brutal truth of the business, but I’m fortunate to say that as we head into our 20th season with eKartingNews as a part of Howden Media Group, the karting industry has always been there for us. To those companies and families who we call EKN Partners, thank you.

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