As we get set to head to Las Vegas for the 27th running of the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals, I want to take an opportunity to congratulate and thank my Managing Editor David Cole on his 20 years of commitment to eKartingNews.com, Howden Media Group, and karting as a whole. David started with my company in 2004 and watching him grow into his role, and expand his skill set consistently and with excitement, has been one of the joys of my business career. David’s level of loyalty and dedication is not overly common in motorsports, and I know how fortunate I am to have such a quality individual running EKN. To be honest, that’s a massive understatement. If you know David, you know how hard he works and how much he loves being at the track and with the community.

Here’s a little insight into how David’s continuing tenure with EKN got started. In 2004, I was approached by the owners of eKartingNews.com to buy the website. I was publishing three different magazines at the time – Shifter Kart Illustrated, Speedway USA, and FormulaCar – and was firmly six years into my new career as a publisher. EKN wasn’t a direct competitor of Shifter Kart Illustrated, as news websites were fairly new back then and I was only playing the technology for the magazines. I was friendly with the site owners, as we were providing the sport with two valuable forms of media coverage. We worked together on some level regularly. Eventually, they decided to move on from the sport and they believed that my company was best suited to continue their vision. The email I received from former owner Glenn Holland was truly a turning point for my company, and it was unquestionably a defining moment for David as well.

For 20 years, David Cole has been at the helm of eKartingNews.com, and is always keeping an eye on the sport
(Photo: Cody Schindel – EKN)

I agreed that EKN would make a great fit at HMG and bought the website, but I needed a full-time Managing Editor to run it. I was already tapped out publishing my trio of magazines and my full-time editor for SKI had minimal additional bandwidth. Understanding my needs, I looked at people I was already working with and quickly identified a 24-year-old kid from Grand Rapids, Michigan as my target. David loved the sport and was already a contributor to SKI as my Road Race Correspondent. I rolled the dice on my belief that I could train my new staff member on the job, knowing in my heart that having passion for the sport was more important than his abilities. Thankfully, I was right. David embraced the role from the green flag and dove in head first.

David had been providing race reports from the Michigan Kart Club and other road racing events for Shifter Kart Illustrated, so we already had a line of communication. He quickly accepted my offer and away we went. He took over the daily management of the site, helped write content, and managed the forums, which were wildly busy and often chaotic in the 2000s. Little did I know at the time that my new hire would end up working side-by-side with me for the next 20 years. From the get-go, David committed himself to learn the business and the craft, always delivering nothing less than 100% effort. Anyone who knows David can speak to his passion for the sport and the people, and his work ethic should be a model for anyone. Our trackside editorial program has been designed by David himself and he’s the guy who puts the plan into motion, which means he doesn’t stop all day. From our immediate results postings on social media to the post-race winner interviews, to writing and publishing the daily race reports while many are already tucked safely into bed, David just delivers. The EKN machine requires daily support and we’re always pushing out content, so it’s non-stop. Heading to Las Vegas for next week’s SuperNationals, you know that David has an in-depth plan in place and will put it all into motion alongside Nate Dean. Sometimes, I just stand back and admire it all.

David’s passion for the sport is deeply rooted in his love of driving and competition
(Photo: Cody Schindel – CKN)

David’s first SKUSA SuperNationals was in 2004, the organization’s first edition at Sam Boyd Stadium. I remember our excitement for the event that year, with ekartingNews.com now in our arsenal. It wasn’t just about announcing the race and then writing about the event for Shifter Kart Illustrated when we got back to the office. SKI’s Editor Tim Blaney was still with us at the time, and we dove in deep to optimize our ability to provide immediate coverage with the website. David hit the ground running as the SuperNationals were the first event that he attended in his new role. He brought a high level of enthusiasm and was motivated to push what the website could provide to our readers. After that race, he never looked back. We constantly evolved our editorial program and pushed out new content ideas, like our ‘Happy Hour with Howden’ podcasts in the mid-2000s, which he produced shortly after coming on-board. It’s been that way for 20 years, always looking to improve what we do by bringing fresh new ideas for telling karting’s story to our readers, listeners, and viewers.

DC and I have very similar views on the sport and I believe that’s what’s helped make us a formidable duo over the years. When you’re traveling together to a dozen or so races a year and sharing a hotel room, rental cars, and the dinner table, you better be good friends as well, and that’s where I’m lucky again. David’s like a brother to me, and we just enjoy being trackside together. As a business owner, I couldn’t ask for a better person to manage eKartingNews.com. But to then have him dedicate himself to my company, our website, and the sport – for 20 years – is beyond any expectation.

For 20 years, these two have worked side-by-side to provide the karting community with an online home
(Photo: Cody Schindel – CKN)

Away from the track, David excels with his family, as you would expect. He’s a fantastic husband to Ranee, and a great father to Aden and Ayla. Even though he travels to 20 races a year and is at his desk all week, he’s makes sure to invest his time at basketball games, tennis matches, and dance recitals. That’s just in his character to be there for his kids. I have to thank David’s family as well for sharing him with us, and allowing him to miss a few moments along this journey.

David, thank you for the last 20 years and hopefully the next 20 as well. You’ve earned every ounce of respect that this industry and community has for you thanks to an unparallelled work ethic and a passion and dedication for the sport of karting that is second to none. We’re lucky to have you at the helm of eKartingNews.com.

RH

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