So long, farewell, alvederzane, goodbye...

In 1999, my father Dale, my brother Keith and I were getting back into road racing after a very long layoff, and were struggling with getting up to speed in our new-to-us reynard FC. The options to find good help at the time were minimal, and those that were available were not welcoming to new racers. In a burst of energy, creativity and selfishness, I used my background in managing automotive discussion communities and created version 1.0 of what is known as ApexSpeed.com today.

Fast forward to current time, and I have long been away from racing—and my brother and father who continued on for years in FC and FE have sold everything and also gotten away from racing (though my brother Keith is now instructing part time with Skip Barber).

Early this year I made a post about our desire to sell ApexSpeed and walk away from the site. It generated so much genuine interest, it was overwhelming. In the end, more than 20 groups or individuals expressed interest in keeping this site going. Since then, we were able to narrow it down to one group who will take the reigns and continue to build and grow this site moving forward.

The site has been sold and fully transitioned to Keith Roberts and Will Horn, and I can't thank them enough for the ease and simplicity for this transition. I couldn't be happier with the passing of the torch. I'm sure they will chime in shortly so that you can put a user account to a name and start to learn of the new leadership. Keith's user number is in the 900s here, which means that he's been around for almost the entire life of the site. Will has an immense background in IT and software management, so I don't think we could found a better team to take over and continue ApexSpeed moving forward.

Kim has already disconnected completely from the forum here and the day-to-day operations. I will be sticking around for a short while to help smooth out the transition of the site and community to new hands, but at some point, I will slide to the back of the room and then out the door completely. My time here is done.



I want to personally thank all of you for your ongoing support for these 23-odd years here. The help you have all provided to everyone on the forums has been monumental in keeping the quality of ApexSpeed's community at a very high level. This place isn't anything without the members who generate the discussions and the content.

It's been an incredible run for us on a site that was almost completely a whim and an accident. I can't believe how long it's been—more than half of my adult life. Crazy when you think about where we started and what we've seen.


Thank you guys again, and please give a warm welcome to Keith and Will as the new owners of ApexSpeed.



Cheers,

Doug & Kim


:checkered:

thank you for the years of effort and all you've done for the racing community! :checkered:

Many thanks to you and your team for maintaining an absolutely indispensable website that supported and guided so many of us.
Enjoy your retirement :greenflag::checkered:

Doug, Kim and all involved in operations of Apexspeed, thank you for the standard you all set here and the passion you all put into this site. Thank you all for sometimes having to throw out the black flag all and keeping the site a mature place where information can be shared and a small amount of ribbing can still take place.
The site you all created here is an absolute invaluable resource to the sport and all involved should be extremely proud of what you've done here.
To show my true appreciation, I'll forgive you guys for booting me off the site the two times that you did. lol !

Cheers, Mike

Apexspeed is something you can be very proud of.

People talk about service to community, but within our racing community your service is second to none.

Best wishes for your future endeavors.

I’ve posted well over 20,000 times since 2011 on a competing, though international, racing forum.

When I started posting here, I had real concerns that it could be even less friendly in these often terse times, even more so than the other forum had too-often been, and continues to be at times.

But I had underestimated this place, and in a way, my own people. I was wrong, gladly so, even though early issues here had me demanding that you remove my account for reasons only us two know.

Thanks for not listening to that demand. In the end, you were right.

I wish you, and Kim, and your brother Keith only the best and brightest of futures — and hope you even race again sometime. If I know anything of this sport, it may not even be a choice if you do.

Amen to the StoneBridge comment, ". . .an absolute invaluable resource to the sport." The Open Wheel and Sports Racer community are indebted to you and your family's amazing contribution to our sport. For any racecar problem, forget about Google! The absolute uncontested best resource has always been ApexSpeed. Simply amazing!

Welcome and congratulations to Keith Roberts and Will Horn. We look forward to their ownership (Nay, Stewardship) of this great resource. :greenflag::greenflag::greenflag:

I only found you a year or so ago. What I have learned in that short period could have never been found anywhere else. Thank you for your dedication and to all of the members that make this forum great. Good luck in your future endeavors.

Obviously this site has had a HUGE impact on my life....

I honestly have no idea what to say other than thank you. I was an early user from FF underground days. No idea what we would all do without this forum. What you have done for our community is beyond words.

Thank you!!

I can't say it better than the previous posts, but I can echo all of these sentiments. I've been on here almost daily since I signed on in 2001. And of all the sites I've visited, NOBODY has run one better.

:thumbsup:

Can't say enough about how much this site has helped me! Not only a vast resource of experience but also a great community! I have more real life friends thanks to this site and have been fortunate to get to know some really special and legendary people!

This is the only site I'm on more than Social media! Thanks Doug, Kim and all the Carters who put their efforts into keeping this forum useful, friendly and ever more valuable!

I joined in March of 2003, looking to go racing in Formula Ford. This site and the very patient members saved me an enormous amount of grief learning my way. I've tried to return the favor whenever possible.

Best wishes to you both and your families for your next adventure.

Looking forward to ApexSpeed 2.0

Dan Wise

Thanks Doug, Kim, the Carter family, and you, the ApexSpeed community!

What has been built here is one of the most interesting and informative things I've ever been a part of, and your fingerprints and ideas are thankfully ingrained within a thriving community to guide us forward! Thank you Doug and Kim for helping us make the transition as seamless and clear as possible, I've enjoyed our work and chats and you and your family always have spots held at ApexSpeed!

As Doug wonderfully and kindly pointed out, I am a technologist - I solve business problems with technology. I also love racecars, having cavorted as GrandMarnier here earlier while teching with Keith in FM, FC, and FB. I have a lot of fun stories but mostly have been building a family and doing a lot of creative problem solving with tech instead of track time with my friends over the last decade or so.

When I had the chance to actively partner with Keith to grow at ApexSpeed, literally it's the coolest opportunity I've ever had to combine 3 passions - I also love people, particularly serving and building communities, and this is a place with so much opportunity for inclusion and growth for all!!

I'm sure Keith will say hi soon and we'll share more as we settle in, and also appreciate your support and patience if you've noticed the transition :) I'm hopefully around the forum more and more as time goes on, and we'll always be responsive to site needs and transparent about any concerns, our goal is to sustain and healthily grow ApexSpeed alongside you.

I also look forward to reconnecting with some of you, and connecting with anyone here for hearing your ideas or feedback at any time. Feel free to mail me at will@apexspeed.com, it may take a sec but I'll respond and look forward to it.

Thank you again Doug, Kim, the entire Carter family, and this amazing ApexSpeed community for getting us to here! I am so excited to see where we go, onward!!!



Will

I didn’t know anything before Apex and hopefully won’t ever have to find something else after apex. Came here when searching for my first formula car and that’s how I met Jed Copham- God rest his soul. And since that FE then to PFM and now F3000 I’m grateful to this community for the shared knowledge, experience, camaraderie and friendships.
Thanks to the Carters for being facilitators and helping link us all together. Godspeed wherever life takes you next.

mikey

Thank you for all you have done for the racing community. Best of luck in your next endeavor. ~ Cheers!

Piling on: there is no other forum, automotive or otherwise, that is anywhere near what the Carters have created here. I trust Doug's judgement completely and I'm confident he has put his baby in good hands. Thank you all for the community you've created here and in the "real world".

Thank you, Carters, for this forum. It has been invaluable in helping solve some problems with both the SoloVee and the burned Reynard. And it has been wonderful just communicating with other members of the motorsports community. Thanks, again.:checkered:

Say it with the Gomer Pyle accent > Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I must add I'm from the 20th Century.......you know......back when it was said we were going to run out of oil before the year 2000 - and Social Security was going to run out of money then too.......so I don't FaceBook or Meta or Link or Insta or Paypal or all that other Techno stuff......I can't remember if I've even ever posted a picture here. So please Keith, do like Doug was so kind to do for me in the past.......anytime I needed to pay anything to Apex.....he provided me with his address and I mailed him a check..........which, by the way.....is something I'd like to do at this time again so as to be a contributing member to the 'new' site. Post address here or PM me, thank you, thank you, thank you

Back Home Again, In Indiana.............National Anthem/Fly Over.............."Start Your Engines," Mrs. Hulman would say

This is one of a very few places I can visit and feel like a racer even though I'm unable to find the time to get out on the track.

Thanks for the finest website of any type I have ever seen.

As more of a fan than an active racer this site has still been an invaluable source of information and entertainment. My second stop every morning for nearly 17 years. Thank you so much and best wishes to the Carters.......and to the new admins as well.

Carter family -

Thanks for your work to develop this site over the years. Your contribution to the community can't be overstated.

Hope to see you guys at the track sometime soon.

Ron Boltik

A big "thank you!" from the UK for creating Apexspeed. It never ceases to amaze me how a forum can keep so many people, ideas and opinions together without chaos ensuing!

In the few years I have been a member, I have found it to be an invaluable source not only of information, but friendship and advice too.

It is a rare - possibly unique - thing you guys created, built and maintained, so thank you again and I wish you all the best for the future!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tlracer

It never ceases to amaze me how a forum can keep so many people, ideas and opinions together without chaos ensuing!

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It usually does. That's what makes ApexSpeed nearly unique. I'm going to keep faith that doesn't change.

Agree with it all. Little to add except that there were times when I literally couldn't have continued racing without this site. I wish you guys all the best, and thanks!

Thank you to the Carters for this magnificent site. I’ve been a member since 2003 and the knowledge I’ve gleaned over that time span not only kept me encouraged to pursue and ultimately achieve my racing goals but also helped me just come to appreciate the racing community I’ve become involved with. I was so fearful this site was going away and am relieved new owners will keep it alive. There are folks on the site who have forgotten more than I’ll ever know so I’m thankful for the site and the access. I wish the new owners all the best and similarly, all the best to the Carters in their new pursuits. You done good! :checkered: