You might have noticed that the February 2017 issue arrived in your inbox with a brand-new look, on the cover anyway. At least, I hope you noticed. Our art director Ashley Horne came up with a great new logo for Speed News, and though it might not seem like much to you, I was pretty excited about it.
Now that we’ve redesigned the cover, we have turned our attention to some of the more technological aspects of Speed News, namely the platform we use that creates the look, feel and function of a magazine. Starting with the issue you’re reading now, we’ve switched platforms to Uberflip, which is more flexible and more current than the old software that underpinned the magazine. We switched because it also enhances the reader experience.
Videos begin to play the moment you turn the page, the visual qualities are superior to the old platform and it’s more amenable to Internet users who are searching for the kind of editorial content Speed News provides. For card-carrying NASA members, the new platform offers improved methods for sharing the stories, photos and videos we publish.
That could be a great way for you to get some of your nonracing friends, who might be on the fence about joining the fun, to come out and enjoy a NASA weekend. How cool would it be to get more of your friends out to the track with you?
Over the next month or so, we’ll also be debuting new apps that will carry Speed News, and we’ll have them for Apple and Android platforms.
To give you an idea what to expect in Speed News in 2017, let me begin with this issue. As I have said before in this space, the purpose of Speed News is to be a benefit to NASA members, to provide news that is useful and stories that will help you become a better driver, make you a little handier with a wrench and inspire you toward greater creativity in building your own cars. We also produce Speed News to provide a platform to highlight the successes of NASA’s best drivers all across the country, to make you famous, so to speak.
In this issue, we’ve got an feature on racing in the rain. Written by pro driver and driving coach Kenton Koch, the techniques highlighted in the feature should come in handy this season when spring squalls can move in during a race weekend. Feel free to share it on social media.
We also are starting a new, multipart series on building a first-rate Spec E30. Spec E30 National Director Shawn Meze is building the car and producing the stories. With the exception of the roll cage, Meze will be building this car in his garage at home, just like most of us. That series will appear in Speed News throughout 2017.
As we wind down our “Class Syllabus” series, we present an inside look at Spec Miata, a class near and dear to my heart. I really enjoyed putting out the “Class Syllabus” features if for no other reason than getting the opportunity to talk to NASA racers around the country and find out why they’re so passionate the classes in which they race. Spec Miata is a great gateway into racing, so maybe that’s the story you share with friends who might be interested in getting involved in NASA racing.
Spec Miata provided NASA NorCal racer Matt Cresci with the opportunity to compete for $100,000 scholarship in the Mazda Road to the 24 Shootout at NOLA Motorsports Park last November, a prize he won. We’ve got the full story on Cresci, who will race in MX-5 Cup this season.
I’m counting on 2017 being a great year for NASA, its members and for Speed News, and I look forward to making this magazine the best it can be. Thanks for reading.
