TMO Leadership Change

[byronj]

Rick, thanks for everything you’ve done for the community and keeping this place a great resource with no drama.

@Ludachris welcome to the family. Keep an eye on some of these older guys. I hear they can get cranky if they don’t get their daily dose of TMO.

 

[scmscout]

Thanks Rick and hello Chris!

 

[docs302]

Rick, thanks for maintaining such as great place for Mustang track rats to come and learn about how to make their cars work better and just plain have fun. I don't think I'd still own and track my Boss if it wasn't for this site and it's members. I wish you all the best.

Chris, you have big shoes to fill but I think TMO is in good hands.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

The reason so many of us came here is Rick made sure this was a place to ask questions, share your passion, and yes, make friends, with fellow Mustang track addicts. The Forum was bereft of the petty battles many places allow to escalate and it became a Stang Zone for those who wanted technical data, track analysis's, videos, upgrade info, and pleasant camaraderie. I think the fun amongst the members had alot to do with the fact that many folks in other machines could not believe that Mustangs could be so fast. Rick made sure to share every tidbit he had, found or could direct someone toward, and he built a respected reputation with many in the Corporate Automotive World. The difference was under Rick's direction, the Forum really was his third baby , and he wanted folks to share in his joy , but be respectful of others. Good clean fun was never discouraged , but disrespect his child and you would not be here for long. This is, in my mind, what a Forum should be about, a social gathering that has so much more body and ability to grow than quick little blurbs on other forms of media. This treasure trove of information for the niche we all belong too ( track Mustang pilots ) is the single best outlet of it's kind and Rick had to be sure it would go to a person with a true like interest. I respect his choice as I know it was well thought out and not rushed , so welcome to Chris and...................it has to be said, " I find the choice Rick has made not to be ludicrous at all!"

Welcome Chris and cool to learn more about your time with track exploits in Colorado and even Hastings,Ne. Gotta ask, while in Hastings, did you ever get a ride in the Bacardi Bus? It is a ride that many find hard to forget.

 

[VoodooBoss]

Thanks Bill. We were discussing the Bacardi Bus on FB and Chris commented he was at MPH when it first opened and doesn’t remember the bus. Shoot I hardly remember the bus and I was just there.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Well sounds like we will have to get him back to MPH.......be great to have you too!!

 

[TMSBOSS]

Rick

Thank You for making TMO what it is. Like Bill said, we need to see you in Hastings next year.

Chris

Welcome, you have big shoes to fill. I am sure we will be able to "Break you In" soon enough.

Looking forward to seeing you at Hastings 2020.

Tracy

 

[Bill Pemberton]

.... and to Buland , we need more posts from the land of chocolate, cheese, watches , Heidi, Ricola, and the centerpiece or the Alps!! Had an LS like yours and with barely over 200 ever made it would be super rare in Switzerland! Even if not on track , some shots of your Boss in your beautiful Country would always be appreciated. Have some friends with Vipers in your Country and believe there is also a pretty big Mustang Club there, so keep us posted on your activities with your tribute to Parnelli Jones Boss!

 

[VoodooBoss]

He’s a long time member and we met a few years back when he was through Sacramento on his annual pilgrimage to the US. There’s no bigger Mustang/Shelby fan in Switzerland.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Cool, hope can hear more from him as it is always fun and interesting to hear from Mustang owners around the Globe!

 

[Racerpilotalan]

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to let you know that I have transferred ownership of TrackMustangsOnline to Chris @Ludachris and he is now the new owner of TMO. Chris will introduce himself below in more detail.

As many of you know I haven’t owned a Mustang in almost two years. I’m still very interested in all things Mustang and potentially buying a new Mustang GT500 in the future (maybe in the second year of production). Since I retired from my career as an investment analyst about 18 months ago I’ve been spending more time on some of my other hobbies including restoring an old Husqvarna MX race bike. I thought when I retired I’d spend more time on TMO but the opposite has happened and I’ve been spending less time with the forum.

TMO has been my third child, at least that’s what my wife and kids say, and it was very important to me that if I ever sold it that it went into the hands of a like-minded enthusiast that had a genuine passion for Mustang. I’ve been approached a few times from larger Car Forum Ownership Groups to buy TMO but I never seriously pursued any of them because I felt that TMO would get neglected like so many other forums that were sold. I had another serious interest a few months ago from a smaller ownership group and that got me thinking more about selling. Chris joined TMO last summer because he owns a 2016 Mustang GT and liked the No BS vibe of our forum compared to some of the other larger Mustang forums. Sound familiar? Chris developed his own car forum years ago, https://www.dsmtuners.com/ , which is much larger than TMO. As it turns out Chris lives very close to me and we have met a few times to discuss forum stuff like software issues and the direction and future of forums. We have a similar approach of how to run a car forum and he has a lot more experience running/owning a forum and much greater technical expertise than me.

So why sell now? Besides my interests being spread wider over the past 18 months, the forum needs a new software update to stay current with security needs and to address some backend database concerns. Forum hosting and database management is in a constant state of change and the software needs to keep up with it. This is not in my realm of expertise. Chris is looking to update the software on DSMTuners and that led me to ask him if he was interested in buying TMO. He gave me a very enthusiastic yes!

There will be some changes that members will see but those changes would have happened whether it is Chris or me running TMO. These changes will also enhance your user experience. I know a lot of us don’t like change but we all survived when we upgraded to Zenforo and the new changes won’t be nearly that noticeable to you as users. Chris will keep all of us updated as he prepares to update the software but I suspect it will be a few months until that happens.

The transition is already underway and I will stay on as a moderator so you will still see me posting on TMO. I’m sure it will take some time for me not to check the forum every 15 minutes like I’ve been doing over the past 9 years!

I want to take this opportunity to thank @ArizonaBOSS @Grant 302 @steveespo and all of the other moderators we’ve had over the years for their help and support. I also want to thank @mattlqx for all of his technical support and hosting services over the past three years and he’s been a huge help for me on the technical side.

I also want to thank all of the TMO vendors for their support and for providing excellent technical advice and customer service to TMO members.

And a big thank you to you, our TMO members. It’s the members that have made TMO the best Mustang forum on the Internet. I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting many of you over the years and have cultivated many friendships during that time. You’ll still run into me at the NorCal race tracks and other Ford and car events around the country. Just because I’m selling TMO doesn’t change my passion for Mustang/Ford Products and all cars in general.

Please join me in welcoming Chris to TMO. See you at the track,

Rick

Hi Rick, Thanks for TMO. While I have not much to my car yet, it has been a great way to get back to racing. I enjoyed meeting y'all at COTA. Chris Welcome to your new world.

 

[dabossinnne]

Rick, thank you for running and nurturing such an outstanding automotive forum in TMO. There are none better anywhere on the Internet, and I mean that. I'm also on Rennlist and FerrariChat, and those forums don't come close to the level of respectful, informative discussion free from trolls and BS that you have here on TMO. So refreshing. Congrats and all the best wishes in your future endeavors.

 

[VoodooBoss]

I'm on Rennlist and many don't like modifying their Porsche's. A typical response is "you think you can do better than the German engineers?" Yes I can.

 

[Mad Hatter]

Thanks Rick, Your creation has been a HUGE HELP for me at the end of the world. Would not have had the success and enjoyment of racing a Boss these the last 5 years if it was not for TMO, Hope you get that GT500!!

 

[Wolvee]

Woah, DSMTuners, I haven't heard anyone talk about that board in years. I was over there early on in the early 2000's. I had a couple 4G63's. I tried logging on again a while back just for giggles and it didn't work, lol. That place surely was is a fountain of info and if you dared to ask one of the Prime Universe questions without searching, you were sure to regret it, lol.

I'm glad to see things moving forward.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

By the way , Chris , I forgot to mention I knew my son would approve of your buy in as he runs a very mean EVO 9 in SCCA Solo Competition ( trophied in 3rd at the Nationals in his Class ) and has been on DSM tuners.com over the years. One of his best friends is a die hard Mitsubishi fan , so I guess now you will have both myself and Ryan Pemberton on one of your sites , ha.

I probably better wander over to DSMtuners occasionally now, too, since I do run his EVO at times -- yes , Dad is the official tire warmer, ha,ha.

 

[Champale]

Well I wish both Rick and Chris the best of luck in their new endeavors! I love this site more than any other and appreciate all that Rick has done.

Also, as someone who has owned and loved 3 Evos over the years, I am glad to hear another Mitsubishi guy is now involved here!

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

It's been a great ride over the last 10+ years (!), let's keep it going!

 

[Grant 302]

*cough* 9 years *cough cough*

 

[TymeSlayer]

Grant, you should get someone to check that nasty cough of yours.