Chris Locke

Temperance: Checkered Past Productions™ – Interfanatic Customer Spotlight

When the going gets tough, the tough stay calm – that’s temperance. It’s easy to be faced with an overwhelming mountain of tasks or mishaps and to crumble under the pressure. It’s easy to lose your cool. But there are those experienced enough to know how to keep getting up, prioritize, and move forward. They use their temperance to their advantage to make progress through adversity.

That’s why we celebrate temperance this week. It’s easy to think of the best-tempered people on whom our lives depend: the veterans. As we thank them for their service, we think of all the adversity they pushed through and have to push through every day. May hard-learned temperance keep them healthy.

I immediately think of Chris Locke, of Checkered Past Productions. Locke is a living example of temperance.

Checkered Past Productions: Calm During the Storm of Production

Chris Locke is one of our favorite clients. (Wait, we say that about all of them, don’t we? Well, it’s true!) One of the key things you notice about Chris immediately is his calm demeanor. This is a key advantage when things get a little bit nuts. And during any kind of production (film, event), things get a little bit nuts. There’s little that can be done. As deadlines approach and pressures mount, some people lose their cool, at the very least they start to get excited.

And that’s where Locke makes a difference. He’s the calm one. Everyone else is frantic, but Locke knows how to put the right people in place, and trusts the process. He knows it will come together, because he’s done this before. And even when he hasn’t (it happens rarely), he’s been around this rodeo enough to know how to react and adjust.

Locke is a consultant for production companies engaged in the historic motorsports scene. “Vintage Racing” is another circus that travels the world that, if you’re not in the know, you may not know exists. But to the women and men who participate, it is a focal point of deep passion.

They just want to have fun. They just want to share their passion – to show their friends why they’re excited about their piece of the puzzle. And Locke helps them do that. Whether it’s creating a historic racing event or recreating an authentic, historic motorsport experience in-person or for film, Locke has done that. That’s what Checkered Past Productions is – it’s the tempered enthusiasm that keeps things moving smoothly.

A 40-second video showing a simple website we built for Chris Locke and Checkered Past Productions.

We like to have that influence, too. We like to be the calm in the storm. When a client is having difficulties with everything else, at least they know they can count on us, and our systems and processes, to keep our part of their project under control.

We did this very simple website for Chris Locke. As the pandemic finally starts to wane a little bit and everyone who wants to be is finally getting vaccinated, events begin again. Expect some changes to the site over the coming years.

Temperance: An Interfanatic Quality

Temperance to be a virtue must be free, and not forced.

C. A. Bartol

A couple of years ago, we highlighted a Sam Clemens quote about temperance. C. A. Bartol makes a similar point Clemens did: don’t force it or overdo it. Bartol’s point is that it’s best when it comes naturally. For it to come naturally, it must become habit, a part of you.

That’s why we try to build out our systems and processes. That way, there is temperance built into our work. Fewer surprises, fewer excitements – our projects just work.

Interfanatic Service Focus: Interfanatic Basic Website Production

Last week, we told you about Charmy Harker, The Penny Lady® and how she created a fantastic business with her quickness. We worked together with her to create a wonderful ecommerce website for business with Interfanatic Power Business Website Production at its core. This week, I’ll tell you about how we sometimes start small with clients. A place they often start is with our Interfanatic Basic Website Production.

Most businesses prefer to start small. Many successful people find it’s better to limit your outlay until you’re established. Once established, you can reinvest. Often, we deal with clients who are ready to grow, and their current team isn’t. But we’ve been involved with projects at every stage, and we love helping small businesses grow.

“We’ll put together a basic website for you for only $500.”

One of the things I like most about my business is our ability to work with clients through all stages of development. It’s how we’ve kept great customers for so many years.

So if you’re just starting out, you have probably put a lot of thought into how you want to do things and the story you want to tell. You can’t afford much yet until you have a few clients keeping you going. For you, there is Interfanatic Basic Website Production. We’ll put together a basic website for you for only $500.

This doesn’t have anything. This is bare bones! As with all our Basic products and services, it’s minimum cost and value packed. You have to trust us on design as there isn’t a budget for much adjustment. You have to give us all your content as there’s no budget for us to create it for you. There isn’t our typical strong SEO or lightning fast load because there’s no budget for it. (That said, there is some SEO built-in because we always do whatever we can with your budget – it’s just not nearly as strong as the Power build we do that is built around strong SEO). But it’s a solid start to get you going. If you want those other things, the price is $1,500 and up, which is just not acceptable to many very small businesses when they’re just starting out.

But the best news is that we can work with you. And over time, as you’re able to reinvest in your business, we’ll help you grow your website to reflect your needs.

Interfanatic: Tempered to last.

If you’re tired of hearing stories, or listening to excuses, or getting unwelcome surprises, we’re here to help. We don’t like those things either. We do everything we can to avoid them. Stuff still happens, but with Interfanatic systems and processes in place, it’s less often and less extreme. Temperance built right in to all our project. So call us now. No matter your budget, we have the answer.


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Gratitude: Checkered Past Racing – Interfanatic Customer Spotlight

Every day, remember gratitude. Be grateful for what you’ve got rather than avarice for that which you do not.

I always think of Chris Locke. Not only is he a grateful guy, I’m personally very grateful to him. He is a dream customer. He’s the kind of customer every business wants.

And the quote we focus on is a good one. I feel like it’s been beaten into cliche, but Sterling Brown gets credit because he quoted it to a popular rag. I’m guessing it may have been passed down to him, but regardless, it’s a great sentiment.

Being thankful isn’t hard when you have so much to be thankful for in life. It can be easy to lose focus when things aren’t going your way. But gratitude is a great way to get your head on straight again.

Checkered Past Racing: A Grateful Life, Fulfilled

Locke and I met through our mutual passion – racing. Long ago, in a galaxy far away, Chris and I used to race together, albeit he up the track further than I, usually. He created CheckeredPastRacing.com so many moons ago to share his schedule with his friends and family. If they wanted to come watch, they have an easy, memorable website to go to to find his whereabouts.

When we did the original project for Chris – so long ago – man, that was a fun one. We did a Flash intro animation, which was all the rage at the time. My friend and colleague Zane Kohler was the cartoonist behind it, and it was awesome.

Time moves on, Flash is no longer en vogue; now it’s all about big pictures and simple UI. So that’s what we went for when we redesigned the site for Chris a couple of years ago. It serves its purpose now better than ever.

A demonstration of CheckeredPastRacing.com.

Last week, we spoke about how all of our fresh websites are responsive. It was one of the chief design requirements when we did this site a couple of years ago to ensure it works well on mobile devices. The old site worked okay – you could find and see stuff. But we designed this site from the get-go to work on desktop and mobile.

Check out this quick video that shows some of the highlights of the site: https://checkeredpastracing.com

Gratitude: An Interfanatic Quality

Always have an attitude of gratitude.

Sterling K. Brown

No matter what’s going on, you’re here. That is quite likely better than the alternative. This, too, shall pass.

And when things are really going well, remembering gratitude keeps your attitude in check.

Gratitude at times comes easily. But we choose to combine this week’s quality with last’s: diligence. It’s important to be diligent with gratitude. We try to ensure we work it into our daily routine over here. Not obnoxiously, but such that it is always there.

We are so grateful for our wonderful customers, upon whom we have built this business. We work hard for them as our way of showing gratitude.

Interfanatic Service Focus: Interfanatic Basic Management

Last week, we reminded you about how all our fresh design/build projects use responsive design. This week, I’ll remind you one way we express gratitude for our clients daily: by managing their websites effectively.

When I say we manage your website, I mean hosting, SSL, email, and labor. We have management plans for customers of all sizes. If you want excellent, active and adaptive SEO, we have management plans with that built right in, too.

“That’s what our management is. It’s active, rather than passive. It’s preventative, rather than reactive. That way, our customers sometimes even forget we’re there.”

See, we’re always working for our customers, whether they know it or not. We’re always on, trying to ensure we take care of any problems that arise before they even know something’s happening.

That’s what our management is. It’s active, rather than passive. It’s preventative, rather than reactive. That way, our customers sometimes even forget we’re even there. Which is, really, how it should be. We do our thing for you so you don’t have to worry about it.

Interfanatic: Grateful, always hungry to be more grateful.

We’re here for you. We appreciate you. We’re grateful our customers are in our lives. And we work hard to make sure they know it, whether they see it or not. And we’re always willing to do more for them. Ask, and we’ll answer the call. We’re here for you, and we’ll do our best for anybody you recommend.


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Temperance: Checkered Past Racing & Chris Locke – Interfanatic Customer Spotlight

Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice.

Thomas Paine

Moderation in temper is always a virtue: check. It’s never a good time to lose your temper. Moderation in principle is a vice: check. It seems like now more than ever we need to live by guiding principles to hold our society together. And while we need patience and temperance to understand and further common goals with people not exactly like us, being temperate in principle is a bad idea, says Thomas Paine.

But temperance is a wonderful way to be. Not too much. Not too little. Just right.

I immediately think of our customer Chris Locke, and his Checkered Past Racing. Locke is the model of temperance. He rarely if ever loses his temper, even in situations where it would be expected.

I can always rely on Chris Locke to be a voice of moderation. It’s an inspiration in my dealings with others, and in business.

Temperance: An Interfanatic Quality

We have spent decades building systems and processes to keep an even flow. To keep websites running, to keep workflow steady, to keep excellent relations with our customers, we rely on temperance. It makes a better experience for everyone when things go as planned.

It doesn’t always work out that way. But that’s what we’re gunning for every day. Not too fast, not too slow, just right. And completed properly.

Checkered Past Racing™: Temperance in Action

In a sporting setting, it’s easy for things to get heated. I’ve seen Locke race many times – and get into sticky situations. Most are not his fault. He seldom, if ever, gets excited. He’s able to keep his head down and complete the race, often with the result he wants, without losing his cool. That’s temperance.

“…cool, collected drivers must maintain temperance to ensure the exciting but safe execution of a historic racing event. Locke always executes.”

In racing, it’s really easy to get yourself in a bad position if you don’t keep your head. Racing a car requires massive concentration, and the consequences of losing concentration is exacerbated by the vintage machinery. Racing is always dangerous, but the cars Locke races are immensely more dangerous than their modern counterparts. They have many safety improvements, but inherently they’re not as safe as being built with the latest technology. As such, cool, collected drivers must maintain temperance to ensure the exciting but safe execution of a racing event. Locke always executes.

His cars are beautiful and historic. Chris Locke races a Lotus 27 Formula Junior, a Lotus 77 Formula One, and most recently, a Merlin Formula Ford. Look for upcoming articles about the Merlin.

The Lotus 27 is the culmination of mid-1960s formula car technology. It’s light, lithe and nimble, and powerful for its type. Unfortunately, many of the other cars in his class are similar in power, so Locke must keep his wits about him. Locke maintains his concentration, and carries more speed through corners than his competitors to win.

The 1978 Lotus 77 is in a whole other world of power and technology. Although there’s just over a decade between the cars, the Lotus 77 is a quantum leap forward. Colin Chapman’s next Formula One design, the Lotus 79, would prove to be yet another quantum leap in technology, so this car contains the beginnings of a Formula One revolution. None other than Mario Andretti raced Locke’s Lotus 77.

When operating a 500+ horsepower, high downforce Formula One Lotus as Locke does regularly, an erratic right foot will create a disaster. Only Locke’s addiction to temperance helps him cross the finish line every time.

When I look through our book of business, it’s hard to find a character more devoted to the even keel than Chris Locke. It is our pleasure to work with him through his Checkered Past Racing.

Interfanatic Service Focus: Interfanatic Power Marketing Package

To keep business flowing evenly, a solid and predictable marketing plan will keep an even, solid and predictable flow of customers coming in. Without sales, you have nothing.

A diverse marketing plan that includes digital ads, reputation management, content marketing, email marketing, and social media will keep your business’ presence top of mind for prospective customers. Properly managed, you can turn up and down the flow of customers evenly.

Not sure to start? No problem. That’s exactly what we’re here for. We’ll learn about your business, get you to answer a few questions, and custom tailor an entire marketing plan to your budget.

Interfanatic: Temperance Keeps Us Steady

Day in, day out, our customers depend upon us to get the job done. We can’t always do everything at once. But we can keep the steady stream moving to ensure their project’s success.


This week’s image:
Interfanatic‘s founder, Ryan Delane, takes or creates every image you see in our social feed.

Temperance, an Interfanatic Quality. Interfanatic Digital Marketing founder Ryan Delane takes or creates every image you see in our social feed.
Temperance, an Interfanatic Quality. Interfanatic Digital Marketing founder Ryan Delane takes or creates every image you see in our social feed.

For life to flourish, there must be temperance. Whether it’s the depths of the ocean or a mountain forest, that region must remain temperate. Extremes destroy, in politics, in life, and in the ecosystem. This pretty little succulent is a reminder of how good we have it here in California. And it’s an inspiration to keep things going the right way by avoiding extremes. As Paul Simon said,
“…Goldilocks and the three bears
Nature in the crosshairs
And how we all ascended
From the deep green sea
When it’s not too hot
Not too cold
Not too meek
Not too bold
When it’s just right and you have sunlight
Then we’re home”
Excerpt from Hurricane Eye, You’re The One, 2000

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Checkered Past Racing Announces 2010 Schedule Including Monaco, Monza

Chris Locke, proprietor of Checkered Past Racing and bone fide Lotus Nut, is looking to have a fantastic 2010.  Included in the schedule are trips to Monaco for the Historic Grand Prix, Monza to taste the World Championship-winning Lotus 79 ground effects at the Parabolica, and a couple of HMP starts with the new Rahal-run Historic racing group.

Chris Locke in Clive Chapman's ex-Jim Clark Lotus 32B at the Goodwood Revival, 2009.
Chris Locke in Clive Chapman's ex-Jim Clark Lotus 32B at the Goodwood Revival, 2009.

After successful runs in the Clive Chapman-run Lotus 32B (ex-Jim Clark Tasman 2.5 Liter F1 – pictured) including a  win at Algarve, Chris will be running that car again at other European venues, including Spa-Francorchamps.  He is also planning to run in the controversial SCRAMP-run new Monterey Historic and many of the standard HMSA and CSRG events that have been staples of his schedule for many years.  He will be running his Lotus 77 again in the Streets of Monte Carlo, which will be a highlight along with the Lotus 79 at Monza and Spa.

David McLaughlin once shared, “back when I was a dumb kid, I snuck into Monza – well, back in those days it was a lot easier to do these things, you see… and I found my way to the apex of the Parabolica.  I waved at the corner workers and they didn’t seem to care, so I stayed to revel in Jody Scheckter doing these phenomenal, perfect four-wheel drifts in the Shadow.  It was amazing to watch – and then here comes Andretti in the new Lotus, this aeroplane looking thing, and he goes sweeping around Scheckter on the outside! Wha!  I was amazed, and I turned to look down to the pits and I could see everyone scrambling, running around with their hands in the air, saying ‘Bloody ‘ell, what has Colin done this time?!'”

Indeed.  So Chris will get to experience Monza for the first time from inside that car.  Should be a fun year.

Have a look at Chris Locke’s Checkered Past Racing.  You may prefer to review his schedule.

Learn more about how WSmad handled Chris’ project in our portfolio sample at Quietus.us.

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