E. John Thawley Iii Fan Club
The reason I am writing is to express my dismay over the absence of Mr. Thawley's column in the newest issue. That column is the first page I go to every time my new issue arrives. Was this month's absence just a fluke and will return next month, or are they gone indefinitely? I hope it was just a one-time occurrence, as his editorial (for me) sets the tone of the rest of the magazine
-Ryan S / HT Inbox
I fired him! If I never hear Thawley ranting about non-VTECs and beater race cars again, it'll be too soon! The long-winded blowhard has been exiled to the desert. In the September issue he suffered in triple-digit temperatures while shooting both the Cover Story and the American Gymkhana event. This month the lonely outcast is responsible for the photography seen in his story on Steve DiMartino's F20 powered Lakester. While Thawley's skills with the camera are far to valuable to get rid of him altogether, I was at least able to axe his column under the guise of creating diversity in perspective through "rotating columns." I feel this was a great decision since nobody liked his column anyway.
-AH
I was writing in to commend Thawley for his article in the Aug. '07 issue "A Case For Non-VTECS." In today's culture VTEC is considered the norm. Like a must have for all LS's and B20's. VTEC is an awesome technology and is one of the many reasons why Honda is where it is in today's tuner society. But, you'll look at most articles or featured rides in most magazines and see nothing but VTEC heads when the hood is popped. Like, non-VTECs aren't around anymore. I'm appreciative to Thawley for being steadfast with his appreciation for staying "old school." I'm appreciative to Honda Tuning for allowing people to express their opinion on such a grand scale. It's good to see a non-VTEC build or feature car here and there. I've experienced the VTEC and WAS going back and forth on whether or not to swap one on my b20z. But, then I picked up your latest issue and got that motivation I needed to go with my gut over going with what nearly every person in the world would recommend to do. Give Thawley a bonus for an awesome article and then start a nasty non-VTEC project race engine build or something.
-Matt Au / Nottingham, Md.
I couldn't agree with you more. Thawley's ability to stick to his guns in the face of normalcy is what makes him so unique. Unfortunately, some idiot replaced his monthly column with "rotating columns" or something like that, where the many different contributors to the magazine will get the chance to speak their piece. In this issue our other regular photographer, Rodrez, shares his thoughts on Web communities. Don't worry Thawley fans, John will be back up to bat soon. In the meantime I'm going to find the nimrod responsible for this outrage and fire him.- Andy Hope, who has enjoyed his three-issue stint as the guest editor of HT, but must now get back to the racetrack. I wish you all the best.
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