Fifty years ago, a 10-year-old named Robby Shell was confronted with a temptation that could rival anything from the third chapter of Genesis, or at least “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
And gave in, albeit with much less disastrous consequences.
Shell is now the chief operating officer of the Perfection Machining Co. (Permco) in Streetsboro, but in 1973, he was just a pre-teen sports car fanatic with a working knowledge of how to use a clutch (at least on a motorcycle) and a father who had recently bought a white Porsche 914.
“It was too much to resist,” he said, laughing.
Shell and his dad would cruise around town on Saturday afternoons, with Shell paying particularly close attention to how he shifted gears.
“From there, it was just a matter of learning that feel as I moved backward and forward in the driveway, until I got the opportunity to take her around the block,” he said.
What was his dad’s reaction?
“He was both angry and proud,” he said. “I am fourth generation in our Permco family business, and I can’t recall any generation of Shell family members who didn’t have a love affair with sports cars.”
Fast forward to this winter. Permco was coming out of a 13-year sponsorship deal with two NFL teams — the Cleveland Browns and the Miami Dolphins — and while company leaders are “massively big fans of sports marketing,” the COVID-19 pandemic had changed their thought process on how, where and when he wanted to get together with employees and clients.
“It’s fairly hard to put 100 people in a skybox and the cost is really insane,” Shell said. “We were looking for something that gave us a little more outdoor adventure, a little more thrill, a little more horsepower — and we wanted a venue where we could invite more friends.”
Enter the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The Lexington, Ohio-based track was looking for a new title sponsor for the Vintage Grand Prix, its season-opening race and the longest continuously running spectator event at the 61-year-old course.
The Permco team made the 90-minute trip to Lexington, met with Mid-Ohio officials and — despite never having done anything with motorsports — agreed to become the title sponsor for both the Grand Prix (which runs from June 23-25) and the American Motorcyclist Association’s (AMA) Vintage Motorcycle Days (July 21-23).
“We were like, ‘We’re all-in; sign us up,’” said Shell, who declined to reveal the length of its partnership but said they’re in it for the long-haul. “We went from 0 to 200 when it comes to motorsports and outdoor adventures. The Mid-Ohio gives us the opportunity to bring lots of friends and lots of partners (to the events).”
They’ll have plenty of company.