International Motoring Tours Opportunity

[Bob Kerr]

 

I recently got acquainted with Bob Kerr and he’s given me the opportunity to introduce myself to the rest of you in the Wild Rose club. My name is Kris Skellenger, I’m a PCA member in Minnesota and a DE instructor with my local club - Nord Stern. I also run a travel company called SPD Action Travel (www.spdactiontravel.com) which specializes in international motoring tours with an automotive or motorcycle focus - and a healthy dash of historic and general cultural experiences. I’ve also visited your area when I brought my family to Calgary to start an RV trip up toward Jasper. We all love your part of the world and hopefully I’ll visit the area again in the near future - maybe for a Wild Rose group event! During our conversation, Bob asked what sets my company apart from some of the companies you may have seen advertising in Panorama and while we do offer similar experiences, there are a few things that do set us apart:

• Passion; There is no corporation behind SPD Action Travel, it’s just me. I’ve been active in some sort of track-related activities since I started karting as a kid. I’ve been an HPDE instructor for 15+ years, instruct with the PCA and have spent most of my time on track dragging knees and elbows on the ground while racing superbikes across the US. I’m an avid fan of Prototype & GT racing, Formula 1, MotoGP and many different Superbike series’ around the world and I can bench race with the best of them.I would say travel and finding new experiences is tied with motorsports as my top passion in life. My life in motorsports has given me the opportunity to travel to so many places around the world that I never would have had the opportunity to visit and I started SPD Action Travel to start to share some of those experiences with others that may want to check some things off their bucket list but don’t know where to even start to make that happen.

• General Appeal;  Each trip I put together has some sort of motoring experience as the focal point (international race events, track driving, multi-day driving tours, etc.) but I realize that not everyone has the same level of passion for cars as their partner so I make sure that there is an adequate amount of personal time and general tourist vacation things to do along the way. 

• Flexible Structure; I want people to get the most out of their experience and that can look different to everyone. Perhaps you have friends or family somewhat close to one of our locations; let’s see if we can find a way to get you to see them. Maybe you really wanted to visit a particular castle or museum; I’ll try to build in time to make that happen. Do you want to join a group drive and drive much faster or slower than the general group? You’ll have the route, the general schedule for all stops and you can make your way to the destinations at a pace you’re comfortable with. If there’s an easy way to make your experience even better, I want to try to make that happen.

• Value; My goal is to remove as many barriers to participating in a once-in-a-lifetime experience as possible and a big one is always going to be the cost. Participating in an international experience for a week or more is never going to fall into the category of “cheap” but when you look at everything that comes with an SPD Action Travel tour, you’ll quickly start to wonder why some other companies charge more than double what I charge for almost identical experiences. I am your tour guide on every trip, there to manage anything unexpected that pops up, adapt the plan based on the group’s desires and keep the entire trip running smoothly and stress free.

   

In 2006 we have three trips with Porsche owners in mind:

• 24 Hours of Le Mans & Normandy; Multiple days at the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans preceded by two full days visiting Omaha Beach and other historically significant locations and museums in Normandy, with an afternoon in Paris immediately following the Le Mans weekend. 

  https://www.spdactiontravel.com/action-tours/lemans-and-normandy-2026

• Alpine Porsche Drive; Ten days in Europe behind the wheel of a 911 driving through Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland while taking in some of the most iconic Alpine mountain passes. In addition to driving some of the best roads in the world, the Porsche museum, a factory tour of RUF, The Eagle’s Nest in Berchtesgaden, plus relaxing afternoons on the shore of Lake Como and the Swiss mountains are also part of the plan.

  https://www.spdactiontravel.com/action-tours/alpine-porsche-drive-2026)

• Black Forest & Nurburgring Porsche Drive; This 911 drive takes us through the Black Forest and to the Nurburgring where you’ll have the opportunity to drive the iconic Nurburgring Nordschleife in a track-prepped car and enjoy the great driving roads of the Eiffel Mountains. 

  https://www.spdactiontravel.com/action-tours/black-forest-nurburgring-porsche-drive

  If you have any curiosities about the specifics of any of our 2026 events, I’d love the opportunity to chat with you about it a bit more. I can be reached at kris@spdactiontravel.com or 651-491-9434.

Thanks!

Kris Skellenger"