It's been a busy couple of months since the season ended in November.
Our e34 has been undergoing an extensive reworking to sort out the wiring harness. As soon as that's completed it will be heading to a fabrication shop for a new roll cage. We've got a pile of parts in our basement waiting and tuning to do. I hesitate to guess when it will be ready, but provided the cage is the last of the shop work we should be able to take care of everything else in-house relatively quickly.
I wish that I didn't have to write this next part. Unfortunately the e34 has taken on a greater significance for us and the NASA Northeast community because the previous owner, our friend, Dave Flores, died a week ago in an accident while he was working on his current track car. We're still going to race the e34, but it will also be getting service as a tribute to Dave and a reminder of the fragile nature of our existence at all. We'll need a second seat for the e34 to give and get joy from rides when we're not racing it.
Dave's death has left a huge hole in the life of his young family and his extended track family. He was one of those folks that put others ahead of himself. To have him depart so soon is not fair. Massimo and I won't be asking, but friends have already offered to help finish the car. We are grateful. We won't be turning anyone down. It will allow us to share a few cuts and bruised knuckles with more of our friends.
Most of you already know about changes that Massimo and I are involved in with the club for the upcoming season. My intention before last week was to share what we'll be doing in a happy message.
For those of you who are not actively involved with NASA Northeast, what we'll be doing is taking on more responsibility for helping our events run smoothly. I've agreed to become the Chief Instructor and Massimo is taking on more leadership with our volunteers. While it's impossible to say how the events themselves will go, we look forward to the opportunity to influence the culture in our paddock. Thankfully the foundation that we have to work with is solid and we are excited to get what will be a bittersweet season started!
We look forward to connecting with each of you and creating tall tales in 2024.
Sincerely,
Ed and Massimo