Well the weather is starting to warm up and normally that would be a good sign for our passion. This year however as i am sure you are aware is not the most encouraging of times. I have been trying to stay tuned on the racing events that have not been affected by this COVID 19 situation. I think the track management is trying to work out plans to open but with restrictions to comply with the states orders. This is indeed a complex issue and I don't have any idea how to proceed with our schedule. One of the issues with this pandemic is that it definitely has an effect on older people and particularly those with some type of preexisting medical issues. Many of our members fit into this category. I am wondering how many members will feel safe when attending events if and when the tracks get the OK to open. This will be a personal decision and I don't feel it is right for me to make suggestion on the safety of attending races. I know there is a lot of different ideas floating around about the seriousness of the spread of this illness so I think you need to evaluate your situation. The risk is there when any large group of people get together. I have serious concerns for my own health since I fit into the category of senior citizen with risk factors. I am not sure how I will react to this until I hear how the tracks will operate. I don't feel that this is going away anytime soon but that is only my personal opinion. I would like to hear your views on this. Are you willing to go to events when the tracks get the OK to run? I need to know how many members will take their cars to a event. If we only get a few cars we cant put on much of a vintage car race. A couple cars running around the track will not have much appeal to the fans. I am particular interested in the board members view on this so please give this some thought and get back to me. I know that a lot depends on how the tracks will comply with the health department guide lines so if you hear anything on their plans get back to me so we can put out that information.
I know you are eager to get out and fire up your pride and joy . I am working very hard on an engine change in my hauling rig, so I too am hoping for the best outcome. . If you ever changed out a v10 in a van type truck you know it is a miserable job. I don't think the engineering department ever factored in to their design efforts some one doing maintenance on their creation. There is no room to get to anything. I had to unbolt the cab from th frame and jack it up two feet them remove the throttle body and build a special lifting bracket so I had clearance to raise the engine up with the lifting hoist. Oh it has been fun. This is where you ask your self why not just buy a new truck right? Well as you all are aware if I did that how could I afford to maintain my race car? Same old story Racers will do what ever it takes to get into that race car. Nothing new about that. I know a lot of the members have worked on their cars and spent a lot of time and money to get ready for this season and I want to thank all of you that made that effort and are eager to get going. I am still hoping that something will turn around and things improve. I think about the people that have been lost to this virus and some how that put things into a different perspective. I am hoping that none of the members have had to deal with this and pray that it doesn't affect us.
Those are my thoughts . I am hoping to hear from you . Take care and Please be careful. Sincerly Jim McDermott