This is unbelievable. Hours before he was his usual joyous self joking around and having fun, and all of a sudden, he is no more. I cannot begin to describe the sadness I feel now. Luis was such a great driver, but an even greater man. Having hung out with him on numerous occasions, I can confidently say that Luis was not only friendly and thoughtful, but extremely down to earth. Humility was synonymous with Luis. He never came across as a braggart and his success obviously did not go to his head. I thoroughly enjoyed those 'sound offs' we had in the parking lot of SR; scaring the **** out of everyone. I still have many videos of you smiling, while heel-toeing, and blasting off all at once, my friend. I shall cherish those memories and the gleeful smile you had the morning before this calamity. I hope your next life will be as exciting yet peaceful as this one. God bless you and although you are physically no longer here, the fond memories of times we spent together will forever be cherished. Goodbye my friend, Luis Aldaz. My condolences are with Gail and the respective families. I did have one question. According to one thread, Luis posted some pictures of a cute kid in his car--is that his son?
Gail, thank you for allowing us all to share our fond memories of him. I always enjoyed his company, his enthusiasm, humor and passion for all things Porsche. Everytime we went out on any drives/meets he was always swapping car-modding stories with me and generally making us all laugh. He was very unique in so many ways and it is a very sad loss. We will never forget him. Never. His car was the only other black car I know that was even louder than mine.... and he was the only one that liked the sound of it too. Alex "Sharky" Ros www.sharkwerks.com
I am still in disbelief and am very saddenned by the loss of Luis. He will always be remembered for his infectious smile, charismatic personality and of course, for the incredible earsplitting, raucous roar of his Porsche. We'll miss you Luis, RIP.
Luis was a great friend and this experience is very startling and humbling to all who knew him in person and within our community here. He had a passion for giving his all into everything he was involved in, both personally and professionally. A person who was kind to everyone, always had time for a friendly "how are you man" and very humble about sharing his knowledge and his time with others of similar interests. I truly am at a loss for words...You will by missed my friend. Gail, I admire how well you have kept your composure through this difficult time. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Shaun Image Unavailable, Please Login
I am truly very sorry to hear about Luis. I am always at a loss for words during this time. There is obviously no good time or way for someone whom you care about to die. This is especially true when the person is someone I know. I am still in shock and a part of me wants to believe he is ok and I will see him this coming Sat. I will always remember how enthusiastic and excited he is, how he always had to wait for us on the Skyline drives, and the lunch we had at Alice afterwards. He always brightened up those early mornings at Santana Row when I am half-asleep from the night out before. Email is such a poor format for this, but I wanted to offer my condolences to Gail, Luis family, and everyone else whos life he touched. I know he was an important part of all of our lives on 6speed and Santana Row. He will be missed. -Roger
A tip o' the throttle to Luis. We shall all miss his enthusiasm and personality. May he rest in peace. Sympathy and condolences to Gail and the Aldaz family.
I was so shocked to hear of the news over the weekend. I am still new to the group, as I just moved here in September, but I will never forget meeting Luis for the first time. I was in California for a few weeks and headed down to Santana Row to the "meet". Afterward a few of the guys wanted to get brunch. So, there in front of Blowfish, pulls up Luis. The whole group's mood picked up a beat and, instantly, he was the focal point of the group. Apparently he had just got back from some faraway land where he had been racing. I sat there wondering, "Who IS this guy??" and was amazed at how easily he, in a group of "heavy hitters" could stand out and get into the spotlight. But that was Luis. His personality was engaging, always. I have only had lunch/brunch with him three times. Have gone on a few drives with him (the drive he led to Alice's was probably the most fun in my life). Yet, in that short time of knowing him, will feel true sadness at the next event without him being there. There is a lot of comraderie that goes on in owning these cars. It is a passion that runs deeper than the metal and rubber. He had it. I was glad to have been able to share that passion with him for only a brief time.
I am so shocked and speechless to hear what happened to Luis .. Luis was a great friend who was fun to be with. I enjoyed every drive I went on with him. I will never forget his engine sound every time he passed by me. My condolences to Gail, Luis' family, and all of his friends. He will be missed. Good bye my friend,
Darn I'm totally shocked to see this thread.. I thought it was a joke at first. Was just talking to Luis right before he left SR on Sat.. I remembered him saying something about doing a drive next weekend.. Really sorry to hear this.. Condolence to his family.
so sorry to hear of this loss. I met Luis only recently & been asking him about racing events around Bay Area & he was so generous & extremely helpful & enthusiastic sharing his knowledge & tips & info. Rest in Peace Luis.
I try to keep my posts on this forum to a minimum, until I finally purchase my first F-car, but I know for those of us who have met Luis from SR or years past, I feel a desparate need to say something, only to find I'm still speechless from it all. Gail, I think you've shown incredible courage not only the day of, but in also creating the thread on this forum. I know there were many here who knew him that weren't there that day, and appreciate hearing the news of the loss. I had really just met you for the first time that day, but for half a year, I had known Luis to be one of the most warm and welcoming guys out at SR. His smile was infectious and the drives always memorable. I like to think that wherever he is now, he's still driving a really fast car around a really nice racetrack with that same smile on his face.
Gail, I heard the news on Saturday night and was just stunned and shocked. I am so sorry for your and everyone's loss. I still remember greeting him vividly when he first pulled up on Saturday and kidding him with not hitting Lyndon's car. And then hours later, he's gone. I will always remember him for his infectious laugh and his passion for life. RIP Luis, you are sorely missed. John
I am very sorry to hear of this, thanks for posting....... Sincere condolences to you and his family, from Texas.......
This is soooo surreal. I drove up from Sacramento with hopes of meeting some new folks. Luis was one of them and happened to be pulling in the same time as me to SR. It ended up that Luis was the first person I talked to when I got out of my car. By far the most approachable person I have met in a long time. Immediately I could tell how loved he was by everyone going out of their way to squeeze into his attention to say "Hi" and either give hugs or shake hands. Obviously some good relationships because there were lots of references to some inside private jokes he had with quite a few people. He seemed playful, sincere, enthusiastic about his friends and his car, and couldn't wait to show me how loud his GT3 was! Luis and I chatted...he showed me his car, and then off I went to meet some more folks with both of us having said we'll get together again. I liked Luis from the start. I smiled as I heard him leave (who didn't hear him leave) and I could only imagine his smirk as he left. Gail, I am so very sorry for your loss. I can't even begin to imagine what you are going through, but I can tell you that I am very pained to acknowledge that he is gone. It hurts that someone I just met has already been taken. Throughout this thread its easy to see that he was someone who showed that he loved his life and made that feeling infectious with anyone who was near. He quite obviously touched lots of people and will be long remebered.
I've never met Luis, or even spoken to him, but from all of the responses I've read here he seems like an extraordinary human being. I just want to offer my condolences, things like this are horrible.
As many others here I just can't believe Luis is gone. I had just left him a phone message this morning, we were going to have lunch and talk cars and some business. I got the news this afternoon. I was at SR this Saturday as well and was talking with Kirby and Lisa when we heard a tremendous roar, ah Luis is leaving we all chuckled. I did not have time for the drive this time, now I wish I would have, maybe things would have been different. I will never know. I met Luis Last summer at SR, he was so friendly and inviting, I just wanted to be around him. And those drives we went on, his driving skill were amazing. But above the cars Luis cared about his friends more and I am honored that he considered me a friend. I will cherish the time I had with Luis and SR will never be the same. Until we meet again Luis, you will be terribly missed and I hope there is no sound limits in heaven.
I was hearing rumors about this since Saturday and hoping that it wasn't true. Sadly I come to find that it is. Luis always made the group seem complete. Not just because of his love for cars, but because he was so welcoming, as others have stated. He always greeted me with a big smile and a handshake when it would have been just as easy to walk past me because I don't "own an exotic". He will be missed and never forgotten. SR will never be the same.
I'm very depress. I didn't know Luis, but ever since i heard about the inccident, and found out more information about Mr. Aldaz, i get very, very depress. I feel as i know him, although i never meet him. God bless him, and may he rest in peace. Gil, i'll hold you a prayer for Luis and his family and you. Be strong Enrique
Like everyone else here who even met Luis once, Im deeply saddened by this. Morseo because for a few hours we were hopeful to make it to Stanford and find that he was stable and going to make a recovery. Gail I really like what you said about the Angels needing earplugs. When Luis left SR that afternoon, I think everyone within a half mile heard the Car and my ear was a mere 20 feet away, I think it still hurts a bit! What I really mean is that's exactly how I will remember Luis. They few times I did get to speak with him are still very memorable to me, not because of his car but becasue of who he was and I know others on here feel the same. I remember helping out at Buttonwillow when the engine failed and though it was a stressful time for him, we laughed and joked and had a good time loading it up. You seem to share his character and strength ... I cant imagine your pain and that of his family right now, and you all are in my thoughts and prayers. Miss you Luis!
I met Luis about a year ago at a NASA track day. I saw him driving up 880 in his incredibly loud Porsche. I was driving slow in the right lane (had a trailer hooked up with my Spec Miata) and gave him a thumbs up as he went by. He was friendly from that moment on. I just spoke to him last weekend at Santana Row, and I was showing him the Prius that I had taken on the track the weekend before at Thunderhill. This past Saturday, I was planning on coming out to the SR meet and going with him on a drive, but something made me change my mind... I wasn't sure why I didn't want to go anymore, but now I think it was for a reason. Rest in peace, Luis. Sean
