For me, the news of Leo’s passing carries extra weight because I, like him, bought the game at an early stage of development, back when it was based on the Kee engine. For the next few years, he raised the bar for all of us, not just for his companies’ lore, but also the exterior design of his cars.
I really started paying attention to him and his Automation cars after he won CSR4 with the Baltazar Zeppelin (one of my favorite designs from him), which gave him the confidence to host the next CSR after that. Then, after winning CSR32 with the Yucatan Santaka, he went on to host CSR33. Later, he won the first-ever GAR, and throughout this time, he devoted his energy to creating and further developing whole threads on the histories of his companies, most notably Baltazar and Bonham.
And then, some time in 2020 (around June or July), it all went quiet. From that point onwards, I heard nothing from him or his companies. Even after 4.24 gradually gave way to 4.27, there was still no news about him. All this time, I wondered why he’d stopped, but I still hoped he would return one day. Sadly, with his passing, that hope is now gone, once and for all. So on behalf of his family and friends, I would like to say two words: Thank you.