Roxanne, aka Mrs. Graham, here. I’m manning the fort at Desert Dingo Headquarters in NoCal. During the race, Carmen and I will be the Communication Control Tower, tracking the team’s (as well as the other Class11s’) progress on the course. When I can, I’ll update the blog and our Facebook page. Mostly I’ll post to Twitter. You’re subscribed, right?
So here’s the latest news: As planned, Jim picked up Paul Hartl from the San Diego airport and met up with Chuck, Gil and Crusty at the Walmart parking lot on Saturday night. This morning, they drove to Las Tres Palmas, home of Dennis and Deb Hollenbeck, in Ensenada, where the team will stay before and after the race.
Schedule for the week
Sunday-Tuesday
- Final checklist.
- Enjoy authentic Mexican food — like the fine vittles at El Comal le dijo a la Olla run by friend Sarabia Aja.
- The rest of the team arrives.
Wednesday November 13
- Racer Registration
- Visit Mi Casa Esperanza Maneadero , a shelter for abused woman and their children, where the families will paint the car with their hand prints. Those of you touched by diabetes know the significance of the hand; more information here.
Thursday November 14
- World Diabetes Day
- 10am: Tech Inspection and Contingency, where the team will be handing out Hero Cards and boxes of crayons with info about WDD and the warning signs of diabetes
- 7pm: Mandatory SCORE Driver’s meeting
- 11pm: The official Race Start – Pro Motorcycles, Pro ATVs, Sportsman Motorcycles, Sportsman ATVs.
Friday November 15
- Noonish: Class 11s off the line. They have 36 hours to complete the course.
Sunday November 17
- Race finish and Awards Ceremony
Follow the race
Listen: This year, you can listen to the Weatherman’s Broadcast on the SCORE website. This is good news. Weatherman’s LIVE Feed begins Thursday at 11:00pm. If you’re not familiar, Weatherman is the race radio feed that provides relay and assistance to racers. It’s a key communication tool for those of us managing team communications from home — keeps us informed about booby traps, accidents, pile-ups and DNFs.
Watch: Scroll down on this page to watch live race coverage. Tracking will update every 2.5 minutes. If their site limps under the load, you can view the same map on Trackleaders.com. Their smart phone app should be available soon.
Carmen and I will also communicate with 1107 and the chase vehicles via Sat phone. We’ll Twitter/Facebook updates as often as we can for family and friends.
If you need to get in touch with me, please email Roxanne at diabetes (at) desertdingo.com.