Desert Dingo Racing

Author: Jim

  • Herb-i-Islami in Kabul


    Kabul’s anti-corruption campaigner Ramazan Bashardost meets Herb-i-Islami, outside the politician’s tent, opposite parliament, in Kabul.

    Jerome Starkey is the Times of London correspondent in Kabul. He’s working with a local mechanic to get his ’69 VW Beetle (same as us) on the road. I read everything he writes. You can follow him on the Twitters here.

    I’m tempted to put together a CARE package of points, plugs, fuel filters, throttle cables, starter motors, distributors, windshield wipers, assorted lengths of wire, alligator clips, chicken wire and tongue depressors and showing up on his door step to get Herb-i-Islami dialed into tip top shape.

    Word has it he has a sofa Roxanne and I can crash on.

    Until then, this is the video that, as a co-driver, I aspire to.

  • We’re (still) in it to win it


    Technically, Charlie is old skool Desert Dingo, but he’s just so darn enthusiastic, we gave him all the crappy jobs.

    Let’s face it, we’ve had better weekends at Prairie City. First moto the driver’s door popped open, we got black flagged and finished the course just for the points. Second moto we hit a tractor tire, bent three rims and flatted once. Finished the race just for the points. Third moto the engine lost power and we just finished for points.

    With one race left in the season, we’re in second place behind Two Larrys and a Megan Racing. By about eight points. It doesn’t sound like much but in the final race we’ve got to win or The Green Booger has to be hit by a meteorite (while it’s parked off by itself, of course).

    We’ve got two weeks to go. We’ll rebuild the engine to boost the horsepower. We’ll figure out the door issue. I’ll probably find an opportunity to give my favorite Henry V speech.

    We’re not going down without a fight.

    Here are photos from this past weekend’s racing, courtesy of Don Carlson.

  • Photos from the MORE Powder Puff race in Barstow


    I can’t believe I forgot to pick one of these up.

    While the team was slogging it out in Prairie City, Roxanne, our traveling companion Kat and I headed south to Barstow for the annual MORE Powder Puff off road race, where we met up with Emme Hall, racing a Class 5 Trophy Bug, Pepper Cote, racing “Kitt” a Class 13 Sportsman Buggie, Michelle “Miss Motor Mouth” Naranjo and her erstwhile companion Paul.

    Friday afternoon was tech and contingency at the outlet mall on the edge of the desert and racing started right at pretty much 8 a.m.

    Emme’s team pulled off a miracle. 549 blew the valve guides in the head and it look like it was all over, but…actually she tells it better.

    Roxanne shot a great series of photos. Thank you Paul Lukey with TrailGlow for helping us with accommodations.

  • Barstow Bound for the MORE Powder Puff race


    And we have another winner in the “Who the heck are you people?” contest.

    We’re headed to Barstow in a couple of hours for the MORE Powder Puff race where we’ll meet up with Tut and Pepper Cote of Tut Tech Racing, Emme Hall of Dulce de Leche Racing and Miss Motor Mouth herself, Michelle Naranjo. While I’m lounging by the pool at the Comfort Suites, Roxanne and they will be confabbing. Driving with us (actually, driving us), is fellow NASCAR fan and good friend Catherine Hicks, who I think Roxanne as strong-armed into shooting photos for us. Pepper will be racing her Sportsman Class buggy, “Kitt”, and Emme will be racing her father’s Class 5 Trophy Bug.

    Because, for once, I won’t be responsible for anything, I’m going to play around with the technologies and will be running our first-gen SPOT tracking device, beginning around 9 a.m. You can follow our adventures here. Be patient. It takes forever to load.

    Richard, Crusty, Charley and maybe Bob are headed to Prairie City this morning for the next to last race of the VORRA season. Charlie is making his triumphant return to the team after accompanying us to the first Baja 1000 back in 2007. They’ll be practicing later today, doing the official practicing tomorrow and all out racing on Sunday. I’ll be posting updates as long as the battery on my lousy iPhone holds out.

    Oh, and that handsome fellow in the photo? That’s Christian H. from Germany, a good friend and long time supporter of Desert Dingo Racing. (Notice how he photographed himself with a mirror in the background so you can see the DDR t-shirt he’s wearing). He sent the photo in response to our “Who the heck are you people?” contest.

    Christian already has all of our hero cards and stickers and pins and t-shirts, so I’m thinking I’m going to send him one of 1107’s fenders after it’s been thoroughly trashed at this weekend’s short course racing. No, two fenders. COD to Germany.

  • Prairie City on my mind


    OMG! OMG! Two Larrys and a Megan Racing will pay!

    The last of this season’s short course races start this weekend at Prairie City, just outside Sacramento. 1107 is mechanically sound, which is code for “The car is in 100 pieces in the front yard.”

    We (ok, Crusty) power washed about 100 pounds of dirt out of the car this week. I pulled out everything that wasn’t bolted down. Richard hammered out dented stuff. It really just needs fenders put on.

    Some photos from this weekend’s work.


    Richard autographs his masterwork.