I don’t know what the other teams talk about in the car, but I transcribed our intercom chat from the latest race into the video.
Author: Jim
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Diagnosis: Fractured rib
Now I know how 1107 feels right now.Most of the aches and bruises from last weekend’s rollover at the Hawthorne 225 had disappeared except for one in my side and Roxanne convinced me it was worth a trip to urgent care to have it looked at. (I’d been doing a lousy job hiding how much pain I was in any time I used my waist to turn, walk, sit down, lift anything heavier than a beer or roll over in bed).
The admitting nurse asked how much it hurt and I said “You know when you get hit in the ribs with a pool cue during a bar fight? Like that.”
The doctor comes in and I start telling him what an amazing race we’d been having, how we rolled the car, got it upright and kept racing and Roxanne reminding me to “stop talking about the race and tell him where it hurts.”
Then he sort of poked my rib cage with his index fingers and I’d have choked him to death right then and there if I could see him through the white spots that instantly blinded me.
Diagnosis: Fractured rib. “It’s going to hurt for a few weeks.”
I did get to pass out some hero cards in the emergency room, so it wasn’t a total loss.
I fought through the pain to clean out 1107 this afternoon – a case of empty plastic oil cans, a coffee cup, random stuff I picked up off the ground where we camped (“Leave no trace!) – then pulled out the tool, spare parts and medical bags, plus the two Camelbaks, the cordless impact wrench and one of the two spare tires.
We’ll get 1107 power washed this week, assess the damage and look at our options to get it ready for the two short course races in October.
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Hawthorne 225 video (Good stuff at 2:08)
No, we weren’t hit by a meteor, or a freight train or anything else, thank you very much.Charlene Bower of Bower Motorsports Media was kind enough to include some video of us (for insurance purposes) in her video coverage of the Hawthorne 225. I’m about to head out right now and start unloading stuff from 1107.
Team meeting this coming week to plan for the short course racing in October.
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“Whatever you do, don’t roll the car”
VORRA organizers felt so sorry for 1107 they awarded it a finishing pin.Before we did our first Baja 1000, I asked Eric Solorzano, nine-time Baja 1000 winner, why he had his auxiliary oil cooler mounted to the roof, and wouldn’t it get crushed if he rolled the car. His advice to me was “Don’t roll the car.”
Naturally, we rolled the car this weekend.
It started with pre-running on Friday. We (Richard driving, me co-dogging it) rolled out of the pits around 1 p.m. figuring two hours on the course, back to the pits, then driving into town for tech and contingency.
Right.
Just past RM45 we hit the climb people had been talking about. A mix of rocks, silt, berms, a hairpin turn and more of the same. We made six runs at it and couldn’t get over the top. I turned to Richard and said “I’m man enough to cry right now.”
Then, backing down the hill, we high centered 1107 on the side of the road. Making a long story short, using a folding Boy Scout shovel, a few rocks and a dessicated lizard, we built an offramp that would make Caltrans proud. We backtracked on the course and found a road that got us back to the pits.
Race morning. It’s down us and The Green Booger, as Bob Messer (1177) threw a rod during pre-running. (Note to self, never drink a bottle of rum and pass out in a camp chair around people with access to colored Sharpies and video cameras).
Following the first eight miles of rocks, sand, silt and whoops, we settled into a pace with us in the lead, followed by David Oram’s 9 car and The Green Booger right behind. About RM15 things went to hell in a handbasket. The Booger apparently missed a turn in the dust and went into a ditch. In a show of solidarity, we promptly rolled 1107 on a sweeping left turn and I ended suspended above Richard in my five point harness. I was halfway out of the car when David Oram got to us.
Making a long story short, Oram and his co-driver got us back on our wheels, we pulled out the bent fenders as best we could and were on our way. The VORRA team cut down a berm on the RM45 climb and we were good to go.
Pitting after the first lap we removed what was left of the two front fenders, took fuel and little bit of oil and were on our way. We figured we didn’t have any chance to catch The Booger, so spent the next two laps kvetching about the trucks and Class 1s chewing up a perfectly good course.
Congrats to Boogers Gary and Megan on the win and taking over first place in season points for Class 11. Thanks to everyone who helped us in the pits and on the course (“Can you help a brother out with a quart of 10W-40?”) and of course thanks to the entire VORRA team for all their dedication and hard work to pull off another great event.
This morning Roxanne said “How did you get bruises on your back?”
A gallery of photos from the Hawthorne 225 weekend here. (The good ones were taken by Megan’s mom, Marsha. Thanks for letting me post them.)
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We have a winner (first of 20)
Chad leads the pack.So a couple of days ago we broke 7,000 downloads of the Desert Dingo Racing iPhone, iPad and Android apps (we’re at 7,354 as I write this) and I decided to try and figure out who all you all are and announced a contest. I said the first 20 folks who send me a photo with their mobile device showing the DDR app will get a hero card and whatever other schwag I dig out of my tub of stuff.
Chad S. of Las Vegas was first across the line. Chad writes:
I follow the desert dingos on my iPhone. The class 11s are the true racers of desert racing. From start to finish, it’s a challenge. I have a 5-1600 and am trying to build a class 1/2 1600 for my kids. Congrats on the 7000 mark.
Chad knows I’m flattery operated, but a 1/2 1600 for the kids is awesome five ways.
The hero card goes in the mail tonight.
One week to the Hawthorne 250.