Shot of Jason Mace (1169) doing visualization exercises in advance of his very first race at Battle at Primm.
The cool thing about running the blog is that you can pick on other racers and, unless they know how to configure WordPress, they’re pretty much powerless to fight back.
We’ve switched from SNORE to VORRA (our first race is in three weeks), but SNORE went first with the Battle of Primm out at fabulous Primm, Nevada. You can see Jason and all the other SoCal Class 11s in this video from OMA productions.
(thanks to Pepper Cote of Tut Tech Racing for passing along the photo of Jason)
We’ve got three weeks til our season opener race at Prairie City and it finally stopped raining long enough for us to get some work done on 1107. Bob grabbed the engine and promised to bring it back next week ready to run. Crusty is working his way through the engine compartment, using an oxyacetylene torch to reinforce seams and welds. Bradford is working on our transmissions. We may have 1107 ready to race as early as next weekend.
While it has nothing to do with off road racing, congrats to Canada for winning Olympics mens hockey.
Brett Svatek did a piece on the team and I spent most of my time talking about eating.
INTERVIEW: Jim Graham – Desert Dingo Racing
The Sporting Life, February 24, 2010
Jim Graham and his Desert Dingo racing team set out to conquer the Baja 1000 in a car that most people wouldn’t feel safe driving to the 7-11…they are truly living The Sporting Life.
At night, in Baja, sometimes the conversation turns to muskrats.
It’s tough to describe what it’s like to be strapped into an off road race prepped ’69 VW Beetle at night for hours on end in the Baja 1000 when there’s nothing around you and all you can see is what the driving lights show you and what the GPS tells you is coming. In “Dust to Glory“, nine time Baja 1000 winner Eric Solorzano said he saw a UFO. In 2007, I saw animals running across the course. But nothing beats this conversation between the Ford F-150 Raptor driver and co-driver running a night section of the 2008 Baja 1000 from the documentary “Born in Baja.”
Driver: “That was a bobcat trail. Bobcats would run up and down there. Chasing the gazelle. And the muskrat. Can…can they chase a muskrat? Does that even work?”
Co-driver: “Yeah.”
Driver: “They can?”
Co-driver: “I dunno.”
Driver: “That’d be like breakfast, or just a snack or what?”
Co-driver: “For a bobcat?”
Driver: “Yeah.”
Co-driver: “It’d be…breakfast.”
Driver: “Bobcat eating a muskrat. That sounds like an old rock song. Something Bob Dylan would sing. That voice…”He was a bobbbbbbcat. Chasin’ a muskrat.”
Transmissions have been dropped off at Bradford’s. Between those and finishing the engine, we’re ready to race.
Here’s the best video of an amateur driver and co-driver racing Nurburgring ever laid to digital video:
There’s gotta be enough good parts between the two of these for one good tranny.
The weather’s been so bad we haven’t had much chance to work on 1107, but we’ve got our fingers crossed for this weekend. Both transmissions are on the pallet and ready for shipping to Bradford Performance for a rebuild. Engine is also waiting for final assembly but otherwise is fresh.
The Valley Off Road Racing Association announced the return of Class 11s for the 2010 race season, beginning with a short course race at Prairie City on March 20-21.
VORRA OPENS 2010 RACE SEASON WITH NEW CLASS FOR STOCK VWs
Class 11 Stock Bugs offers an affordable entree to off road racing
January 31, 2010, Reno, Nevada — The Valley Off Road Racing Association (VORRA) announced today that it is adding a new class for Stock Volkswagen Beetles for the 2010 race season.
