Desert Dingo Racing

Category: 2009 Baja 1000

  • Francis arrives at his new home

    Francis rolls out of AWACs.

    A.J. picked up Francis earlier today. Francis, as you recall, is a Vietnam era M-274 mechanical mule. Four-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, it can go just about anywhere, just not very quickly. A.J.’s plan is to strip it down and restore it to its original military look in time for the Baja 1000. It will sit inside his 28-foot U-Haul (nickname AWACs) which will be our rolling command post for all the super secret stuff we’ll be doing for the race this year.

    A.J. asked if I would post this shot of him, to demonstrate that he does, in fact, know which end of a plasma torch to hold.

  • Crusty’s handiwork

    Crusty preps the show hood.

    Someone once said that an airplane is “a collection of spare parts flying in tight formation.” That’s pretty much how I view the car now. Anything that breaks can be replaced. The body experiences tremendous torque during a race and afterward we see tears in the metal that comprises the core of the car.

    Crusty’s spent the past couple of weeks reinforcing high stress points on the frame and adding plate steel to reinforce the areas around the bumpers. In preparation for the World Diabetes Congress, Shawn recommended painting the body of the car before the South Point 250 race in October, then doing touch up painting after the race and installing the show fenders before we ship the car to Montreal. We’ll also have a “show” trunk lid and engine compartment lid, which we’ll promptly trash at this year’s Baja 1000.

    A small gallery of recent photos of Crusty’s work is here.

  • WDD race car at the World Diabetes Congress

    From the World Diabetes Day website this morning:

    Desert Dingo Racing, one of the World Diabetes Day campaign “Champions“, will be displaying the official World Diabetes Day race car – a 1969 Volkswagen Beetle that races the deserts of Mexico’s Baja peninsula during the annual Baja 1000 – at the World Diabetes Congress in Montreal, Canada, Oct. 18-22 2009.

    More…

    (Find out how you can become a World Diabetes Day champion here)

  • Bayside Oil II Sponsors Desert Dingo Racing 2009 Off-Road Racing Season

    July 16, 2009, Santa Cruz, Calif. – Bayside Oil II, Inc., one of Santa Cruz County’s oldest and most respected oil distributors and lubricant recycling centers, announced today that it is sponsoring Desert Dingo Racing’s 2009 off-road racing season, including the Baja 1000 in Mexico in November.

    Desert Dingo Racing campaigns a 1969 Volkswagen Beetle in off road races in the U.S. and Mexico. The team is the official World Diabetes Day off road race team and works with the International Diabetes Federation to raise money for diabetes education and awareness programs.

    Bayside Oil II, Inc., a family-owned business founded in 1973, provides local industrial companies with fuel, lubricants, absorbents and antifreezes and is a licensed recycler for antifreeze, batteries, corrosives, flammable liquids, fluorescent lights, oil filters, paints, solids, and used oils.

    “Several members of our family live with diabetes and we found Desert Dingo’s education and awareness efforts appealing,” said company owner Kim Glenn. “We’re proud to lend our support to their racing efforts and work with them to education people on the growing threat of diabetes.”

    Desert Dingo Racing makes the car available for public events and distributes hero cards with the warning signs of diabetes printed on the back. Two team members have Type 2 diabetes and several other team members have a history of the disease in their families.

    “Fuel is our No. 1 cost and Bayside Oil’s support is tremendous,” said Desert Dingo crew chief and Felton resident Richard Palasik. “We typically travel hundreds of miles to a race in Nevada and between the race car, chase trucks and support vehicles, log thousands of miles for the Baja 1000.”

    The team is ranked third in the Southern Nevada Off Road Enthusiasts racing series, recently finishing third in class at the Caliente 250 in Las Vegas. The team has competed in the 2007 and 2008 Baja 1000 and uses the Nevada series to as warm ups for the race in Mexico.

    About Bayside Oil
    Bayside Oil II is a leading provider of fuels and lubricants for local companies and is a licensed recycler for fuels, lubricants, absorbants and anti-freeze. In addition to Desert Dingo Racing, Bayside Oil also sponsors Dan Rodoni Racing and Scott Racing.

    About Desert Dingo Racing
    Desert Dingo Racing is a team of high tech professionals based in Santa Cruz and Silicon Valley who campaign a 1969 VW Beetle in off road races in the U.S. and Mexico. They are the official World Diabetes Day off road race car and the team raises money for diabetes education and awareness programs sponsored by the International Diabetes Federation.

  • The shocks are in the mail

    I want one.

    I’ve got A.J. looking for one of these on Craigslist. It has nothing to do with us, except I want one.

    Richard pulled the front shocks off on Saturday. Bob pulled the rear shocks off on Sunday and today they were shipped to Bilstein in Southern California for upgrades in advance of next month’s KC Hilites Midnight Special out at Ridgecrest, Calif. Richard has also asked Joel and his team to prep a spare front and rear shock for us as well.

    It’s four months til World Diabetes Day and we’re in full planning mode for our outreach efforts. Designing a new hero card that will have the new WDD messaging in English, Spanish and French printed on the back. We’re locking in plans for the World Diabetes Congress in Montreal in October, where the car will be on display.

    After the KC Hilites race, we get a one month break before the 40th Annual South Point SNORE 250 on Oct. 2-4 outside Las Vegas. Then we have roughly three days to paint and re-decal the car before shipping it to the Montreal Convention Center .

    And we’ve got two big announcements coming up….