Desert Dingo Racing

Category: Battle at Primm

  • Knocked out with a broken tie rod

    1107 is muddy.

    1107 just before the second race.

    Word from A.J. that we broke a tie rod. Car is back in the pits and otherwise fine. Team is already working on a solution.

    A.J. uploading photos now…wait…they’re up.

    Busted!

  • First shots from Battle at Primm

    Yep, that's a flat tire all right.

    Only one flat and one blown shock, and a bent tie rod and a loose steering box…

    Not sure whether it’s official, but it appears that we finished fifth out of 19 Stock VWs in the first of two races at Battle at Primm. We’ve got plenty of spare tires and Eric Solorzano is loaning us a shock. The team is buttoning up the car then heading off for dinner.

    A few photos from today are here, courtesy of Seth and A.J.

  • Ready for the Battle at Primm

    Trailered for trip to Primm, Nevada

    Trailered for Primm

    Final work on the car Thursday included mounting springs to hold the pumper hoses and moving the pumper switch from the unit (behind the co-driver) to the dashboard. Creech and Bob, towing the soon-to-be-rebadged 1107, should have arrived at Primm sometime around 2 a.m. Everyone else is headed out today.

    I’ll be providing updates here and on Twitter (@desertdingo ) throughout the weekend. First race is just after 11 a.m. Pacific time Saturday.

  • Ok, we’ve had better weekends

    The engine is mocking Bob

    Bob vs. the engine

    This weekend belonged to Bob, Creech, and Shawn. The whole weekend.

    They installed the rebuilt transmission from Bradford Racing in Prunedale. On Saturday they drove nearly two hours to Hollister Hills SVRA for a shakedown test. The video says it all. Drive a couple hundred yards, stop. Check the transmission. Drive another couple hundred yards. Stop. Repeat. It kept popping out of second gear.

    They packed it up after just one run and headed back to Bradford’s place. He drove it. It still popped out. The team trailered the car back to Creech’s and Bob dropped the engine and tranny in a record 75 minutes. They drove it back to Bradford’s and he committed to rebuilding it overnight.

    Creech picked it up this morning and Bob worked his magic to get it re-installed. The engine, coaxed into place by Bob, Creech and me (while Shawn made a rocket run for transmission fluid), went in like buttah. (Bob had his own description for how smoothly it went).

    Creech and Bob took it for a test drive just as it started to sprinkle. No joy. Still popping out of second gear. It really started to rain as we loaded 1102 onto the trailer. An hour drive to Prunedale. Steve says he’ll deliver us a working transmission, whatever it takes.

    The team starts heading out for Vegas and the Battle at Primm on Thursday. A handful of photos here…

  • The story so far…

    Dave Dixon, man of action

    Dave Dixon, who grooved our tires and has an alcohol-fueled dune buggy.

    The goal was to do a shakedown cruise at Hollister Hills today in prep for the Battle at Primm outside Vegas next weekend.

    It didn’t quite work out that way.

    Bob and Richard made one run and couldn’t keep the car in second gear. They trailered 1102 and made a beeline to Bradford Racing in Prunedale. A quick test drive indicated a possible tranny rebuild is in order. Rich, Shawn, Bob and Creech headed back to Creech’s to drop the engine and transmission and speed it back to Bradford.

    On the way back through Felton, Dave Dixon, who grooved our front tires for the Baja 1000, saw everyone and joined the effort. He’s headed to his place to grab an ATV jack to help drop the engine. I suspect he’s also ordering food for folks, who’ve been wrenching or driving for the better part of the day.

    Shawn is providing updated via phone and SMS.