The Baja 1000: Local Team Will Drive 1300 Miles of Desert for Diabetes
The Valley Post, October 23, 2007
By Michael Thomas
For most of us, driving a 30-year-old Volkswagen from Felton to Scotts Valley without breaking down could be a challenge. But driving that same car for 1,000 miles over Baja deserts, along crumbling roads, through dry ravines and slippery creek beds? It sounds impossible, but that’s exactly what a group of locals plans to do in November.
The International Diabetes Federation has posted a feature on the team on its website. It’s part of the donation page. You can check it out here.
We were joined this week by Richard who read about us in the Sentinel article. Richard is a welder, has sponsored and supported off road race teams, and had a welding shop in Felton until last year when he had to close it due to complications from his Type 2 diabetes. His welds bordered on works of art. It’s great to have him as part of the team.
Also as a result of the Sentinel piece I was contacted by a professional photographer with a studio in Santa Cruz who has Type 2 diabetes and has offered to photograph the car as it’s being painted, do a team shot and a hero card photo.
We’re meeting some great people. I’m really honored to be part of this effort.
An important part of why we’re doing this is using the team to spread the word on having folks get regular checkups and for those checkups to include tests for diabetes. I got in touch with Gisela Ayala, an amazing woman in Mexico City who heads up communications for the the Federaci