Desert Dingo Racing

Category: Diabetes

  • Who wants to ride in the car in Baja?

    Have you got what it takes to ride with us in Baja? (Answer: If you have a Twitter account, then yes, you do.)

    Updated: Added a few new names.

    We’re doing a thing this year to support using #WDD09 as the “Official Hash Tag of World Diabetes Day”. Anyone who uses #WDD09 and #DesertDingo in a tweet between now and November 21 will have their name carried in the car with us during the Baja 1000. Heck, we might even pick one lucky tweeter to get a random souvenier that we pick up in Ensenada.

    So tell your friends, retweet it or use the “via” tag if that’s how you roll. We expect to be live blogging and twittering during the race and we’ll mention everyone then, too.  Here’s who’s with us so far:

    @pepperdey, @craig3010, @Kyrans, @Ceekay74, @becbeat555, @nscrwriter, @WeCreateBuzz, @DirtForge, @eauxneaux, @4x4club, @JaimeH, @elgringoinspain, @ATV_Rider_Mag, @klafountain, @LuvShaker, @JeffDomingues, @TormentedOne,  @amazydbygrace, @AC_Cyclebetes, @khexter, @polakueche, @MandMSynthetics, @CureT1Diabetes, @danamlewis, @ChurchGr8Oval, @Snafam, @rex_emerson, @Diabeterific, @poxaV, @MelTangel, v6shell, zymurgy, CeeDeeAych and Sylverrose,

    (If you tweeted it and you don’t see your name on this list, I blame Twitter. Shoot a tweet to @DesertDingo and I’ll be sure to add you.)

    Thanks!

    P.S. We’ll be at the World Diabetes Congress in Montreal next month. Be sure to find us. We’ll be the only ones displaying a ’69 VW Beetle.

  • Diabetes Hands Foundation

    I’m a member of TuDiabetes, an online community “where people touched by diabetes can connect with each other, hold informed discussions and share their experiences.” I’ve learned more about eating right and caring for my health, and I understand better the challenges faced by people managing diabetes. I don’t have diabetes myself, but I have friends and family members who do. You’ll be hard pressed to find a more welcoming and ingenuous online community.

    TuDiabetes and its Spanish-language sister site, EsTuDiabetes, are projects of the Diabetes Hands Foundation.

    DHF has other phenomenol initiatives which promote diabetes awareness and give folks managing diabetes a creative, unique voice. In our Aug.22 post, we shared their Word in Your Hand videos. If you missed seeing these, please check them out and then visit the DHF website to learn more about their other community-generated initiatives, like Drawing Diabetes and Diabetes Supplies Art. Wordsmiths will appreciate No Sugar Added Poetry.

    I know you’ll be moved by what you learn. The good news is that you can help.

  • Biggest Bike Relay in the World

    There are plenty of people working hard to promote diabetes awareness and raise money for research.

    This morning, AC Cyclebetes started their relay across the Canada from Nova Scotia to British Columbia, covering over 10,000 kilometers. Their goal: to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundaion and to raise awareness about diabetes.

    This quest started when Vancouver businessman Kyle Balagno promised his daughter Taylor he would do everything in his power to help find a cure for her juvenile (type one) diabetes before her 18th birthday. He had 6 years.

    That commitment spawned Team H2V, a 5 man team who cycled across Canada at break neck speed in September 2007. They made the epic ride in just 8 days, set a Guinness World Record and raised $800,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Canada (JDRF).

    Accu-Chek Cyclebetes is the legacy of Team H2V – built on themes of community, responsibility, leadership and promise.

    You can follow the teams progress on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, or track their ride on the satellite map. To learn more about about other ways you can help them Deliver on a Promise, visit the Cyclebetes website.

    Go Team!

    Update: Concurrently, Cyclebetes Australia, a team of 15 people on road bikes, is riding non-stop from Cairns – Melbourne, raising money for Juvenile Diabetes research in Australia (JDRF). Their goals is to complete the route in seven days, raise $1 million, and set a Guinness Book Record. Along with the core ride there are Community Rides in each major city (Bris, Syd & Melb), wherein the community is invited to participate as individuals or groups. Follow @cyclebetesaus on Twitter, check them out on Facebook, and visit their website to learn more.

    Here’s their promotional video on behalf of the JDRF.

  • Word in Your Hand

    Last fall, prior to the Baja 1000, we took the car to Holly Oak Elementary School in San Jose where Ms. Battistella’s students painted their palms in red, blue or gold paint and pressed them on the fenders, decorating the car with their handprints. It was absolutely beautiful.

    Those of you touched by diabetes know the significance of the hand.

    This video, produced by TuDiabetes in 2007, puts the focus on hands and hearts. Members of TuDiabetes were invited to “Write a word in your hand describing how you feel about diabetes, take a photo showing the hand with the word, and share it with others.”

    Manny Hernandez says, “We wanted to empower people touched by diabetes to express themselves and let the world know what it is like to have diabetes. The result of the project was this video including some of the 120+ photos submitted with music by one of the members too.”

    Please, don’t wait until World Diabetes Day to learn more and help teach others about diabetes.

    Update: TuDiabetes members share how they feel about life with diabetes in the new “Word In Your Hand” video:

  • We’re the Rig of the Month on Gear Centre Group’s 4×4 Club

    Ok, technically none of us are Canadian and, technically, we’re only two-wheel drive, but Trevor and his team were kind enough to name us August Rig of the Month on Gear Centre Group’s 4×4 Club website.

    We will, however, be heading up to Montreal in October to put the car on display for the World Diabetes Congress where I’ve set a personal goal of eating my weight in poutine.

    We’ll be working on Creech’s toy hauler this weekend. Bilstein is wrapping up work on our prototype “Ensenada” race package shocks, which will arrive Tuesday. And somewhere out on the East Coast, an R&D lab is putting the finishing touches on our secret weapon for the Baja 1000.

    The KC Hilites Midnight Special race is coming up August 8.