Desert Dingo Racing

Category: Photos

  • Two weeks to “The 24” and 1107 is on the truck

    1107 set up for a lot of night driving. This photo appears to have been taken in the late 1960s.

    I met Crusty Thursday noon-ish and drover his 60-year-old no-power-steering ’51 car hauler down to Bayside Oil II to pick up a 55 gallon drum of race fuel, then drove it back. I’ll be driving it solo from Felton to Gerlach and from there to Fallon for the race, beginning next Monday night.

    Crusty put 1107 on the truck, but I insisted on tying it down, just so I know how it all works. Over the next week I’ll be making a run to Dixon & Son Tires in Watsonville to get a flat fixed and have a couple of rims swapped out. Will also head back to Bayside to get the 11 gallon speed jugs filled and I have to load all the radio equipment, helmets, race suits and other stuff. I’ll be driving over night because A. Less traffc, and 2. I get to listen to that guy who replaced Art Bell on that radio show that talks about UFOs.

    I’ll arrive in Fallon on Thursday, Sept. 1, will set up the pit and prep for everyone arriving on Friday. The 24 starts 8 a.m. Saturday, goes for the 12 hours. Everyone gets 12 hours to rest and wrench, then resumes 8 a.m. Sunday and goes for another 12 hours.



    Crusty included in photo for perspective purposes only.

  • Summer finally arrives

    This isn’t what you think it is.

    It was freaking hot today. I wasn’t even working on the car and I had pits. I showed up and Crusty was chasing a short in one of our halogen driving lights. The Bilstein shocks arrived. Bob comes by tomorrow to start the engine and seat the rings or whatever it is you have to do. Shocks go in tomorrow. Wednesday we pick up fuel and I probably haul tires down to Dixon & Son Tires to get the best tires put on the best rims.

    Crusty also painted the new nose today. I promptly dumped race fuel all over it.

    It still looks pretty good. Since my math sucks, it’s now two and a half weeks to The 24.

  • Buttoning up

    That’s a pumper.

    More buttoning up today. Crusty focused on reinforcing the front end, something under the engine and welding supports for the front bumper. I installed the air pumper (which filters and pumps fresh air into our helmets), tested all the radio equipment, zip-tied several miles worth of wiring or tubes, installed the Camelbaks, and together we installed the doors, which is only six screws, but took for freaking ever.

    What’s left? Install the Bilstein shocks, which I’m hoping arrive Monday. Put the tires on. Load the spares. Wait for the new or refurbished GPS unit to arrive from Lowrance. Pick up the fuel drum and fill the speed just. Put the car on Crusty’s rat road hauler along with all the spare parts and tools and fuel.

    Bob reports he picked up two more fenders (we never have enough) at a Bug show today. He’s coming by tomorrow to start and break in the rebuilt engine. Sometime this week Crusty will install the bumper-mounted driving lights.

    Some photos from today’s work here.

  • “Close Encounters” has nothing on us



    For the 24, srsly, we’ll be looking like something out of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”.

    We’ve loaded so many lights on 1107, we’ll be a moving target for the Fallon NAS Aggressor Squadrons. This is the last major week of work. New skid plate goes on. We run the engine with the pre-oil and then the race oil. Rat rod truck is loaded. Which I’ll be driving to Burning Man. Hitching in on a Tuesday. Hitching out Thursday morning. Arriving Fallon pits that afternoon. The team on site that night.

    The Hartl Bend has been dialed.

  • Sparks fly in advance of VORRA’s 24 hour desert endurance race

    Romy puts the finishing touches on 1107’s rhinoplasty.

    Full day of work yesterday with Romy, Bob, Crusty and me. The rebuilt engine is in. Crusty and Romy focused on getting the new front clip fitted and installed. I chased down some electrical issues and cleaned up some wiring. Bilstein shocks are on their way back. GPS is being repaired. Three weeks to the VORRA “The 24” desert endurance race.

    Some photos from Saturday’s work. And here’s a new video of us by Jared Snider from the 2010 Yerington 300, which we won. Gives you an idea how loud it is in the car.