Desert Dingo Racing

Category: The Team

  • Once more, into the fray

    Once more, into the fray

    Everyone, and I mean everyone, brought chips and salsa
    That’s a lot of chips and salsa right there.

    I think I'd rather die than eat one of those MREsFirst full team meeting for 2013 (at Chez Crusty with the million dollar view) and we covered a lot of ground. Overall goals – win the 2013 VORRA series, don’t roll the car twice (and then burn out the clutch) and then go win the Baja 1000.

    This is the contents of the first aid kit pictured below —->

    We talked through how we set up our pits at Prairie City and the desert races and will be tweaking the set-up for 2013 that streamlines pit stops and work on the car even more than we did in 2012. “We” included Jen, Romy, Dave, Rosh, Bob, Toby, Crusty, Scott, Khaled, Heston, Tracy and me.

    Starting Tuesday we do a compression and leak down test, pull the engine and check the clutch. Crusty’s working on (redacted), Scott Anderson will be working on (redacted) and a (redacted). Jen will be replacing a comm cable that has a short in it, Toby’s going to clean up the wiring and Khaled and I will be working on the next iteration of our process document (mostly Khaled).

    We talked through some new deert communications strategy, started a shopping list for extra spare parts (Crusty has enough parts he’s working on in his house that could pretty much assemble a second car) and we’re planning another trip down to MetalCraft to spend a day with Scott Sebastian to get a new case to replace the one that sort of broke when it fell off Crusty’s hauler at the USA 500 last year.

    It would have taken three cups of coffee to down one of those MREs
    One incentive for not getting stuck in the desert is you won’t be forced to eat one of those MREs which I recall we stuck in the first aid kit back in 2007.

    Rather than write up the team notes, I decided to reorganize the first aid kit. I’m sure I’m missing something. We all agreed to chip in for race expenses, or, as Bob Russell said “Where else can you drive a race car for $100 a month?”

    Racing is always dangerous, but thankfully, Class 11 racing isn’t this dangerous:

  • Happy Holidays from all of us

    Happy Holidays from all of us

    Happy Holidays from all of us at Desert Dingo Racing

    Sure I did this back in 2009, but who among us hasn’t sent out old postcards?

    We hope everyone has a great holiday. Thanks for all your support in 2012. 2013 is shaping up to be pretty good.

  • Came for the racing. Stayed for the canapes.

    Came for the racing. Stayed for the canapes.


    Seriously, the Class 11 pits are going to look just like this.

    Update: CBCFS Racing will be hosting a wine and cheese tasting Saturday night and Romy and Jen will be rolling in with hummus, goat cheese, figs and fresh fruit

    When I’m doing the menu, its usually Pop Tarts and coffee for breakfast lunch and dinner, but, fortunately for the team, we’ve got Roxanne, who’s taken the lead on coordinating food for this weekend’s VORRA season opener at Prairie City.

    Here’s the menu for this weekend:

    Friday dinner:
    Roxanne: Marinara sauce with whole wheat pasta
    Dennis & Deb: Camp style potatoes & onions
    Lynda: Big green salad w/ carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, cukes

    Saturday breakfast:
    Roxanne: “Italian” omelot topped with leftover marinara sauce
    Dennis & Deb: Dutch Oven Egg Casserole (Eggs, Potatoes, Onions, Cheese, Bacon, Chorizo)
    Normal & R-Pod: Potatoes, bacon
    Lynda: fresh fruit

    Saturday dinner:
    Roxanne: Black bean chili and tortillas.
    Dennis & Deb: Blasting Baja Spanish Rice
    Jean-Luc: Beef Stew
    Normal & R-Pod: Sauteed vegetables of some sort (seasonal)
    Lynda: Vegetable Soup

    Sunday breakfast:
    Roxanne: Breakfast burritos.
    Dennis & Deb: eggs, chorizo, potatoes
    Normal & R-Pod: Cheddar and bacon omelets (on order), guacamole for the burritos.
    Lynda: Mangoes

    BTW, I snagged the image from one of my favorite TV commercials of all time…

  • Packing for Prairie City

    Packing for Prairie City


    This is what our new tent might look like in a high wind inside a Costco.

    Tonight is packing night as we prepare for this weekend’s racing at Prairie City. Here’s shots of our tubs for electronics, radios, food, racing suits and helmets. Also our Energizer All-In-One Battery, so I don’t drain everyone’s car batteries with the pit radio. Also the pile of stuff for cooking, shelter and a pile of miscellaneous stuff I know I’ll regret if we don’t take it.

    Dixon & Son Tires gave 1107 a full alignment this morning, is on the truck and ready to go. Crusty’s coming by tomorrow to move race fuel from the drum to the 5 gallon jugs. I’ll be dropping off tubs with Dave and Jonah to haul to PC.

     

  • Advanced Design rat rod

    Advanced Design rat rod

    Roxanne showed me Peter Behrens’ Autoliterate blog, which covers old school pickup trucks. I maintain there’s little more old school than Crusty’s rat rod hauler, so I sent Peter a few shots.

    I had no idea there was such a thing as an Advanced Design Chevy truck but that’s what we’re using. Using it to sleep on, cook on, protect us from scorpions and our overall base of operations at most of the desert races.

    Crusty’s having some parts fabbed today to finish mounting the power steering pump. He put the kibosh on my request for cup holders.

    Peter is on tour doing readings from his new book “The O’Briens.”

    Major news coming up next week.