Keep Them Dingo’s Rollin’!!!
What a race! The USA 500 proved to be epic in every way! I was driving for Desert Dingo in their class 11 bug. To the uninitiated, that is basically a stock 1969 VW bug. Sure there is a roll cage and the car has a bit more clearance, plus all the safety gear, but you are still running a standard 1600cc engine, drum brakes, and one shock at each corner. No bypass, no coil overs…nada. It’s the slowest class of off road cars and probably the roughest (although the class 9 cars are pretty bad too), but just because it’s slow doesn’t mean you can’t get into trouble. As I found out.
I was scheduled to drive the second lap of the day. Crusty, yes that’s what we call him, and Ryan were in the car first. They turned in a pretty good lap time. Crusty told me, “Course is great! Car is working! Go for it!” Newbie co-dawg Toby and I got in the car and well…we went for it.
Crusty before the race. Photo by Josh McGuckin
We took off and the first thing I noticed was all the play in the steering wheel. It had been a year since I had driven 1107, and had forgotten about this trait. But I didn’t have time to think too much because oh my stars what is that up ahead? It was competition! 1142 was just a quarter mile away! What could be the best choice to make at this moment? Should I settle down and reacquaint myself with the car or should I try to pass?
I chose poorly.
Oh my. Look at that. On our side. We had been having radio troubles all day but were able to call and text back to pits for some help. Toby and I were there for a good 1.5 or 2 hours before truck 707 came by and yanked us right side again. By then the cavalry had arrived in the form of the boys from Project Baja, so they helped us check everything out and we were on our way.
Co-Driver Toby scouting out the scene.
For about 2 minutes. Because I rolled the car. Again. Listen, I can’t make this stuff up people. I was not able to compensate for the steering and I over-corrected. Fortunately our chase was still close by and they came back to give us a hand. I should have in car video of that soon.
I want to give you a little insight into the Project Baja boys. They are sarcastic. They like to dish it out. They loooove pushing your buttons. But every single one of them gave me encouraging words. They did not make fun and they did not laugh, and for that I am immensely grateful.
I’m sure that will last until they read this post. Then there will be no mercy.
Needless to say I slowed it way down. We got going and were doing fine. Not fast, but fine. And then we got to The Hill. Never in my life had I seen such a hill. And we never saw the top of it, but not for lack of trying. We climbed that thing 5 times and got to the same spot each time, just 10-12 feet from the top. Toby was out there moving rocks around, we got the carpets out for traction, nothing mattered. First we backed up from the hill a bit, then a toss, then by a lot, then by about 1/4 of a mile. I approached that thing flat out in 2nd gear, then downshifted into first and kept it pinned. Wasn’t going to happen. What the hell? We had to get up it! We had no radio communication so we were on our own. We backed up one last time. 1/3 of a mile, when we noticed a trail going off the the left. We hadn’t seen it before because we hadn’t ever backed up this far, and the course is the only thing marked on the GPS. Toby and I looked at each other. He said, “Should we take it?” I said, “Hell yeah!” It dumped us out on to a public grated dirt road for about 1/4 mile, until it crossed the track again. There was an official there who said it was okay we cut the course, that a lot of the class 11 and 9s had done it. And he warned us about the next hill. “It’s pretty bad but we’ll look for you. If we see that you don’t make it, Big Chad here will tow you up.” Big Chad nodded his agreement.
A mile later we saw it. I approached flat out in second, tried to downshift into first, and it was like slamming the gearshift into a brick wall. We had nothing. Well, we had reverse. Oh, and it wouldn’t turn over either. We backed down and waited for Big Chad. At this point our GoPro had run out of juice and it’s too bad because that Chevy pickup of his towed dead weight of 2200 pounds up this hill that was soft and at least a 10% grade.
At the top we bump started 1107 and were off. It was all flat or downhill from there into the next pits. And by downhill I mean sudden drop offs of, oh three stories or so. But all we had was second gear. So on a road that should have allowed for flat out, I was stuck at 35-40mph.
We limped into pits and after a going over by the guys at ProPits, car owner Jim decided it wasn’t worth fixing and we were done. Far be it from me to argue, since I had just rolled the car twice and burned the clutch up trying to get up that hill. Chase was called in from the other pit and I thought we done. Until Dave.
Crusty and Dave. Photo by Josh McGuckin
Dave came in from the other pit and gave what can only be called The Motivational Speech of the Century. He convinced Jim that we could still get the car back out there and earn some season points. We had plenty of people to make it happen and we all wanted to do it, and I can’t tell you how awesome it was to hear Jim say, “Okay go for it.” We descended on 1107 like flies. Crusty and the ProPit guys started pulling the motor. Dave started welding where the A pillar had broken, and Project Baja was on the lights. I helped where I could, handing tools, holding things in place, and flipping switches when asked. It’s very frustrating to me to not have the knowledge to help in these kinds of triage situations, but I am educating myself as much as I can.
Dave suited up to drive and Toby went with him. They took off…and went the wrong way. They missed the right turn out of pits to take the loop and instead headed towards the finish line. We were still having radio trouble so I immediately started texting Toby, “Come back! You missed the right hander!” Their lights disappeared over the hill and we all knew if they didn’t figure it out they would add 70 miles that we could not afford to add. But then…Lights cresting the hill! They figured it out! Hooray! They came back towards pits, took the turn and were off for real!
Now I can’t say for sure what happened while those two were out there. They told me at one point they lost all lights (but were able to get the HIDs back but one was pointed off to the side), they lost dash lights and the GPS, the weld broke on the A pillar and the metal sun visor came loose. They also lost the alternator for a bit, but got it back and crossed the finish line at 4:07am.
This made for quite the rattle-y ride, I'm sure.
Unfortunately 1107 was DNF, as we only did 2 laps, instead of 3, but we were able to earn some points for the season. And I learned a few things: I need to keep my cool when I first get in the car. 2. Look for a work around when in class 11. and C: People will rally when you ask them to.
The story doesn’t end there, though. Crusty blew a tire while hauling 1107 home on his 1951 Chevy flatbed. He’s fine but the truck lost two tires and a fender and 1107 hit the median and busted the driver’s side trailing arm.
We call it the Rat Rod.
This is a Test of the Emergency Wheel Travel System
Well, okay not really, but a week or so ago I met Dad up in the high desert for a little bit of seat time in the car that may just turn out to be known as MA’AM (Mean Ass Angry Monkey. Either that or Rooster. What do you think?) Up until this point I’d had a total of 7 minutes drive time in her, and 36 miles of co-driving.
Thursday started off toasty and windy! We settled in at Stoddard Valley and found a few other people out testing as well, most notably COPS Racing. I wish I could have gotten a picture but their damn Trophy Truck went by so fast I was lucky I had enough time to jump behind a bush so as not to get *totally* dusted out.
We were finally able to break out our care package from Slime. They sent us a healthy supply of tire sealant, tire pressure gauges, a few plug kits, and a much needed portable tire inflator that connects right to the battery. Our old one was…well…old. This one by Slime is super fast and much quieter.
Dad using the new 2x Tire Inflator from Slime
I spent the first day just getting a feel for the car. It’s similar in width to the baja, but the wheel base is much longer, so it’s a totally different ride. It has a puck clutch, which is either engaged or not (read: it’s kind of easy to stall). The transmission, however, shifts much smoother than the baja, which I always had to force into 2nd gear a bit. The front end behaves differently and there are bypass shocks and a little bit more travel all the way around. The baja runs a 2180cc motor whereas MA’AM sports the stock 1600cc. However, she’s much lighter. How much lighter I’m not sure since she hasn’t been on the scale, but I can definitely feel it. I keep telling people that any co-driver will have to be 170 pounds or less so we can keep total passenger weight down to 300 pounds or less. I’m not really joking.
Play car vs Race car
Unfortunately, something was keeping my baby down. She was sputtering like Tom Cruise does when reporters ask him if he’s gay. It was most pronounced at the lower rpm range, like when starting out or turning around, but sometimes when going uphill, even if the revs were still high. Hmmmm….a carburetor issue of some sort. We were meeting fellow Courage Girl Motorsports team members Pepper and Martee that night for dinner, so Pep stopped off at Mohr Performance and picked up a fuel filter, new jet, and a carb rebuild kit.
You know how if you live in a small town you run into people at the best and/or worst times? That night at dinner was one of the best times. Martee was telling me about her secret weapon when it comes to shock tuning, the Mr. Miyagi of Shocks, if you will. Well we walked into Chili’s and who is having a beer at the bar? Monsieur Miyagi! It was agreed upon by all parties present that we should meet the next morning for a little go around. Of course, that night we still had to address the carb issues. I changed the fuel filter and helped the guys take off the carb. They went to work rebuilding it while Pep, Martee, and I ran out for supplies…namely zip ties and beer.
Next morning bright and early we were at it again. But still with the sputtering! The carb was totally clean, we had a new jet, new fuel filter. We decided it was the float. I can’t tell you yet if we were right, but the engine is currently at Major Performance getting a going through. But I digress. Mr. Miyagi (I would like to note that Mr. Miyagi is neither a karate master nor is he Japanese. I just like calling him that because he is a miracle worker and the Annie Sullivan of Shocks doesn’t sounds as good.) met us out in Stoddard Valley and the testing began.
We got in the car and he told me, “When I tell you to get on the pipe, you get on the pipe!” Uh..sir, yessir! Most of the session was him and I in the car for a run, him yelling at me, “ON IT! ON IT! ON IT! NO LIFTING!” and me thinking, “This guy is going to kill me today.” Then he’d be out of the car, adjusting things which I don’t even pretend to understand, then back in for another run. And I could tell with each run that something was different. And holy crap I could go faster! A lot faster! Now he’s telling me to stand on the throttle and I have all kinds of confidence! Taking the whoops in the baja at those speeds would mean my back end would get away from me. Now MA’AM leads with her nose BAM BAM BAM right over the whoops and the back end just follows, easy peasy. Of course, we didn’t get a super accurate tuning since the engine was not running at full potential, but it was a good start. Once we get the car back together we’ll go out again and fine tune.
So what is next? We will be running the MORE/SNORE combined KC-Hilites race in September, where I hope to have a fundraiser for Gazelles. We are also running the Powder Puff in October of course. That race will mean a lot as it raises money for Cedar Sinai Breast Cancer Research Center, and it will also be the Revenge Race for Grace, the official truck of Courage Girl Motorsports. Her front driver’s wheel has fallen off two years in a row and we are really hoping that doesn’t happen again. Pepper and Martee will be in Grace, and I will be in MA’AM for that one. I’m also working on an awesome calendar of bad ass female off road drivers. More info on that as it becomes available!
Next week I’ll be part of the drive team for Desert Dingo in their class 11 at the VORRA USA 500 out near Reno. Tech is on Friday July 14th, so come on down and say hi if you’re in the neighborhood. If not I’ll be tweeting as much as I can @MMMotorsports and using #USA500.
This is what 1107 looked like after the USA 500 last year.
Video, Video, y Mas Video
Okay, maybe only two videos. Not a lot to report in my off road racing world. We are still looking for a 2 seater class 10, 12, or 1600. Chassis and suspension only is okay. Shoot me an email if you know of anything.
A few weeks ago I got to test the 2012 Beetle for Roadfly. The good volks at VW have completely redesigned it: no more flower vase, no more doinky little tail lights. It’s much more butch now and tho the turbo takes a second to spool up, once it does the car is a lot of fun. The full review should be up on Roadfly in a few weeks.
Photo by Andrew Albosta. He’s kinda good.
Things for Gazelles are slowly moving forward. Michele has been working on getting us classified as a non-profit and I’ve been busy brainstorming possible sponsors. I will definitely talk to the Moroccan embassy here in DC. I’m here…I might as well use all the resources I got.
24 Video and Powder Puff Prep
Some great video has surfaced from VORRA’s 24 hour endurance race on Labor Day weekend, where I helped Desert Dingo’s 1107 take first in class. You can read my race report in a previous post, but let’s just say it was a rockin’ good time. At any rate, here is your video fix.
We are getting ready for the Powder Puff on October 8th just outside Barstow, CA. All female drivers and co-drivers, racing for the cure. Dad has made his way back to his summer digs in Colorado to pick up the car and get packed for his winter move to Mexico (I know, rough life, right?). He’ll trailer 549 out to California and work with Jimmy of Shook Hawk Performance Engines to make sure the carburation is right. If you recall, that’s what did us in at the Mexican 1000 in May.
I’ll arrive in CA on Thursday night, then run out to see Dave Bonner at Kartek to get a new helmet. I’ve been wearing a hand me down and really need to get something that fits better. Plus I want it orange. The most obnoxious orange you have ever seen. I want my helmet to look like the neon sweatshirt I had in 1986 (when I was 4, natch), but multiplied by 100 in brightness.
Friday will be a pre-run day and we’ll take the car through tech late in the afternoon. This is always a fun time as a lot of the guys are in some kind of drag and people have decorated their cars with pink feathers, ribbons…there is even one car that shows up every year with a huge bra on the front end. Hilarious.
All proceeds from the Powder Puff will go to Cedars-Sinai Breast Cancer Research Center. It’s our team goal to raise $5000, and we still have a long way to go. You can help us out, even with $10 (but we’ll take your $Hunnies too!) by going to my fund raising page.
It looks like we’ll be pitting with Team Courage Racing and Tut Tech Racing, and whoever THEY decide to bring out. I imagine about a half a mile of pits where we all know each other and help each other out. Should make for a raucous party on Saturday after the race!
There are a few more surprises I am working on for the Powder Puff. I’m not sure if it’s all going to pan out, so I’m keeping quiet for now. Can’t guarantee how long THAT will last! In the meantime, check out the cool video from Powder Puff 2009. You might see a bit of little ol’ me in there somewhere.
Vayamos a NORRA Mexicano Mil
Well, the car is ready, the suits are ready…if I could just pack then *I* would be ready! I leave tomorrow evening and will spend the night in San Diego. One of my sponsors, The Waterfront Tavern, is putting me up in their condo a block away from the roller coaster in Mission Beach. Unfortunately, I’ll only be there for 8 hours. Dad and I will be leaving the next morning at 6am to get to his place in San Felipe. There I will get my first look at our BRAND NEW 2180 dual carb motor and new transmission. Awwwww yeah!
After a quick sleep, we’ll be towing our Hot Tamale back up to Mexicali for registration, contingency, and of course, a party with our pals. Early morning of May 5th we’ll start Day One, driving back through San Felipe to Bay of Los Angeles. We’ll be staying with our pals at Villa Vitta.
Day Two will start at 8am at “South of town on Dirt Road”. What’s hilarious is that I know exactly where they are talking about! The second day will take us through San Ignacio, land of 1000′s of Palm Trees and we’ll end at Loreto. That night we get a special party at Del Borracho Saloon, sponsored by Team Lucky Sperm, YT Motorsports, and Team Courage.
But we can’t party too hard, because Day Three starts at 7am in a mad dash to the finish line in La Paz and another fun evening spent with friends, new and old.
The morning of May 8th will bring the awards ceremony and then Dad and I get the rest of the day and most of Monday to play in La Paz….or maybe I can convince him to buzz on out to Cabo? At any rate, I fly from La Paz to LA on May 9th, then red eye back to DC to be at work on May 10th.
I’ll be live tweeting the whole damn thing, when I can get a signal, using the #NORRA1000 hashtag, so be sure to follow me @MMMotorsports. You can also Like me on Facebook and stay updated there as well. We’ll have three Go Pro cameras on the car, so we should get some pretty sweet video.
That’s all from stateside…I’ll see you in the baja.