Our first detour
Sep 14, 2009
The fact that they’re taking on one of the toughest off-road racing challenges on Earth doesn’t seem to faze Desert Dingo Racing. Working out of a simple garage, they’re preparing for the Baja 1000.
They tweeted the Nation of GO Tour when they saw we were in the area, so we took a detour through Felton, CA (near Santa Cruz) for a quick visit on our way to Los Angeles.
We met Jim Graham who explained that it all started when he rented the Baja documentary Dust to Glory. Even though he had never raced in his life, ten minutes into the film Jim told his wife, “I have to race this race.” He was inspired. He caught the bug.
Now “the bug” is a Class 11 VW Beetle that the Desert Dingo team campaigns in the SNORE series and the SCORE Baja 1000. The “team” is really just a handful of friends. In addition to racing and having fun, they raise money and awareness for diabetes research. So even though their Beetle has yet to finish in Baja, they’re already winners.
When the Nation of GO Tour dropped by, the Desert Dingo Beetle was getting the final coat of its annual paint job. We talked desert racing with them and were treated to hot bowls of outstanding homemade chili before heading out to LA. Sincere thanks to Roxanne for our tastiest dinner in days.
Comments
Two members of the Desert Dingo Team have diabetes. All of us have other friends and family affected by diabetes. Visit our site to learn more about our mission and track our progress as we prepare for the 2009 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. We are the Official World Diabetes Day entry and will be doing the race as a drive-a-thon to raise money for diabetes education. One hundred percent of the funds raised are doanted to the International Diabetes Federation.
By Roxanne on 2009 09 14
The url for Desert Dingo Racing is http://www.desertdingo.com
By Roxanne on 2009 09 14
Thanks for the extra information, Roxanne. We’ve text-linked your url in the post. Best of luck in Baja.
By Nation of GO Tour on 2009 09 14