Brett Svatek did a piece on the team and I spent most of my time talking about eating.

INTERVIEW: Jim Graham – Desert Dingo Racing
The Sporting Life, February 24, 2010
Jim Graham and his Desert Dingo racing team set out to conquer the Baja 1000 in a car that most people wouldn’t feel safe driving to the 7-11…they are truly living The Sporting Life.

Thanks to everyone who took part in out Twitter project to promote World Diabetes Day.

In the weeks leading up to the Baja 1000, we asked folks on Twitter to post a message that included @DesertDingo and #WDD09. The former is our Twitter account, the latter is the hashtag to identify messages relating to World Diabetes Day.

We got a great response and using the latest in communications technology, I printed out everyones’ names, slipped them into a plastic sleeve and used blue painter’s masking tape to affix them to the ceiling of 1104.

So, thanks to everyone who participated. You can honestly say you made 183 miles in the 2009 Baja 1000.

We (ok, Richard), needed to modify our light bar to accommodate the bigger TrailGlow HID lights we’ll be running for the first time at the Baja 1000.

Among other things we accomplished yesterday: Modified the light bar to accommodate the larger TrailGlow HIDs, fabbed two rear view mirror nerf bars, installed a smaller fisheye rear view mirror in the car, chased down a short circuit in the electrical system, tweaked the rear skid plate to make it go in easier, hammered out and painted a new passenger front fender, organized the tool bags and spare parts bins, futzed with the GPS unit and eventually loaded the low-res SCORE GPS data in it, ate Roxanne’s pound cake, wired the pit signs, welded up the spare front end.

Today, more of the same. Tomorrow we head out.

A handful of photos from Saturday’s work.

Yep, that’s us on the World Diabetes Day official campaign news page.

If you’re looking for something to do to mark World Diabetes Day, might I suggest helping us out with some of our projects, that we’re doing in conjunction with the International Diabetes Federation and World Diabetes Day:

• In partnership with 12seconds.tv, we’re encouraging people to record 12-second-long video public service announcements on their experiences with diabetes.
• We teamed with local graphic artist Bubba Shelby to create super hero The Blue Circle. People can download copies of the Blue Circle for children to color with crayons here.
• Twitter users who post a tweet using the hash tags #WDD09 and @DesertDingo will have their Twitter nicknames and messages carried in the Desert Dingo race car during the Baja 1000.

And, before you do any of that, you must watch this video “All the Diabetics” by Suga Sheen:

World Diabetes Day, October 26, 2009 - Desert Dingo Racing is the World Diabetes Day entry in the Baja 1000. This will be the third year the team enter the Baja 1000 as a drive-a-thon to raise money for the International Diabetes Federation.

This year, the team are sponsoring a video campaign in cooperation with IDF and 12seconds.tv. People whose lives have been touched by diabetes are invited to sign up for a 12seconds account and post their video message on the World Diabetes Day page at http://12seconds.tv/rooms/WorldDiabetesDay.

Read more…

Richard gives an interview to Diabetes al Dia.

And we’re back from the World Diabetes Congress. Highlights from the show: Richard is a schmooze machine. We watched “Dust to Glory” 19 times over the course of five days staffing the Desert Dingo booth. People love 1107. A subset of those people really love being strapped into the five point harnesses “(Oh yeah, but imagine being strapped in for four hours in a non-stop car crash.”)

1107 will be back back on a truck today (hopefully by now) and back in Felton in 10 days. Now we shift to Baja 1000 planning. TrailGlow is shipping new night driving lights and safety vests. EMS Sky Connect is shipping our secret weapon. Bilstein is re-tuning our shocks.

Team meeting sometime next week.

Random photos for the World Diabetes Congress.

No, I hadn’t been drinking when I filmed this.

The World Diabetes Congress is overr and we’re headed over to the convention center in Montreal this morning to make sure the car shipping is dialed. I shot this video using the HD Flip Roxanne  got me for my birthday. It definitely takes longer to process HD video.

Pre-decals.

1107 arrived right on time exactly one day late Saturday at 7 a.m. We had a great security escort and Richard drove it through the front doors of the Palais des congrès de Montréal and, at my encouragement, revved the engine and rattled every window within 50 yards.

I also encouraged him to do some donuts and race up and down the conference center block-long foyer a few times, but he didn’t take me up on that.

I spent the morning applying all our sponsor and contingency decals and we played “Dust to Glory” on the laptop while Richard talked to early arrivals, some of whom recognized us as the official World Diabetes Day race car.

Ran errands in the afternoon and worked on Baja 1000 planning.

Here’s the car all blinged out. If you’re at the conference, drop by and say hi to Richard and me (he’s the good looking one). We’re conveniently located right next to the coffee shop across from main registration.

It’s a great “10 foot” car.

There’s a Volkswagen-shaped hole in this booth.

The booth is right at the main doors to the Palais des congrès de Montréal and I’m expecting a lot of foot traffic. Right now I’ll settle for a cup of coffee. The car, which we’d planned to have arrive between 7 and 8 a.m., will now show up “sometime around noon.”

Updates as they occur. Most of the action will happen on Twitter at @desertdingo.