This light bar has nothing to do with what I’m about to write, but it took me all winter to paint, clear coat and install the TrailGlow HIDs, so you’re gonna have to check it out.

We head out on Friday, March 19, for Prairie City for our first race of the 2010 season and between now and then we need to get the skid plate and bumper integrated, our transmission put back together and the engine installed. Piece of cake.

Creech is trailering 1107 to the race. Seth is cooking for everyone. Robert and Mike have been putting the finishing touches on the newly rebuilt engine. Skid will be there. Crusty and I will be working on integrating the skid plate with the rear bumper this weekend (technically, Crusty will be doing it and I’ll be standing around). Also, I’ve volunteered to do scoring because, as I told the organizers, “it makes it easier for me to black flag any other Stock Bugs that get too far ahead of us.”

Am I missing anyone?

While I can’t mention any names, I want to thank the anonymous sponsor who is providing us with equipment we need and who, for reasons I entirely understand, doesn’t want to be mentioned. Thank you.

So remember how, in the The Sporting Life interview, I said my favorite race vehicle of all time was one of the Kamaz trucks that won Dakar? Here’s a video and photos validating that statement.

Now if only I can convince our team manager to take a vacation to Russia in the winter.

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.

Bob jacks up 1104 in preparation for removing the engine.

1104 moved from my place over to Desert Dingo Racing HQ (aka “Richard’s place”) to begin winter tear down. Powerwashed, engine pulled, transmission pulled, light bar removed, CV joints pulled. We’ve got three months to prep the car for the first race of the 2010 season. A lot of ideas to improve it. Gallery of today’s photos here.

Also, this is the greatest off road video I’ve seen in ages. Props to Trophylite.

Bob Russell runs through an electrical systems check the night before the Baja 1000.

The folks at Wired.com’s Autopia blog did a great piece on the Rugged Text and Track satellite communications system from EMS SkyConnect and on our illuminated number panels from TrailGlow. You can check it out here…

This is what it looks like from here, thanks EMS SkyConnect. Click on the image to get the big picture.

A lot has happened since this post and the previous one. Tranmission got replaced, tie rod too.  Jim said something about ball joints. The RV is pulling into Jeff’s at San Felipe and I expect he’ll be online shortly to help track the team. Chase 1 is meeting 1104 shortly at Pit 4. Everyone’s in good spirits. Thanks for all the messages of support.

We’d like to take a moment to share some exciting news and introduce you to two of our sponsors.

Desert Dingo Racing is competing this year using an SMS-based satellite communication and tracking system from EMS SkyConnect. “One of the greatest challenges that any Baja team is faces maintaining communication between the race car, chase teams and support vehicles, said team co-founder Jim Graham. “We’re the first team to use EMS SkyConnect’s TNT (Text and Tracking) system that will allow us to stay in constant communication and know where everyone is at any point during the race.” More info about our partnership with EMS SkyConnect here.

Desert Dingo will also be one of only two teams running electroluminescent number panels developed by TrailGlow Lighting . The panels look like typical number panels during the day, but light up as bright as neon at night, operating off of the race car’s 12-volt electrical system.

“TrailGlow’s INERGY number panels make it easier for other vehicles to see us and for people staffing checkpoints to record our number,” Graham said. The team will also be using an INERGY pit sign and safesty vests during the race which will make it easy for the race car to find the pits at night and keep team workers highly visible at night. More info about our partnership with Trailglow here.

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.

My iPhone cannot do justice to the coolness of our TrailGlow pit sign.

Our pit sign from TrailGlow is dialed. A ton of work on the car today. We start buttoning up tomorrow. Loads of photos.

The ad running on Diabetes1.org.

I wanted to take a moment to thank the team at Diabetes1.org for helping us spread the word on our project with 12seconds.tv. They’re running an ad on their home page promoting our project where people can record 12 second long videos describing how diabetes has affected them. We’ll be sporting the Diabetes1 logo on the car at the Baja 1000 and throughout the 2010 race season.

You can read more about the project and upload your own video here.

Thanks to everyone at the Diabetes1.org. We appreciate your support.

Our sponsor, TrailGlow, is featured in the November 2009 issue of Dirt Sports magazine.

When I first saw a truck sporting a set of TrailGlow’s illuminated number panels at the SNORE KC Hilites Midnight Special race, I turned to my wife and said “As God is my witness, I will own a set of those.”

We’re now outfitted with a full set of TrailGlow custom built HID driving lights, multiple sets of illuminated number panels, and pit crew safety vests, courtesy of founder Paul Lukey and his son, Paul III.

As great as it is to have the support of a new sponsor, it’s been even more rewarding to meet Paul and his son, who love off road racing as much as we do. And I absolutely agree with Dirt Sport’s review:

“…the Dirt Sports Crew just discovered one of the neatest and most useful racing innovations to come along in quite some time – illuminated number panesl and decals…. TrailGlow founders Paul Lukey, and son Paul III, have perfected an entirely new way for 0ff-road racers and chase teams to add rugged, vibration-resistant illuminated numbers and custom  sponsor logos to their overall graphics presentation.”

TrailGlow’s panel’s make us easier to see at night, they’re going to speed us through checkpoints during night races, and the cool factor alone makes them worth it. If you’re looking to make your car stand out, I strongly recommend checking them out.

You can check out a full size version of the Dirt Sports product review here.