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.

This video includes some gratuitous engine revving.

Not much new to report. Going through the new paperwork received from SCORE for the Baja 1000. Looks like we’ll be meeting Tuesday at Richard’s to erect the beams for what will eventually be the official Desert Dingo Racing race shop (and Richard’s metal shop).

This video is of 1107 driving out of Palais des congres du Montreal, down the street, around the corner and into the loading dock.

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.

Look for us right at the front doors of the Montreal Convention Center.

I’m not sure where the car is right now, but Richard and I will be meeting it out in front of the Montreal Convention Center between 7 and 8 a.m. on Friday morning. We’ll drive it through the front doors and powerslide it into place in our booth space just inside the front doors close to the World Diabetes Congress registration area.

Hero cards are printed. Picking them up later today.

Thanks to Chris with Excelr8 Imagery for this great shot of 1107 from the SNORE 250.

In a flurry of paperwork this morning we paid the trucking company, the customs broker, bought airline tickets and reserved hotel rooms. Tomorrow, we pick up hero cards.

We meet 1107 on Friday morning in front of the Montreal Convention Center for the World Diabetes Congress on Friday.

More to come.

You don’t know fear until an 850 horsepower Class 1 plows to a stop 20 feet from you so the driver can adjust his helmet.

Playing catchup. Photos from last weekend’s SNORE South Point 250. We’re still third in class and 24th overall (out of 316). Not bad for our first full season of racing.

Dan, who is transporting 1107 to Kenmore, NY, where it will be picked up by another driver for final transport to the Montreal Convention Center, called and said he’s in Salt Lake City and bound for Wyoming. Richard and I will meet 1107 in front of the convention center some time between 7 and 8 a.m. on October 16 and drive it through the front doors. Then we’ll have a day to prep it for the World Diabetes Congress.

Photos from the 250 here.

And for the hard core offroad geeks out there, here is a 360 degree view of Checkpoint 1 at sunrise.

Missed it by that much.

Or, as A.J. just schooled me: “Measure twice, load once.”

Dan with Jax Trucking pulled into Felton on Tuesday to pick up 1107 for the trip to Kenmore, NY where the car will be dropped off and then picked up by a Canadian transport company for the final leg to the Montreal Convention Center, where Richard and I will meet it sometime between 7 and 8 a.m. on October 16.

The hauler already had a custom Charger, a Bentley, a Porsche and a spotless 70’s era Trans Am, so we were in good company.

I’ll be putting on the rest of the sponsor decals when we’re in Montreal and it will be all spiffy for the World Diabetes Congress.

Photos tonight.