Mention the Baja 1000, and you probably imagine million-dollar trophy truck teams bounding through miles of inhospitable desert. Anyone, arguably, could be a contender with practically unlimited financial backing. But what about the little guys?
Jim Graham of Desert Dingo is one of the little guys in more ways than one. He's a privateer racing a 1969 Volkswagon Beetle. But don't let the low-tech ride fool you -- they've got some new gadgets to make the big boys jealous. Graham and co-driver Mike Aquino compete in the seldom-mentioned Class 11, the stock pre-1983 VW Beetle division that has become a fan-favorite. What you may not know is that the VW Beetle is also the winningest car in Baja 1000 history.
"It's like the Olympics of off-road racing and people treat you like a hero -- or a crazy person -- for even showing up in a Stock Bug, let alone finishing the race," says Graham.
Graham founded Desert Dingo with Aquino in December 2006. His inspiration? Ten minutes into watching Dust to Glory, a Baja 1000 documentary, he turned to his wife and said, "I've gotta do this." Her initial response was to mention his complete lack of car knowledge. "I don’t care," he replied. Eleven months later, he fielded a car in the 2007 Baja 1000.
The 1969 VW Beetle is mostly stock. The team has boosted the compression on the stock 1600cc engine to run 110-octane race fuel, added a Donaldson multistage air filter to keep the silt out of the carburetor and installed Bilstein off-road shocks, a roll cage and safety harnesses. Otherwise, the car is functionally identical to when it came off the assembly line 40 years ago.
The communication gadgets are a different story. Desert Dingo is on the forefront of communications technology and was one of only two teams to live-blog and tweet the race. This year, outside of the mandatory Iridium Satcom IRC tracking unit and Lowrance GPS, they've brought some new toys to the sandbox.
Following a debrief after last year's race, the team agreed communications was its biggest shortfall. They wanted a satellite-based SMS system to keep the race car, chase trucks and monitoring members in constant contact.That's when Graham pitched the idea to EMS SkyConnect, a provider of global tracking systems for airline fleets, oceangoing cargo ships and emergency vehicles to see if they could offer some insight. EMS global sales manager Joel Goron e-mailed him back asking, "What if we outfit your race car and chase truck with a system that does that?" You can imagine that Graham responded with an emphatic "Yes."
The first of its kind, real-time tracking system sends one of 10 preprogrammed messages at the push of a button ranging from "Major car damage; send chase truck," to "Whee!"
Another Baja first came with their sponsor TrailGlow, a manufacturer of illuminated number panels safety vests and pit signs using electroluminescent panels that appeared on a number of entries. Made with a phosphorous-based organic material, the 12-volt DC signs are about as flexible as any decal and glow like a neon sign on an adult arcade. Not only does it successfully provide a safer race experience, it looks pretty damn cool.
So how’d Desert Dingo do this year with all their new tech? They completed 182.5 miles of the 675-mile race before throwing in the towel with a second blown transmission. Desert Dingo may still be a “little guy” that has yet to finish a Baja 1000, but they are leaving big boys in the dust with their new toys.
Photos: Desert Dingo Racing
