Yikes
10-09-2008, 06:35 PM
Here goes:
As many of you recall, I announced a while back that a friend of mine and me had agreed to race the 2010 Baja 500. It's amazing how things begin to change once a specific commitment is made. Shortly after the announcement, I was offered a great opportunity to join another race team and drive. I was awestruck and jumped at the chance, but after alot of heavy thinking I decided that regardless of how successful the program was, it wasn't aligned with how I envisioned entering the sport. It put me a little too far outside of my comfort zone, being a rookie. Not to mention it deviated from the personal commitment that I made with Dale, my co-conspiritor and family friend.
So, as difficult as it was, I decided to back down as an active participant in the team's C3 effort. It didn't feel right when I was involved and it felt worse when I walked away. I couldn't put my finger on why I needed to do that at the time, but in my heart I knew it was the right choice. A few days later, my brother in law called and asked if Carmen and I had a few minutes to talk. He and my sister came over, we sat down and Richard begins to spew out words I would have never in a million years have thought I would hear coming out of his mouth. They had been talking for some time and decided that they wanted to go 50/50 on a Class 3 race program with us. I was shocked and excited all over again. The best part is, he wants to be the crew chief and race coordinator, handle logistics etc. That makes me the DOR!!
We talked for a while about a timeline and priorities, both for the families and the build. Neither of us has 30-50k sitting in a disposable account to get the rig built, so we're going to take it one step at a time. It's going to be a budget build, but it's going to be done right. The goal is to have the rolling chassis completed by December '09. That doesn't sound like much, but that's the majority of the work and expense when considering all of the components required to design and build it correctly.
A few days go by after our initial conversation and the excitement is growing. Or should I say anxiety. Anyhow, I get a call from C3R's very own Nick (Brokenbronco). After talking about the new race effort for a bit he says "hey listen, I want to donate my old Bronco for the race rig". I couldn't have been more excited! I didn't know what to say, so I babbled and basically said nothing constructive for a few minutes. Awesome! was the word of the day. Ha! So anyway, last weekend before heading out to the Expo, Richard and I snagged a trailer from a generous friend and made some room in Nick's driveway. Nick, you're awesome man!!
Right now the Bronco is sitting at my dad's shop in the high desert. I'm going to haul the travel trailer, my welder, plasma, bender, etc. up there and get busy with the build. Richard has a fabricator friend that is going to give us a hand from time to time. Can't wait to tear it apart, get it stripped and cleaned and begin boxing the frame. We're working with Beard to get a set of Ultra T1's with some custom stitching. That's just one of many components we need before we begin doing the cagework. I'll post many pictures and keep a running list of all individuals and businesses who contribute to the program at the top of this page.
Can't wait to be out there with you guys.
As many of you recall, I announced a while back that a friend of mine and me had agreed to race the 2010 Baja 500. It's amazing how things begin to change once a specific commitment is made. Shortly after the announcement, I was offered a great opportunity to join another race team and drive. I was awestruck and jumped at the chance, but after alot of heavy thinking I decided that regardless of how successful the program was, it wasn't aligned with how I envisioned entering the sport. It put me a little too far outside of my comfort zone, being a rookie. Not to mention it deviated from the personal commitment that I made with Dale, my co-conspiritor and family friend.
So, as difficult as it was, I decided to back down as an active participant in the team's C3 effort. It didn't feel right when I was involved and it felt worse when I walked away. I couldn't put my finger on why I needed to do that at the time, but in my heart I knew it was the right choice. A few days later, my brother in law called and asked if Carmen and I had a few minutes to talk. He and my sister came over, we sat down and Richard begins to spew out words I would have never in a million years have thought I would hear coming out of his mouth. They had been talking for some time and decided that they wanted to go 50/50 on a Class 3 race program with us. I was shocked and excited all over again. The best part is, he wants to be the crew chief and race coordinator, handle logistics etc. That makes me the DOR!!
We talked for a while about a timeline and priorities, both for the families and the build. Neither of us has 30-50k sitting in a disposable account to get the rig built, so we're going to take it one step at a time. It's going to be a budget build, but it's going to be done right. The goal is to have the rolling chassis completed by December '09. That doesn't sound like much, but that's the majority of the work and expense when considering all of the components required to design and build it correctly.
A few days go by after our initial conversation and the excitement is growing. Or should I say anxiety. Anyhow, I get a call from C3R's very own Nick (Brokenbronco). After talking about the new race effort for a bit he says "hey listen, I want to donate my old Bronco for the race rig". I couldn't have been more excited! I didn't know what to say, so I babbled and basically said nothing constructive for a few minutes. Awesome! was the word of the day. Ha! So anyway, last weekend before heading out to the Expo, Richard and I snagged a trailer from a generous friend and made some room in Nick's driveway. Nick, you're awesome man!!
Right now the Bronco is sitting at my dad's shop in the high desert. I'm going to haul the travel trailer, my welder, plasma, bender, etc. up there and get busy with the build. Richard has a fabricator friend that is going to give us a hand from time to time. Can't wait to tear it apart, get it stripped and cleaned and begin boxing the frame. We're working with Beard to get a set of Ultra T1's with some custom stitching. That's just one of many components we need before we begin doing the cagework. I'll post many pictures and keep a running list of all individuals and businesses who contribute to the program at the top of this page.
Can't wait to be out there with you guys.