Off and Running

We are a TEAM. Our first team meeting took place at Wendy’s in Poway,,yea I know,,,1st class all the way,,,that’s how we roll. This was a meeting with founder Dennis Hollenbeck and his wife Debbie, and Co-Founder Fernando Huerta and his wife Dieana, and Co-Founder Mario Sandez. I’ve known Mario for a few years now and I got to know him during the construction of a women’s shelter here in Baja CA. We talked Baja Races as both of us loved it and Mario help build a Class 20 Motorcycle team,,so to me he was big time.

A few years later I get a call from Mario asking if he could crash at our place as they pre-ran the Baja 500 for 2010, and this year his son Nick Sandez would be running in it for the first time. So we let them crash at our house here in Ensenada, but only on the condition,, that we got to hang out with them,,,well,,,no,,,Mario kindly invited us along. We drove all over and it was great to see the other side of the Baja Race, I got to meet some great people, and Mario was always up for eating a good meal. Just prior to race day I got to meet Fernando Huerta and Fernando was the guy that brought all the pre-runs together and  had Chase teams organized. So I could see that Mario and Fernando worked very well together.

So I pretty much decided that I wanted to do more than just Watch,,,I want to jump in feet first, and what better way than Class 11, the heart and soul of the Baja,,,well so says the movie Dust to Glory. I bought a 69 fat chick (VW bug) and started to dream and surf the web for info. Through a web site I got to know Jim Graham of Desert Dingo Racing and talk about help and advice,,,these guys are great. So eventually I posted something in regards to the fact that I just had to put a new motor in my bug and Fernando kind of said,,”you have a BUG! Let’s Race that thing!!” He took it,,hook, line, and Sinker,,,not to mention his Partner in Crime Mario (yea,,,I was fishing). We chatted and chatted, waited for Christmas and New Years to be over, and eventually we had our big meeting at Wendy’s.

This is not just going to be a bunch of guys racing (yes Dear) and Girls,,,there is a purpose, a vision, and we’ll be racing to finish, someday win, but it’s who we’re racing for that counts… We race for the Children of Casa Esperanza,,that’s who we’re racing for.

A big thanks to Jim and Desert Dingo Racing,,,we’re not finished with you guys yet, so don’t go anywhere.