Race Day–a long night

“Mark, Dennis, wake up … just heard from Tom, they are about 20 minutes out.” …  I had been sitting in the truck calling for Chase 2 and for Race 1502 for the last half hour. Michelle is sleeping in the back seat, in what I can only describe as a terribly uncomfortable position … while my dad looks equally uncomfortable in the passenger seat … next time, we need to think this part a little better.

The radio crackles with Race 1502, after a couple of minutes, I am able to have a decent interchange with Tom. They should be arriving around 2A. One of the lights is out, they need a new air filter and a new “pumper” filter. The “pumper” is an air pump that has a large filter, it draws in air through the filter and pumps it into the helmets of the people in the Jeep.

I acknowledge the communication, ask how they are doing … which is fine and ask if they had seen Sheila and Brooke … Yep, they got splashed at the agreed upon place … good, everyone is safe. I moan a little as I open the door to get Dennis and Mark up … as I do … I realize that there is still a sand storm blowing, and while we may be uncomfortable in the truck, Dennis and Mark are outside … ugh … really need to prepare for this desert thing better. In 2009, it was no wind, big bonfires, lots of people in lawn chairs around fire talking, drinking and playing music …

At 1:59A, Race 1502 pulls into BFG Pit 2 in Borrego. They have travelled 117.5 miles in 6h 56min, that’s an average speed of around 17mph.

The best I can do to describe the Jeep, is to say that it is covered in soot … or, someone dumped dirty gray flower all over it … or, what looks like decades of dust having settled on it. They had, not many miles ago, run through a silt bed. I’ve heard it describe, but have never witnessed it … all I can say, is that the Jeep and it’s passengers where really, really, dusty. This was the cause of the request for the filters … the engine air filter is clogged, the pumper filter is clogged, the radiator is clogged (having led to an overheat), everything and I mean everything is clogged … Tom and Tim looking like they are clogged as well.

BFG fuels them, which is becoming painful, as the Jeep will not take fuel quickly, so not only are we short on range with needs to splash … but when we do fuel, it is a slow process. With BFG done, we move the Jeep to one side, for us to do some work.

Mark and I change out the engine air filter, Dennis tackles the light and getting the jack bolted back down. Tim tells us that they got buried and stuck in the silt bed, and had to use the jack to lift the Jeep enough to get it to move. The jack is bolted to the Jeep frame and one of the bolts is missing. The pumper filter gets replaced and then with the aid of a BFG air hose, we blow out the radiators.

Tim briefs Mark on how the Jeep is running, explains to him some of the what he has learned, all I hear is … “stay in the ruts”, or something like that … I’m still with the BFG guy blowing out the radiator, which looks like one solid piece of sandstone. Dennis tackled the light that is burned out … they have 6, but only 3 worked when they came in. We’re up to 4 lights, but the 2 on the front bumper won’t come on … oh well, they’ll head out with 4 lights.

Mark and Dennis, buckle in … Tim and Tom do the final transfer of knowledge <g> … and off they go. Race 1502 has spent 35 minutes in the  pit, driver swap completed … Jeep operational (although a little darker) … and a “fresh” crew on board. Now to relax a little … umm … no really … it’s 240A. The Jeep does not have enough fuel to make it to BFG pit 3.

While servicing the Jeep, Chase 2 returns … so we are all accounted for. Chase 1502 is low on fuel and with 2 empty fuel cans. Chase 1501 has 2 can for a total of 10 Gal. Our plan is to take Chase 1, meet up with the Jeep at RM243, splash them … refill all 4 cans … so that we can come back to here and be ready again.

RM243 is 44 miles down the race course and for us to intercept, it is about 60 miles on the highway, and 4 miles on a dirt road. We load up, leave Chase 2 at Borrego .. and Michelle, Abuelo and I head down the highway at 250A.

We have some radio contact with Mark and Dennis and let them know the plan … we will meet at RM 243, it will be close on time. If you get there before us … wait. Then we are out of range. We drive for over and hour, before we turn onto the dirt road … Chase 1, Abuelo’s 2001 GMC 2500HD, has had new shocks for this trip, new offroad lights and a new set of tires. This dirt road is basically a washboard … and it is rattling the dentures out of my dad. We do the best we can, but average under 20mph.

We get radio contact with Dennis, and try to communicate … “Dennis, where are you?”, “On the race course. Where are you?” … “Umm, on the access road.” … Ok that wasn’t helpful at all. “Dennis what RM are you at?”, “Don’t know, there are no signs out here”, “Dennis, have you crossed any roads” ,” Yes, many, everything looks the same.” … then … “John, just passed a marker, we just went by RM 245” …. ugh … “You guys missed the crossing” …. ugh … next access point is 10 miles further down. “Dennis, we will try to meet at RM 253”

Abuelo clenches his teeth (so they won’t fall out) and I push up the speed, we’re doing about 40mph down the dirt road, with the race course on our left side… out there, somewhere is Mark and Dennis … we are, in effect … racing them to get ahead to meet them. In a few minutes we spot some lights bouncing around … has to be them … “Dennis, we see you.” …. a couple of minutes later we see a large bonfire well in front of them … “Dennis, do you see the bonfire?” … “Stop there!”

We have to make a u-turn and head about .5 a mile back, then I switch the truck in 4wd and turn off the road, picking my way between stuff heading towards the fire … we see the fire, and we see the truck, they are about 500 yrds up the course … “Dennis, drive about 500 yds down the course, you’ll find us.” … “Can’t, Jeep’s broken.” … “Ok, we’ll be right there.”

We meet up with the Jeep at 453A … in the middle of the desert, next to a couple of guys with a bonfire, waiting for their team to bring a transmission to replace the one that they have blown. Not worried about them … let’s see what’s wrong with the Jeep.

The battery tray, has broken off the frame … which means that the batteries are jumping up and down and tearing things apart. Hmm … everyone out of the Jeep and looking for options and ideas. We need to isolate the batteries from the fuel tank (which they are banging against) and then secure them, so they don’t come loose … Mark looks for some wood to do the isolation and I remember that we have tie down straps in the truck. The stick isn’t working … so we pull out some 4x6 blocks of wood that we use to chalk the trailer … with wood, and tie down straps. We secure the batteries.

There’s also something wrong with the carburetor, that Dennis deals with … then we start to fuel. While I do this, Michelle asks Mark for an interview … he graciously declines and suggest she interviews the pretty one … Dennis.

Mark’s back in the Jeep ready to go, telling Dennis to buckle up and get his helmet on … this is after all a race. Mark and Dennis head back onto the course at 525A. We work our way back to the road an head back to Borrego.

A quick stop at the local Pemex to refill gas cans, use the bathroom, grab a coffee and then the 1.5 hr drive back to meet up with the rest of the team … we arrive at Borrego around 7A.