The Baja 1000 route, as depicted on a Google Earth map. The off-road race began on 10 November in Ensenada, Mexico, and traverses about 2,100 kilometres. Teams have 53 hours to complete the course. They cannot go more than 60mph on the highway, and GPS tracks the teams to ensure compliance.
This year, a team from San Jose, California, known as Desert Dingo is entering the race's Class 11 (stock Volkswagens) with a 1969 VW Beetle tricked out with satellite phones and multiple GPS receivers. The team also plans to send Twitter updates from the road.
Credit: Jim Graham
The Desert Dingo VW will be outfitted with a 'just in case' kit that includes a high-lift jack and a 'come along' that can use leverage to pull the vehicle out of big holes or high silt.
Credit: Daniel Terdiman/News.com
The Desert Dingo team's 1969 VW Beetle will carry a GPS unit loaded not just with the race route, but also with data provided by someone who has run the route in advance and noted road hazards and other notable features.
Credit: Daniel Terdiman/News.com
Desert Dingo team co-leader Jim Graham shows off one of the GPS units that will be in the 1969 VW Beetle, as well as the satellite phone (right) that will be used to transmit Twitter entries from the route.
All told, the team is spending about $20,000 (£10,000) on the race, and it is raising money for diabetes on its Web site.
Credit: Daniel Terdiman/News.com
With the Baja 1000 race right around the corner, the Desert Dingo vehicle is still undergoing last-minute work.
Credit: Daniel Terdiman/News.com
A closeup of written instructions given to all Baja 1000 teams that show the entire race route. For teams that don't have GPS guidance, this is the only way to navigate. Step No. 77 shows how complicated the instructions can be and why teams like Desert Dingo are carrying multiple GPS units just in case.
Credit: Daniel Terdiman/News.com
Desert Dingo co-leader Cary McHugh grinds away at a small part that will be used in the Beetle.
Credit: Daniel Terdiman/News.com
The Desert Dingo VW is outfitted with a special 'fuel cell' fuel tank that can withstand a wide variety of unusual punishments. It holds 57 litres of gasoline and is carried in the front of the car to balance the vehicle's weight.
Credit: Daniel Terdiman/News.com
The Desert Dingo team bought its 1969 VW Beetle for $300 (£150), but the car didn't have an engine or transmission. So the team visited nine-time Baja 1000 Class 11 winner Eric Solorzano, who agreed to build a special engine for Desert Dingo.
Credit: Daniel Terdiman/News.com
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