Fud's Crud - June 2000

While La Nina may have created severe weather problems elsewhere, this little girl has been very nice to the Desert users the last couple of years.
Last July the Affordable RainGutter's Annual Nite Team race was chilly and for once the wind didn't howl. 1999 was a remarkable year and while we have had a few windy Y2K days it has been very nice. That is until the day before the Fud 200.
I spent the week commuting from Chulajuana to Plaster City West where the pits were. Every day the weather forecast was for gusty winds in the dez. Finally I stopped believing the forecasts. Friday morning dawned bright and pleasant. Around 8:30 a.m. "Crazy" Larry McCallum volunteered to help me put up the finish banner. That must have been the switch that turned on the wind. It didn't go from still to a light breeze to howling, it shifted into full force immediately. While we were erecting the finish banner the wind shredded it. It was a humpty dumpy banner now, never to have it's pieces assembled again.
Hours later it was still blowing when I went to fetch something very important from my van. It was impossible to open the wing doors as the wind would rip them off the frames. Therefore I went in the side door and decided to close it tight because of the blowing sand. What I didn't know was the wind had blown hard enough to latch the back doors. When I went to get out I couldn't, the wind was blowing so hard if you attempted to open anything it would have been gone. Well, I guess it's time to read the newspaper. It seemed like hours went by before the wind subsided enough for me to escape. Normally racers and duners don't mix, however there was so many dunes created inside the signup trailer that you had to be careful where you stepped to avoid hurting one of the little people enjoying the new dunes.
At day break it finally stopped or at least slowed down to what seemed like a breeze. It was the topic of conversation all day. I was asked many times if that was the worst wind I had ever experienced? No, I replied, the worst conditions were the first 24 hour event. The difference being is that I had to be outside for 24 hours then.
The wind was perfect for a car race, strong enough to move the dust yet gentle enough for the many spectators to enjoy. However, enough was enough and when the awards were over in the early afternoon, you could soon count the camps on one hand. After an evening of listening to great rock and roll being played by Bill Gill I went out to pick up whatever was left of the course markings the next morning. Much to my surprise they were all up. They had been blown down on pit row because the ground was too hard drive the stakes in very deep. Looks like the guy that marked the course knew what he was doing.
We were back a week later for our annual good deed day. For years trash has been our worst enemy. It sticks out like a sore thumb. I have always been very proud of the racers and their friends who make sure they keep the Dez clean. however, others seem to take pleasure in seeing how much trash they can leave. This year we had a diversified group of racers, their friends, Moms, Dads, Mini Bike Racers while a few were just spectators.
I have received some responses from Boss Sherri's idea of a District 38 Reunion event for next year. It has been suggested that we have short laps, make it a team race and have it during a cool time of the year when the days are long. If you have any suggestions, please e mail me at: [email protected].

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This page last updated on 6 September 2000