stryderphoto
B.I.T.D. Parker 425 Pre Run - Pole Line
OK I just picked up one of those little Flip video cameras and it's great to stick in your pocket and shoot with and takes decent video. I brought it along on the pre-run we did in Parker AZ thinking that during the ride I would just hold it up and catch all of the great action along the way.
I've ridden motorcycles in the desert, had my share of crashes and seen many more so I know that along with that element of fun comes certain risks.
My point is this... it doesn't matter if it's for fun, practice or during a race, going fast through the desert is serious business and can be extremely dangerous as well. That point was confirmed only minutes after our start when one of the larger and extremely expensive trucks in front of us flipped end over end twice and landed on its lid. One passenger in that vehicle was air lifted to a hospital via helicopter with a back injury, the other two were unharmed thanks to the solid build of the truck and most importantly the safety equipment.
I was not able to (nor did I want to) hold the camera during the more difficult portions of the 140 mile loop we did. There was no way I could have hand held the camera and come up with anything worth watching. It is unbelievable the abuse that these serious off road race vehicles can withstand. That said, this is about one minute of us hauling ass down one of the less technical roads along one of the indian reservations that are gracious enough to allow portions of the race to take place on their land.
Forgive me for the extremely noisy audio during most of the clip and check out how little room there is between the poles as we drive through them, not much more than 12" on each side of the car as we pass through.
We did have two pencil cameras mounted as well, one in the cockpit facing front and one mounted outside near the roof facing behind. That video has much better picture and audio so when my friend Dave edits and posts the video I will provide a link.
** Update**
Dave (Friend and DK Racing owner / driver) has posted an 11 minute video on youtube. The video begins at sunrise as we are in line waiting to start the pre-run. The pre-run is definitely not driven at race pace since it's a basically "follow the leader" until we get a few mile in and have more separation between cars. After that the pace does pick up but no one passes the leader and event organizer. Much of the coarse runs through 5 different Indian Reservations but of the coarse is on public land that is not closed to the public since this is only a pre-run. That means a strict 35 mph speed limit is in affect for those sections and the BLM was out enforcing those restrictions. That won't be the case for the race as speeds will be in the 100 mph + range on those wide open sections.
Keep in mind this was my first time ever as co-pilot inside a car and let me tell you, the rising sun was blinding as it was in our face for a long time. That factor, combined with the dust created almost zero visibility at times. You can't tell by the video but it was F-ing Cold as well and my hands & legs were totally numb for the first hour and a half. I'm still amazed at how little it affected Dave's driving as he really attacked the coarse as though driving on a rail. Pretty hairy when you can't see what's in front of you while traveling through the desert at a high rate of speed.
In my opinion the second half of the coarse was the most treacherous, difficult and fun but with the exception of the last scene (in which we are in line exiting the coarse) it's not included in this clip. Dave has been busy preparing for the actual race coming up on Feb 4th - 6th but hopefully he'll post some of that section as well.
Video Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MkzX6Hrfxc
B.I.T.D. Race Link: www.bitd.com/best-in-the-desert-races/blue-water-resorts-...
B.I.T.D. Parker 425 Pre Run - Pole Line
OK I just picked up one of those little Flip video cameras and it's great to stick in your pocket and shoot with and takes decent video. I brought it along on the pre-run we did in Parker AZ thinking that during the ride I would just hold it up and catch all of the great action along the way.
I've ridden motorcycles in the desert, had my share of crashes and seen many more so I know that along with that element of fun comes certain risks.
My point is this... it doesn't matter if it's for fun, practice or during a race, going fast through the desert is serious business and can be extremely dangerous as well. That point was confirmed only minutes after our start when one of the larger and extremely expensive trucks in front of us flipped end over end twice and landed on its lid. One passenger in that vehicle was air lifted to a hospital via helicopter with a back injury, the other two were unharmed thanks to the solid build of the truck and most importantly the safety equipment.
I was not able to (nor did I want to) hold the camera during the more difficult portions of the 140 mile loop we did. There was no way I could have hand held the camera and come up with anything worth watching. It is unbelievable the abuse that these serious off road race vehicles can withstand. That said, this is about one minute of us hauling ass down one of the less technical roads along one of the indian reservations that are gracious enough to allow portions of the race to take place on their land.
Forgive me for the extremely noisy audio during most of the clip and check out how little room there is between the poles as we drive through them, not much more than 12" on each side of the car as we pass through.
We did have two pencil cameras mounted as well, one in the cockpit facing front and one mounted outside near the roof facing behind. That video has much better picture and audio so when my friend Dave edits and posts the video I will provide a link.
** Update**
Dave (Friend and DK Racing owner / driver) has posted an 11 minute video on youtube. The video begins at sunrise as we are in line waiting to start the pre-run. The pre-run is definitely not driven at race pace since it's a basically "follow the leader" until we get a few mile in and have more separation between cars. After that the pace does pick up but no one passes the leader and event organizer. Much of the coarse runs through 5 different Indian Reservations but of the coarse is on public land that is not closed to the public since this is only a pre-run. That means a strict 35 mph speed limit is in affect for those sections and the BLM was out enforcing those restrictions. That won't be the case for the race as speeds will be in the 100 mph + range on those wide open sections.
Keep in mind this was my first time ever as co-pilot inside a car and let me tell you, the rising sun was blinding as it was in our face for a long time. That factor, combined with the dust created almost zero visibility at times. You can't tell by the video but it was F-ing Cold as well and my hands & legs were totally numb for the first hour and a half. I'm still amazed at how little it affected Dave's driving as he really attacked the coarse as though driving on a rail. Pretty hairy when you can't see what's in front of you while traveling through the desert at a high rate of speed.
In my opinion the second half of the coarse was the most treacherous, difficult and fun but with the exception of the last scene (in which we are in line exiting the coarse) it's not included in this clip. Dave has been busy preparing for the actual race coming up on Feb 4th - 6th but hopefully he'll post some of that section as well.
Video Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MkzX6Hrfxc
B.I.T.D. Race Link: www.bitd.com/best-in-the-desert-races/blue-water-resorts-...