San Francisco, California
My flight leaves in a week. It's been quite a journey, planning the trip to Africa only to have the event cancelled. Political discussions followed as family & friends heard the news that the Africa event was cancelled until further notice. I'm saddened by the missed opportunity to cross northwest Africa, but excited for the South America event scheduled for January 2009. It's a new event for everyone, and out of that kind of chaos comes good stories.
Before the rally was cancelled, I attended a kickoff party for Team Rally Pan America at the historic San Francisco Motorcycle Club clubhouse on Folsom Street, just blocks from my home. The team was there with news and goodies, and I even won a slick Motion Pro chest protector in the fundraiser raffle. People had come from as far away as Seattle to wish the team well. After some beer, munchies and lots of gawking at the team's race-prepped KTM 690 Rally, RPA's Charlie Rauseo spoke about the team. Team rider Jonah Street also took the stage and answered questions from the crowd. There are a tremendous number of fans of rally-raid in North America and nearly no coverage of the sport in which we can keep informed. The Rallychaser project intends to help fill this void.
The wrenched guts that the cancellation wrought have been turned to giddy excitement for all of us participants. Butterflies too, as no one, not even organizers ASO, know exactly what to expect. Us newbies are on equal footing with the Dakar veterans. Not only that, but I get to be there at the start of something. The first one.
I've signed on to do production assistant duties for filmmaker Shawna Cox. She's been working a million angles for over a year to get in with teams and ASO and finds herself in an incredible position with both, as well as media outlets who want to leverage her talents and charisma. This is a tremendous opportunity for me as well as bringing some much needed assistance to Shawna. The door is opening, too, to the familial world of racers, teams, media, and other participants. A couple of hours with the film "Dust to Glory" can give anyone a glimpse into this world, where we're all linked by our passion for the experience, and the way we do things not only because we can, but because we must.
I look forward to a week of gearing up and readying the site for the trip. Many thanks to James Home, Sonic, and Benjy Feen for their invaluable assistance, and of course my wife Leah: without her unyielding support none of this would be possible for me.
Check out the image gallery for shots of the event at SFMC.