We dubbed him Officer Funnel Cake, because that was the only thing that inspired him to move about and make his presence known.
The Laughlin, Nevada Chamber of Commerce helps to put this event together, so it's unique. There are no Tecate Girls to pose with, there are merely scantily dressed local girls who they've named the SCORE Girls. I like the Tecate Girls, they're "models." What do "models" do in Mexico when there's no off road races to appear at? Well, I suppose you can use your imagination for that one.
Here's the Tecate Girls and I at a race in 2006:
I didn't pose with the SCORE Girls this past weekend because they were a bit tore up. Enough said.
The race activities begin with the "Laughlin Leap" at night time. It's always cold, it's always windy, and there have been very few years where I had the motivation to go stand out there and watch. I went this year because I wanted to get a few good photos to share with you...
The most interesting fact about these jumps was their speed. They were clocked at over 110 miles per hour. Could you imagine going that fast in the dark, over a jump???
Cold. Windy. Was glad when it was done. I stood over by the jump with the group of media personnel. Had front row seats for the action. But I was done. DONE! One of my hands was numb from holding my camera out in the cold wind.
The next day, racing began. Didn't take very many photos because it was overcast and the lighting wasn't very flattering for the pretty and colorful off road vehicles. But Sunday was nice, sunny, and warm. So I took a hundred photos. I will only share a couple...
This is Pistol Pete's truck, it is a three-seater and he is in the middle seat. I guess he can steer from the middle. I don't know. He's in there giving me the peace sign, this was shortly after I got yet another autograph from him for Shay.
He's not the driver with all the wins, he's just the one Shay and I like the most. He is an unconventional looking person, with his wild hair and sideburns...This is him on his scooter talking to Paul:
Pistol Pete was lined up to start with Andy McMillin, who began racing off road (a family legacy) when he turned 16. Andy is probably 20 years old now...something like that. Andy (blue truck) ended up winning the race and the entire event. He had the best timed laps over all 125 of the racers this weekend...
The jumps weren't very spectacular, but I'm told that's because the jump itself was considerably smaller this year. But I did get some jump photos.
