Our Father/Inspiration Is Gone, But We'll See You In V2R

[AlaskaBaja]

Below is an email that was crafted by my older brother Kolt. Some of you may know us. We have yet to finish a race but are determined to finish V2R in our Father's Honor. This story started on TT250 this year. Some of you that were there may have heard a helicopter landing in the parking lot, that would have been the medivac chopper. On race day, you may have seen a guy standing around MM5 waving a rag and redirecting you around our car (1088), that was me.

~As many of you know by now my father passed away April 29th after a courageous eight year battle with lung cancer. He fell ill the day before the race and had to be air lifted out of the desert to a hospital in Henderson, Nevada just outside of Las Vegas. We got into off road desert racing last year after he battled his way out of the hospital after 70 days fighting a fungal infection in his lungs in late 2006. Our goal was to attempt to complete the infamous Baja 1000 in November of 2007 in part for my father. At that time my brothers and I didn’t know if he had the fight in him to make it until November, but he did. While his health wouldn’t allow him to actually race in the car, he did, against doctors orders, chase for us in one of our support vehicles down the Baja peninsula that race. He couldn’t have been happier living out his dream to watch his sons compete in a race he completed 33 years previously.

We’ve continued to race since last year as a way to unite the family a couple of times a year. It gave my dad something to look forward to, something to plan for, something to fight for. We haven’t had much success as you know; failing to complete any of the races we’ve entered. But you wouldn’t have known we’d failed by looking at my fathers face or talking to him. The fact we were doing something that people only talk about doing, made him proud.

As for our past race, we successfully completed the 1 lap, 84 mile pre run on Thursday with my older brother Patric and myself swapping driving duties. We had a clean run and actually approached speeds of 100 mph across a dry lake bed. Everything seemed good as we returned to the pits and my dad was there as we climbed out of the car with a satisfied smile on his face.

Early the next morning at about 2am we got a call from the Clark County Fire department that they had dispatched an ambulance to the RV where my parents were staying. When we arrived at the hospital there was very little information on my fathers condition, but we knew we had a decision to make about whether to race or not as we had to get the race car through tech inspection to be able to race on Saturday. My older brother said what we were all thinking, “We better get the car tech’d because if dad makes it out of this he’s going to be ticked if we didn’t race”.

We tech’d the race car Friday morning and headed back to the hospital that afternoon. We got word that my father was doing better and was coherent and speaking, so we returned to Primm to prepare for the race, leaving my wife Kimber and my mother at the hospital.

Saturday came and my brothers strapped themselves into the car with determination that this was the race we’d finally complete. My driving duties were to be the second 84 mile loop so I stayed at the pits to cover radio contact for them as they approached the starting line.

“1088 WE’RE OFF THE LINE!” called out my little brother Kash. His responsibilities in addition to navigating, watching the mirrors for faster cars and changing flat tires was to call out mile markers they passed so we would know where they were on the race course.

“1088 MILE MARKER 2!” I could tell by the sounds of the engine in the background and the tenseness in my brothers voice they were hauling some serious you know what.

“1088 MILE MARKER 4!!” Things seemed to be going well.

“1088 we have a flat at mile marker 5 and a half.” We learned a new term in desert racing that day. “Grenading a wheel.” This is a phenomenon that apparently occurs when you hit rock with your tire so hard that they steel wheel actually explodes and sends shrap metal all over the desert. While this wasn’t the cause of us not finishing the race, it did start our problems. After getting the tire changed, the engine hydrauliced, thus causing issues with the starter then the alternator. They worked on the car for hours in the desert trying to get it to go, with no luck. Once again we didn’t finish.

Sunday when we visited with my dad the first words out of his mouth were, “Did you guys finish?” While we hadn’t finished he was proud that we had tried and hadn’t called off the race just because he was in the hospital. He continued to make progress the rest of the week while remaining in ICU and I flew home Saturday night expecting him to have a recovery period of a couple of weeks. I got a call from my mother the next day saying that he’d taken a turn for the worst. He passed Tuesday shortly after my brothers and I were able to return to see him one last time.

We’ve decided to continue racing the remaining three races of the schedule in his honor, we know that’s what he’d want us to do. And you can bet there will be champagne flowing when we finally finish one of these races. That’s what he’d want us to do.

I’d like to thank everyone for keeping my family in your thoughts and prayers over the last couple of weeks. It meant a lot to me and the family. Thank you.

Kolt

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[Demp]

Sorry to hear about your father,

We just found out the my father has a brain tumor on tuesday and having surgery on Wensday

If you guys need ANY help, please dont hesitate to ask.... id give anything to help you guys reach your goal for your father

-Nick Dempkowski

[nohandslance]

Team Alaska:
As for years past we will be in Weeks Pit and Top Gun with some fuel, Tools and a welder to help anyone get to the finish. The "carnage starts after Weeks", We are there for the love of the sport. Do not hesitate to call me with any special needs. See everyone in August.
Lance Jergensen
Reno, Nevada
775-348-4610

[OldGreen]

Never give up.

7314 will have a full rolling shop at V2R as well. . .We'll pull you accross the finish line if you car breaks. Look us up at contingency.

Never give up.

[9rocky]

Our condolences to your family. He got to be a part of the dream before he left.

[danzar]

Very sorry to hear about your dad.
Hopefully we can share some drinks with you in Reno. Keep up the hard work.

[pjc]

Sorry to here about your POP. You made it the best for him with your racing. Keep going.
We'll see you at the V2R!

[AlaskaBaja]

Everyone, thanks for the kind words and support. Without a doubt we will take all the help we can get in V2R. We're going to have a very lite crew and be limited on support. I am sure this board will begin to fill up with V2R material as the race gets closer. We will be offering whatever help we can to other teams as well. Thanks again for the prayers and kind words.

~Kash

[Laurie]

It's amazing the people we rub shoulders with in this sport. True heros in every since. Sorry for your loss, but don't let his dream die.

[empty pockets]

We are going to try and make the V2R race, if you guys need anything stop by our pits, or give us a holla, we will help you anyway we can. We will look you up and give you our radio freq. so you can call us. Sorry to hear about your dad, and don't give up. We will see you at the finish line. ( Truck 8115)