MRI Press Release

Can a group of high school students prepare a race buggy to cross the finish line of one of the toughest races in the world, the SCORE Baja 1000? McCreary Racing International (MRI) is betting on it! Vista High Auto Shop students are learning the specific mechanics of how a car runs by taking apart and putting back together MRI’s old school class 1 buggy, which will be racing in the special 2007 40th anniversary Baja 1000 on Nov. 13. With all sorts of off road backgrounds and interests, the students have chosen to enroll in the R.O.P. Automotive Technology classes at Vista High to not only learn more about how to support their hobby, but also to gain skills that will allow them to explore potential careers in the field when they graduate from high school.

“Bringing the race buggy into the shop started out as a way to motivate the students into learning about the various components of a vehicle. But it very quickly snowballed into an enthusiastic desire on the part of the students to apply their new knowledge towards race prepping the buggy for the race they all know and love.” says Tim McCreary, the Vista High Auto Shop teacher, and co-owner of MRI. On any given day in the shop, students surround the race buggy with tools in hand, attempting to practice what they’ve learned in the day’s lesson. In the background you hear Tim asking questions like “Now what would happen if you did this? How do you think you can make it more durable? What are we going to need to do to make this work?” These questions push students into grappling with the new mechanical concepts from their lessons and make them take ownership of their work. At the same time, “Mr. McCreary” is preparing them for the more challenging field of today’s automotive technology, where smart problem solvers are now in high demand. “I can’t believe we are building a buggy that will actually race in the Baja 1000!” says Josh Smith, a senior in the Vista High Auto Shop Program. “We are up against some of the smartest mechanics in the world!”

Jessica McCreary, Tim’s wife, and co-owner of MRI, gratefully says, “The community really wants to help with the efforts of the kids on this team.” In order to support the learning of the students, Bilstein Shock Absorbers has volunteered to bring a trailer into the shop and provide a presentation about how the shocks work. They will also be donating a set of shocks for the buggy which the students will learn to install. With the set of off road lights that Baja Designs and the high output alternators that PG Auto Electric are donating to mount on the buggy, the students will learn a little about fabrication and how the decisions are made to modify the various parts of the car to increase driver visibility, off road durability of the lights and the most effective way to wire high powered systems on a car. Kennedy Engineered Products and Mendeola Transaxles jumped on board, as well, to provide support the work on the clutch and transmission. Meanwhile, BFGoodrich Tires is donating a set of BFGoodrich Baja T/A® off-road racing tires which the students will use to learn how to mount, balance, and install the wheels and tires with the shop's tire mounting machines and power tools. The outstanding durabliity of the Baja-proven tire, will provide the team with confidence when challenging the toughest terrain that Baja has to offer. To finesse their skills with wheel mounting, one of the lessons even includes a timed team competition, styled after SCORE’s professional race pit team competitions. With a discounted radiator from PWR, students will learn how to make new mounts, for the new location of the radiator and study the physics of the radiator in the engine cooling system. Sandco Performance and Strategic Race Designs will also be providing support with some of the fabrication work needed with tools and machinery the Vista High Auto Shop does not yet own. One of the school’s local ROP business partners, NAPA, is providing the team with parts and miscellaneous supplies needed for putting everything back together again. Jessica says, “it is great to see businesses in the off-road community coming together to provide a real life opportunity for the students to apply what they’ve learned in the shop. In this way, the students will actually be able to see their classroom work tested out on the race course. With the hard work of 130 students behind this buggy, we are planning to cross the finish line of the 1300 mile race with a proud podium finish for the Vista High Panthers!”

Tim and Jessica are two of the four drivers for the race. They are both experienced racers of trucks, quads, and motorcycles in Baja; and now plan to add the experience of racing in a buggy class this year. The third driver is Roli Sannman, who is a true veteran of Baja racing. Roli raced one of the very first Baja 1000s in 1968 in a VolksWagon Van, and has many years of experience chasing and pitting with race teams since. Jessica and Tim’s eleventh grade son, Zachary, will be the fourth driver for the race. Zachary has personally dedicated his section of the race in honor of the Vista High students and their hard work.

This year’s Baja 1000 races along the Baja Pensinsula from Ensenada to Cabo San Lucas and promises to offer a hard core 2 day adventure for every team who dares to enter. Because quite a few of the Vista students will not be able to take a day off school and head for Mexico to participate in the race, International Racing Consultants (IRC) has sponsored the team with a full satellite tracking system. With this system, students will be able to log on to the website (www.racetheworld.net) and see where the race car is at any given moment in the race. You can begin watching the progress of Vista's Auto Shop #1406 race car starting on the morning of race day, Nov. 13. You may also visit www.mccrearyracing.com for information about the progress of the Vista High students in their race prepping and MRI’s race efforts in honor of the Vista Panthers.