24 hours of Daytona Updates

Well we pulled it off.  The car completed the course but, not in the way you might think.

At some time in the evening/night it was discovered that the engine had some type of crack or other damage.  Normally this would put any car out of commission.  In the end they decided to park the car and hold it till the last 1/2 hours or so of the race.  This would at least give all the kids and Heroes something to cheer on at the end of the race.  A very smart move on the part of the drivers and crew.

So in the end they only completed 310 laps.  In years past they have been able to do over 600 laps.  They still did over 1100 miles in the car even with all the trouble.  The other car racing for Magnus racing that had graciously donate their car for use by Children's Tumor Foundation did come in first for the GT class.


Our party at BJ's Brewery and Restaurant in Torrance was great. Tons of pizza and their huge cookie dessert.  Plenty of drinks as well.  Sure was a satisfying event.

Now due to the reservations about the state of the economy the donations that year are more in the $500,000 - $600,000 mark.  Off from the $700,000 of last year and not nearly as good as the 1 Million mark they wanted to achieve.  However, even this lower amount will help to provide much needed research.  Research that will help find answers about tumors, learning disabilities, bone deformities and much much more.  All world class research.

So if you have a few bucks to spare please make a donation.

http://ctf.kintera.org/r4rp/brendamccool2012

The over 100,000 people living with Neurofibromatosis (NF) in the USA will thank you, and who know it might just help some other person due to related research.  So much is interconnected when it comes to research.

If you want you can also bid on some of the stuff used at the race like a helmet, seat belt, and even a car.  Check it out

http://ebay.com/ctfauction

Already planning for next year.  It shall be bigger and better.

Buaidh - NO - Bas

Attention all Cars - Daytona here we come

As I like to do on this blog here and there I'd like to highlight a very worth while event and fund raising opportunity.

Recently, in just the past several year the Children's Tumor Foundation (http://www.ctf.org) began to use the 24 Hours of Daytona endurance event as a fundraising vehicle.

Here is how Racing4research works.

A race team donates their vehicle, driver time, and crew  to be run at the 24 hours of Daytona endurance event.  The car competes in the 24 hours of non-stop driving with the goal of raising funds to end  Neurofibromatosis (NF).  Persons pledge per lap or give a flat amount as a donation.  In the past the car has been able to complete over 600 laps.  That is quite the feat as each lap is about 3.52 miles.  So that means they ran the car for over 2100 miles in 24 hours.  Some professional teams can't even finish the event due to a break down or other trouble with the car.

What makes this event special is the fact that almost every year they include the Names of NF Heroes on the vehicle.

It's is becoming so big that I wonder where they will be able to put all the names.  And they still find some room for those that want to advertise on the vehicle as sponsors with all the proceeds going into the fundraising pool.

So what exactly will this money raised be used for?  Well it all goes toward funding the Drug Discovery Initiative (DDI).    This program provides grants to take currently available drugs and see if they can be applied to helping solve some of the symptoms of NF.  In the past they provided funding to a researcher in Germany that found out that Lovastatin promotes bone growth.  Potential useful for all those that suffer from bone deformities as a result of NF.  This lead to further research in places like Australia, and Vanderbilt University.  And the good part is results have to be received in within 6 months so there is a quick turn around on the seed money.  As potential benefits are seen further larger grants can be obtained.

What gets me excited is that a condition like Pseudoarthrosis (improper healing of bone fractures) that afflicts such a small portion of people with NF has been able to get so many advances because of DDI and the money raised by Racing4research.

Those many of the other effect of NF like Learning Disabilities and Tumors are also being researched.

As you read the stories of the many NF Heroes you will see so many challenges to over come - Bone Deformities, Tumors, Hearing Loss, vision issues due to brain tumors and the list goes on.

I'd like to highlight just one of these heroes that daily is dealing with the effects of NF.  Her name is Brenda and she was first diagnosed with Tibial Dysplasia (Psuedoarthrosis) at 9 months of age.  Since then she has been wearing a brace literally daily and has had to have surgery to insert a rod into her leg after breaking it repeatedly.  She is still not out of the woods and constantly faces the risk of a hair line crack or fracture.

So please join with me and donating to find an end to NF.

Here is her personal page - and it needs more donations from good hearted people like you -
http://ctf.kintera.org/r4rp/brendamccool2012




Here are a few of the local race events you can participate in by state.  Most have a raffle or silent auction and plenty of good food.

Arizona - Tuscon
California - LA Area
Nevada - Las Vegas
Utah - Salt Lake

http://ctf.kintera.org/r4rp/brendamccool2012

Together we can get through this and find a cure.

Buaidh - NO - Bas