CANIDAE Off-Road Racing

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CANIDAE Team Class 10 Vehicle Debut at Mint 400

For years the the Mint 400 has been a SNORE sanctioned event but last year the Martelli Brothers bought the rights to the Mint 400 and brought the race to Casey Folks who runs BitD. Casey and the Martelli Brothers have now made the 2012 Mint 400 the largest race ever put on in the U.S. with 325 four-wheeled vehicles entered, 35 of which are Trick Trucks including CANIDAE Racing's #95 Trick Truck driven by Scott Whipple and Scott Gailey. CANIDAE also brought back their #1095 Class 10 Buggy to race.

The CANIDAE crew headed out Wednesday morning to the historic Mint 400 to participate in the opening event of the Trick Trucks parading down Fremont Street only to be put to the test of the Pit Crew Challenge. This event is a race to see which team can change two tires the quickest. Once the contest ended it was time for everyone to kick back and relax at the Insert Coins Mint 400 Kick Off Party.

Thursday morning came early for the crew. They checked over the Trick Truck one more time before heading to Time Trials to see who is the fastest for starting positions on race day. There were a total of 85 competitors for Time Trials. Whipple had the best Time Trials yet, landing a time of 5:23.420 giving him a 27th starting position off the line and the 12th Trick Truck off the line in a field of 35. Satisfied with the starting position, the team cleaned up the truck and took it to Fremont Street where all the Trick Trucks and 1500 Buggys lined up on the street so fans could get a up close and personal look at the race vehicles. It also gave fans a chance to meet the drivers and to get a photo and autographs.

Friday rolled around and it was time to head back to Fremont Street and have the CANIDAE Trick Truck on display and contingency. After displaying the truck and giving away CANIDAE natural pet food samples and coupons it was time to Tech the truck to make sure everything is up to par with BitD standards. The CANIDAE truck passed easily.

Race day started early for some with this race being split into two groups. The #95 Trick Truck and #1095 Class 10 were in the faster afternoon class that started at 1:00pm which meant they ran into the night on this four lap, 92 mile course. Whipple beat Riot off the line and had a great first lap. After a quick pit stop they were off racing again, but shortly after taking off a massive vibration started in the motor. Whipple pulled over and shut the truck down. When they re-started a loud clucking began so they decided to call it a day for the Trick Truck.

After four years of the 10 car sitting it was now running 7th after starting dead last in a class of 26 with Robert Alatorre behind the wheel the first two laps with a couple flats along the way. After Patrick Gailey was done co-driving for Whipple in the Trick Truck, he was waiting to get in the 10 car and drive the last two laps. Patrick was pushing and gained a spot the last lap and was 0.5 miles from the finish when they hit a big hole and broke the rear driver side axle. Patrick and his co-driver Kyle took apart the tweaked bent axle and decided to flip it and add a new star and run it. While fixing the problem a few 10 cars passed. With the axle not fulling in they were concerned it would not have enough plunge and fall out. Patrick and Kyle decided to ratchet down the suspension so they had no travel hoping the axle would last. They limped the 10 car to the finish for an unofficial 10th in Class 10 and 63rd overall with only four minutes to spare before they timed out. A long day but a checkered flag for the 10 car's first race back is great!

Team CANIDAE would like to recognize all of their sponsors for their generous support including: CANIDAE Natural Pet Food Co., Lucas Oil, Tap It Brewing, Magnaflow Exhaust, KC HiLites, Torco Race Fuels, JE Pistons, Fox Race Shox, Geiser Bros. Design & Development, K&N Air Filters, Racepak, CalTex Freight, McKenzie's Performance Products, Specialty Fasteners, XRP Hoses and Fittings, Norco Tires, GET Performance, RSP Shock Prep, Satterlee Racing Engines, East West Clutches.

CANIDAE Off-Road Class 10 Team Finishes 2009 Baja 1000. Earns Prestigious Toyota Milestone Award.

Team CANIDAE Off-Road Racing capped off a successful 2009 season with an unofficial 4th place finish in the Class 10 division at the 42nd running of the SCORE Baja 1000 race. Official results will be posted within the next 10 days following final review of race satellite tracking results.

Now in its 42nd year, the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 tests cars and drivers over a difficult 672.85 mile loop course starting in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. The Class 10 CANIDAE racing team joined a field of over 300 seasoned competitors in this final round of the five race 2009 SCORE Desert Series.

The Baja 1000 is desert racing's most prestigious event, drawing crowds of over 250,000 spectators scattered along the course covering much of the northern half of the majestic Baja California peninsula to and from Ensenada. Teams reported that the track seemed narrow this year, with many teams getting stuck along the way and battling a congested route through the harsh desert terrain.

This was Team CANIDAE's first year entering the "Granddaddy" of all off-road races. Driver Scott Whipple, with Patrick Gailey in the co-driver seat, started the race and quickly ran into problems with a broken axle at mile 30 on the CANIDAE 2000cc Class 10 GET-VW. The CANIDAE crew on chase trucks quickly got it handled and the team was back on course.

With Whipple pushing the racer hard to make up for lost time and climb back into the race, the car broke an axle again at the 356 mile mark. Again the chase crew did a great job repairing their second broken axle of the day.

Once repairs were completed, driver/owner Scott Gailey and co-driver Johnny Stroschein took over driving duties and began the team's 2nd half push to the finish. For the rest of the race the engine and trans worked flawlessly as a result of using quality products like Lucas Oil and Torco Race Fuels. The car's FOX shocks worked awesome without fading, but unfortunately before mile 630 the eyelet came loose on the right rear coil-over causing it to separate which cost the team additional precious time. Gailey did an excellent job getting the car to the pit at mile 630. Repairing the shock and another quick look at the BFG tires, which conquered the desert without a single flat, the team was back on track and crossing the finish line at 25:33:25, with an unofficial fourth place finish in the class 10 division.

"With all the challenges we faced in this race, especially with the breakdowns, I am so proud of each and every person on this team for the tremendous effort put forth by all to keep working hard, getting our racer back up and across the finish line," said owner/driver Gailey. "Everyone worked their tails off! I could not be more proud of all of them and our achievements together in this our first full season of racing with this Class 10 car. With barely half of all teams entering the race even completing the loop, just finishing the Baja 1000 is a feat in and of itself. To win a Milestone award in our first full season is a great testament to our whole team, their hard work and is an accomplishment we are all extremely proud of. I'd also like to thank my co-driver Scott Whipple. It's been a ton of fun racing together all season. Also a big thank you to our sponsor CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods along with our other sponsors for their tremendous support throughout the year. Finally, I need to thank Mike Stapleton and all of the crew at Wilson Motosports for their help sharing their knowledge and teaching me the ropes over the years when it comes to racing the desert in Mexico."

The successful finish of the Baja 1000 earns Team CANIDAE owner/driver Scott Gailey, along with co-driver Scott Whipple and the team, one of only eight Toyota Milestone Awards to be presented this year for the 2009 SCORE Off-Road season.

Toyota will be presenting these awards on December 5th in Las Vegas to the world’s toughest desert racers and teams for the 24th consecutive year. The Toyota Milestone awards go to those pro car and truck drivers who finish every required mile in the five-race 2009 SCORE Desert Series, the world’s foremost desert racing series.

Please check back soon for more reports, pictures and videos from the SCORE Baja 1000 race.

Team CANIDAE Takes Third at SCORE Terrible's Primm 300!

View pictures from the race and don't miss the exciting video here. Continue reading for Carl Boley's first-hand report from the race. Congratulations Team CANIDAE!

It was Thursday and Team CANIDAE was on its way to SCORE Terrible's Primm 300 when Daran and I started our crew work. On the way up Baker grade on Northbound I-15 one of our pit vehicles (our mobile housing facility, aka MHF) decided to blow a radiator hose. I crawled under the MHF and found the problem. 20 minutes later we were at the top of the grade cruising back downhill to Primm.

Once at Primm, we continued our pre and post work where needed while baking in the 103+ degree temperatures. Early to bed on Friday for Saturday's 4:30am sharp pit call. Our race started at 6:00am. It was a beautiful desert sunrise as we got the green flag. I was able to watch Whipple fulfill his driving duties, concluding with his chase to move us up from our starting position. Gailey then jumped in and took over. I buckled him in and off he went. Three laps later, with every lap getting quicker, he had us up to 3rd place. It was awesome to see us do so well without having any breakdowns, not even a tire change. What a great day and weekend with all my friends at CANIDAE Racing! See you all again in November and don’t forget to pass the Carne.

Carl Boley

CANIDAE Class 10 Live Coverage at SCORE Terrible's Primm 300

Log on for real time tracking of the CANIDAE Class 10 Offroad car #1008 as Team CANIDAE attempts another victory this weekend in Nevada. Head over to irctracking.com/2009/Primm/ on race days and click on car 1008 in the Class 10 division.

Cheer Team CANIDAE on as they contend for first place in what looks to be a competitive field. In honor of the CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods commitment to support canine cancer research, Team CANIDAE has volunteered to donote all prize monies to the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation.

Click for live event tracking and position reports.

Click here for the SCORE International website.

2009 SCORE Baja 500 México Report

The anticipation and preparation for this year’s SCORE Baja 500 race was in full force during the three weeks leading up to the legendary event. As it got closer, it almost seemed surreal that the whole CANIDAE off road racing crew of about thirty guys would be descending on the Baja peninsula to showcase what our team and car could do.

Upon arriving on Wednesday morning we pulled into the beachside resort and frantically checked to make sure we had all of our reserved rooms still available to us. This was a big deal because during our previous trip, to Baja for the San Felipe 250, we arrived at our hotel and only to be told that our rooms had been given away! We had to go into emergency mode and seek out a place for 25 guys to stay for almost a week. Down in Baja during a race week this is nearly impossible.

After getting the conformation that we had rooms, we unloaded the pre-runners in preparation for our first day of pre-running the race course. Pre-running is driving on the track before race day to get the feel for it, and mark out any dangerous areas that need to be avoided.

This is the point where the reality of what we will be attempting sets in. We realize that we have 500 miles of harsh desert to not only navigate through, but to do it quickly to remain competitive. We pre-ran part day on Wednesday and all day on Thursday and Friday.

Friday before pre-running we made our way over to the main drag in town for "contingency" which is always the day before the race. It involves every car in the race rolling down the main street on their way to being teched by SCORE officials. This makes for a great spectacle and draws huge crowds. Team CANIDAE had the most people huddled around our car as we were one of the few teams handing out cool free giveaways like stickers, wristbands, hats, and even CANIDAE All Natural Pet Food brochures. After contingency we finished our last day of pre-running and went back to our hotel.

That Friday night at the hotel, the crew chiefs holed up in a room and talked race strategy and made chase plans final. While the crew chiefs were busy with the details, the rest of the crew made final inspections of all the chase vehicles and the race car in anticipation of race day the next morning. The night before the big race it seemed like night dragged on forever. All the crew could think about was the epic task ahead.

Just after dawn Saturday morning the hotel stirred with crews and racers getting ready to head over to the starting line. Some of the crew headed over first, while the remaining crew including drivers Scott Whipple and Pat Gailey followed in the second group. We were all pumped and at the starting line on time when the worst thing that could happen did!

Co-driver Pat Gailey plugged his helmet into the in-car intercom system only to find out that it didn’t work. He rushed around the starting line trying to borrow a helmet from someone. Luckily, one of our crew members brought his and it happened to be Pat's size so he was in the clear. Scott and Pat got off the line and got straight to business, wasting no time getting to the front of the pack. They had to go 200 miles before handing the car off to Scott Gailey and myself.

With only two flats they came toward the 200 mile marker in a respectable 3rd place only seconds behind the leaders. Scott Gailey and I hopped in the car and got strapped in as fast as we could and were off in a cloud of dust! We had a little over 200 miles of harsh remote silty Baja desert to overcome before reaching the finish line.

We got off to a good start and held our ground. But as we came off the coast and headed back inland, things took a turn for the worse. In a hilly and silty part of the course we got hung up with another car and were delayed an hour. Once we managed to get out of that predicament we were forced to drive more cautiously as night had fallen and the lights on the car were not aimed correctly for the type of terrain in which we were driving. Despite conditions, we were making good progress. Then 30 miles from the finish there was a pile-up right in the middle of the course.

With no way around, we sat for another 45 minutes as crew and drivers figured out how to clear up the mess. We crossed the finish line in Ensenada later than expected, but were happy to finish the epic race. We ended up getting 5th place in Class 10 which was respectable considering what happened. The CANIDAE racing crew did an amazing job of chasing for the race car and made the whole experience possible. Without our crew, we couldn’t race!

Special thanks to CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods and Scott Gailey for giving me the opportunity to experience something like this. It was an honor.

See ya at the races!!

January 26, 2009 - CANIDAE Racing Grabs 3rd at SCORE Desert Challenge

CANIDAE Racing's Class 10 Off-Road Team earned a podium with a strong 2nd place finish in Heat #1 on Saturday and wound up finishing 3rd overall in its class at the 14th Annual SCORE Desert Challenge held in Laughlin, NV. This opening race of the 2009 SCORE series attracted hundreds of teams from all over the country competing across the different divisions in a split race format held over Saturday and Sunday. Congratulations Team CANIDAE! Please check back for more information and photos coming soon.

December 3, 2008 - CANIDAE Pet Foods Class 10 Off-Road Team Wins M.O.R.E. Season Championship

What a season for owner/driver Scott Gailey and the Team CANIDAE Class 10 racer. Despite missing the first two races of the M.O.R.E. Series, Gailey and Team CANIDAE ended the year in spectacular fashion by winning the 2008 M.O.R.E. season points championship for class 10 in a close race held December 3rd at the Holiday 200 in Barstow.

CANIDAE Pet Foods Class 10 Off-Road Team Wins M.O.R.E. Season Championship After three straight 1st place finishes put them in 2nd position in the point standings, Gailey along with co-driver Scott Whipple and the rest of the team stuck to their game plan for the final race, running consistent and long, finishing 3rd at the Holiday 200. Despite the win streak being snapped, the finish was enough to vault the team into first place in the standings and claim the Class 10 season championship.

"We would like to extend our deepest thanks to all of our loyal fans, volunteers, sponsors and especially to everyone on our hard-working Team CANIDAE crew for all the amazing help and support during the 2008 off road race season, said Gailey. This is our first season together as a team and having CANIDAE on board as primary sponsor. The year could not have gone better. We have had a lot of fun racing, interacting with the other teams and fans while helping to promote Responsible Pet Ownership to the passionate fans of off-road racing. We couldn’t have had the success we’ve had without all the support we get and we can't wait to get back out on the track in 2009," added Gailey.

Gailey and the CANIDAE Class 10 Team will open up the 2009 season at the SCORE Desert Challenge in Laughlin, Nevada on January 24.

All of us here at CANIDAE congratulate Scott and the Team on a great season and wish them the best in the coming year.

July 20, 2008 - CANIDAE Off-Road Team Wins M.O.R.E. Freedom 250

Lucerne Valley, CA – The CANIDAE Off-Road Team made it two wins in a row taking first place in the M.O.R.E. Freedom 250 on Sunday.

Scott Gailey and the CANIDAE Class 10 Off-Road Racing TEAM spent the entire prior weekend dialing in the redesigned Fox Shock program headed by team engineer Steve Thomas. The car worked flawlessly allowing CANIDAE to take its second win in a row at the More Freedom 250. Hard work and dedication to the sport pay off once again!

Scott Whipple started the race in the driver's seat while Patrick Gailey navigated the CANIDAE Class 10 off road car to 3 almost flawless laps. They started in the heat of the day and finished their laps just after dark. Whipple had to battle traffic, dust, rough terrain and the scorching sun but thanks to Patrick managed to get through it all unscathed. Team owner Scott Gailey took the wheel on the 4th lap while Steve Thomas hopped into the passenger seat. Galley's long time off road racing experience, as well as a cool head, paid off. Driving in the dark, managing the torn up coarse, plus pushing to take the top spot was just a few of the challenges Gaily and Thomas accomplished. Gailey took the lead on the 6th and final lap and held on taking the CANIDAE Class 10 Off-Road Car to its second straight victory.

Gaily would like to thank the entire off road racing community, as well as M.O.R.E. for a terrific sportsmanship event. Gailey also would like to thank his entire crew for their hard work and dedication, as well as CANIDAE Pet Foods for their support and all they do for the community and less fortunate pets.

May 26, 2008 - Team CANIDAE wins M.O.R.E. Day & Night ORAF 500

Lucerne Valley, CA – Team Canidae, led by owner/driver Scott Gailey, took first place in their Class 10 off road racer at the M.O.R.E. Day & Night ORAF 500 held in Lucerne Valley.

Joining Gailey was CANIDAE Pet Foods top-fuel driver Scott Whipple who ventured from the sand track to make his off road debut and share driving duties with Gailey over the grueling 500 mile, nine lap race.

The race started off 3 wide with Gailey behind the wheel. By the first turn the Canidae class 10 racer had settled into 3rd place and held that position through the first two laps, approximately 110 miles. Whipple took over the next two laps and held the position. On lap seven Whipple managed to move the car into second place. When Gailey took over again, he bumped the car into the first place position at the 23 mile mark of lap eight and never looked back giving Team Canidae the win.

“What a great finish to a great weekend,” said Gailey, “Especially after all the extra work we put in just to get here. We lost our engine the weekend before while testing. Fortunately, John Hsu was nice enough to loan us one. So we thrashed and got the engine changed out on time to make the race. Everybody did an awesome job and we certainly couldn’t have won without everybody on the team pitching in and I want to be sure everyone gets credit.”

“At pit 1, Mike was the pit captain with Brian and Glen helping out. Pit 2 had Zach as pit captain. Pit 3 had Joe Gailey working as pit captain with Trent and Dave alongside. Our main gate pit captain was Gene Towler and he had plenty of help from Steve, Jason, Rob, Henley, Mikey D, and Ashley who was taking pics for us. Riding in the car were Steve Thomas, Pat Gailey and Mike Gailey. And finally, thanks again to Scott Whipple for coming out and sharing the driving with me,” added Gailey.

The Team Canidae Off-Road Team will suit it up and hit the dirt again at the MDR McKenzie’s 400 being held June 28th in Lucerne Valley..

May 26, 2008 - Gailey and Team
CANIDAE win M.O.R.E. Day &
Night Off-Road Oraf 500

Lucerne Valley, CA – Driver Scott Gailey and Team CANIDAE in their Class 10 off road racer win the M.O.R.E. Day & Night 500. Please check back for a complete race update and photos to be posted soon.

May 24-26, 2008, M.O.R.E.
Day & Night 500
Lucerne Valley, CA

Scott Gailey, owner and driver of the CANIDAE Pet Foods sponsored Class 10 off road machine, has been building and competing on the off road circuit for the past 30 years. In late 2007 Scott and his team began putting together their first class 10 racer and the car made its successful debut in November 2007 finishing first in its class and fourth overall.

Scott Gailey's CANIDAE Racing GET Performance Class 10 buggy is radically simple and simply radical

Read the article at Dirt Sports Magazine: Masterpiece in Metal. May 1, 2008 by Scott Rousseau.