Wide Open Adventures is a year-round adventure tour company that operates a fleet of custom-built open-wheel tour cars that offer the performance and safety of a modern desert racer, and are comfortable enough for anyone to drive. Wide Open Adventures runs multi-day guided trips in Baja California that are customized to suit the clients’ interests, incorporating such activities as kayaking, deep sea fishing, scuba diving, surfing, and beachfront golf. The Company has grown rapidly to some 90 employees in nine years.
Wide Open Adventures also operates a fleet of cars in the annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, the oldest and most well known of all desert races. This epic car race covers 1000 miles over the rugged and tortuous Baja California peninsula. Wide Open Adventures rebuilds all cars for the race with new engines and transmissions, so that the each car is essentially identical. These cars are typically driven in the Baja 1000 by high profile individuals such as NASCAR drivers, television and movie stars, and senior corporate executives. Wide Open Adventures invests substantial resources to support the race – in 2005, Wide Open Adventures had 2 planes, 3 helicopters, and 300 volunteers supporting its 16 cars in the race. As a result, 80% of the Wide Open Baja cars completed the race course, compared to an overall race completion rate of only 32% in 2005.
Roy Stock, Director of Technology and Operations for Wide Open Adventures, is responsible for race operations, including the introduction of new technologies. Roy wanted to introduce GPS tracking for cars in the 2005 race. After contacting a number of different suppliers, he elected to work with a partnership that included Waypoint and other tracking industry leaders including Globalstar, a satellite network provider; Spirit Wireless, a Globalstar dealer; and Guardian Mobility Corporation, the provider of the GPS satellite tracking units that were installed on each of the race cars.
Roy Stock was delighted with the tracking services provided by Waypoint for the 2005 race. Hundreds of people attentively watched the screens that were set up at the various pit locations, 24 hours a day. Stock said, “We were amazed that Waypoint was able to deliver the tracking for this race in such a short period of time – they pulled off what seemed to be impossible. The Waypoint people were very professional, and did a great job for us ... we simply could not have asked for anything more.”
The tracking service provides a number of valuable benefits. Driver safety is significantly improved because the Command Center staff know where each car is at all times, and can quickly direct the appropriate resources to a car if there is a breakdown, accident, or illness. Wide Open Adventures finds it much easier to manage its valuable assets, knowing where in the field they are located. For guests on multi-day guided trips, family members at home find it reassuring and entertaining to be able to use an Internet connection to see where the driver is located at any time. When a guest returns home, they can replay their trip and share their experience with family and friends.
In 2006, Wide Open Adventures plans to expand their use of the tracking service to cover more cars, and to include their “heavy chase vehicles”, the large pickup trucks that carry parts and mechanics needed to repair race cars that break down in the field. This will enable the Command Center staff to know exactly where every chase vehicle is located at all times, and to dispatch the support vehicle that is closest to any car with a problem.
Stock said, “We see the web-based platform as the best way to enhance the spectators' experience of off road racing. We plan to continue and expand our use of Waypoint services, both for adventure touring, and for tracking the Baja 1000.”
Roy Stock Director of Technology and Operations Wide Open Adventures
