Nestled in places all over the country are unique spots people keep and maintain their vehicles. Nearby to us in an airplane hanger, is the home to Mike Diorio’s Class 1 car. We recently had a chance to check out the vehicle upon its return from the NORRA 1000.
Put together, the Class 1 looks like it belongs in a museum.
The 1998 Jimco Class 1 with a mid-engine Chevrolet small block 410 raced in the Evolution Era Unlimited Buggy Class at the NORRA 1000. The Class 1 has a Holley Sniper EFI and a Transaxle Engineering three-speed auto transmission.
The Ty-D-Up Manufacturing Jimco Class 1 out stretching its legs at the 2019 NORRA 1000.
“Racing is in my blood, I got into racing when I was three years old,” Diorio said. “It started with BMX, then motocross, then I built a Class 7 open Toyota in 2003 where I raced it once and ran out of money. In 2010 I built a Class 12 buggy and raced it twice. In 2018 I purchased the Jimco and raced it in the NORRA 1000 getting fifth overall.”
Last year’s NORRA 1000 race was the first time the old Ebberts Bros Jimco had seen the light of day since Parker 2010. When purchasing the vehicle Diorio knew the history behind the car, how fast it was, and felt that the car needed to be out racing instead of rotting away in a shop.
When we saw the Class 1 it was torn down and getting some adjustments made to it before the NORRA 500.
This year’s race the vehicle suffered a torque converter failure which set them far behind but still finished the race and placed fifth in their class. The car will see more time in the dirt this year at the NORRA 500 and possibly the Best In The Desert Vegas to Reno, while the sights for 2020 are the NORRA 1000 and the Baja 1000.
A Product Born From Necessity
The tubes on the Ready-Zip-Go (RZG) hold 4-inch, 6-inch, 8-inch, 11-inch, and 14-inch zip ties.
Most products are formed to make jobs easier and that is definitely one thing Diorio has done. Not a part for a race car or a trail rig, but something to help assemble them whether it is in a shop or in the dirt.
“Ty-D-Up Manufacturing and the Ready-Zip-Go (RZG) was born in Baja, at the 2017 Baja 1000,” Diorio explained. “My dad was helping me fix a trophy truck and when I asked for zip ties it was hard to find them. My Dad had the idea for a portable zip tie holder and when we got home we started to develop one. It took a year to have the mold made and get the final product produced, as well as getting the Patent finished.”
Two key features of the Ready-Zip-Go are the rubber bands that hold the zip ties in place and the spot for flush cut pliers.
In a matter of no time, their problem became a solution. No more having to dig through bags of zip ties or having a drawer with different sizes, the clean design of the RZG changed that.
“A key feature to the RZG is the five magnets that make mounting the organizer easy, too any magnetic service,” Diorio said. “Another is the rubber band secure system that keeps the zip ties in the tubes until you need one.”
Regardless of where you are working, the RZG's magnetic base allows it to be secured in any direction.
One part of the RZG that we really like is the rubber band secure system. It allows the RZG to be mounted in any direction even upside down. Being able to bring the RZG to whatever you are working on saves time and having a location for flush cut pliers helps keep everything in one place.
For more information on Ty-D-Up Manufacturing and to check out the Ready-Zip-Go, be sure to visit their website.
