Monterey Historics
Carrera Corral 2009

For the third consecutive year Bill Hemmer and Adriana Robles hosted the Carrera Panamericana Corral at the Historic Races in Monterey, CA. For the second time we gathered at Tarpy’s Road House, an excellent venue. Except for a little early morning smoke from the forest fires to the north, the weather was again perfect.

This year Bill worked out a creative arrangement with the Ventana winery shop next to Tarpy’s that including a wine tasting and additional parking for our Carrera cars. He also arranged a super audio-video set up independent of the restaurant’s system so we could both see and hear the videos.

This was a special year for Bill and Adriana because the featured marque of the Historics was Porsche. Bill and Adriana have competed in two Carreras in Porsches, including their last Pan Am in 2007 in a Porsche 550 carrying the livery of a Mexican car in 1953. Adriana, as co-piloto, is always quite the hit with young Mexican girls.

Bill was also working hard to arrange a tour and corral of Porsches in the city of Monterey on Saturday evening.

The Carrera corral also took on a special purpose this year when we decided to include a $5 contribution to Lupita Hernandez, the Mexican nurse who lost both her legs in a Carrera accident in 2003. This bumped the price of a ticket from $35 to $40, which still reasonable for the setting, three drinks, lots of good food, a neat set of souvenirs, and the a-v set up.

Lupita appreciates your generosity and Bill and Adriana’s hard work.

For a variety of reasons, ticket sales and attendance at the corral were somewhat less than we had planned. The races at Laguna Seca were running way behind schedule, so some participants, including an original Pan Am Porsche, were tied up all day at the track. Others simply dropped by to say hello and bought a drink at the bar, rather than buying a corral ticket and making a contribution. All told we probably had about the same number of people attend as last year, but cash receipts were down a bit.

Regardless, the event was a success for the true Carreraistas who attended. It was great being able to see old friends and view some nice video and photos, including the teaser—with sound—of Gary Faules’ Pan Am expedition in 2007. Contact Gary at faules44@ aol.com, to buy a copy of his first-rate DVD.

All of this would not have been possible without the hard work of Bill, Adriana, and their friends like Don. We salute them today for demonstrating the true “Spirit of La Carrera.”

Bill is already making plans for the Carrera Corral next year – get this – at Laguna Seca racetrack. With the change in management, maybe we will be able to arrange a tent and corral at the track, plus a few exhibition laps on track for our Carrera cars. Perhaps the Carrera organizers in Mexico will even participate. Wouldn’t that be special!

Thanks again Bill and Adriana!

Carrera Driver -- End of Summer Edition

CARRERA DRIVER

August 27, 2009

**COYOTE CONVOY PLANS
**AVOIDING MEXICO CITY
**NOTES ON THE PAN AM ROUTE
**RACING IN MEXICO CITY
**H.A.N.S REQUIRED
**MEXICAN CAR INSURANCE
**ZACATECAS—JEWEL OF THE ROUTE
**COOP POSTS PHOTOS OF 2008


**COYOTE CONVOY PLANS

The Coyote Convoy will gather at the Residence Inn del Mar in Laredo, Texas, at 9:00 PM, Friday, October 16. After an orientation, a group will wander across the border to obtain visas and car importation permits.

Walking across the border at night is always an adventure. Last year heavily armed Mexican army troops were guarding the Mexican Customs house in their armored personnel carriers, .50 cals at the ready, while young men—stripped to their shorts and carrying their clothes (?) in black plastic bags—jumped in the Rio Bravo to swim to the U.S. side.

On Saturday, October 17 the convoy will line up in the parking lot of the Residence Inn to drive across the border at 6:00 AM and around downtown Nuevo Laredo. The convoy will pause to re-group before going through the final Mexican Customs checkpoint about 18 miles outside of town.

From that checkpoint it should be smooth sailing down to San Miguel de Allende. Participants in the convoy may run ahead of the lead truck and set their own pace. There are now plenty of PEMEX gas stations and rest stops along this highway (#57).

The city of San Miguel de Allende--named a top-ten location to visit by Condé Nast magazine--is located only 20 miles off the main highway to Mexico City.

Those signing up from the convoy will receive a complete set of maps and instructions about the trip and what to expect. Anyone may join the convoy with prior approval, but the convoy is not responsible for anyone’s safety while traveling in Mexico.


**AVOIDING MEXICO CITY

As those who have towed their race cars to the start of the Pan Am know, the categorical imperative has been – STAY OUT OF MEXICO CITY!

There were several good reasons to find a way around this sprawling megapolis:
--22 million people, plus that many cars, trucks, motos, and wagons
--restrictions on when one may drive into the city (never in the AM)
--a highway system from the 18th century
--voracious, underpaid traffic police (who devour their young)

For several years the Coyote Convoy has followed the old truck route around Mexico City, a long tedious road. This route, a combination of two-lane highways and small cities, was literally a pain in the butt.

But our prayers and virtuous living have been rewarded: the Mexican government has just opened a new toll road (cuota) around Mexico City called the “Archo Norte.”

The new toll road starts near Tula (just north of Mexico City) and curves around Mexico City to the east and southeast to join the toll road to Puebla. Instead of four hours on the old truck route, it should take the Convoy about 1.5 hours to cover this distance.

Thus the convoy should arrive in Oaxaca City in time to see the famous sites in this beautiful colonial city, including the glorious Indian ruins of Monte Albán, just five miles outside of town.

**NOTES ON THE PAN AM ROUTE

Detailed information about the 2009 Pan Am route--hotels and such--remains difficult to obtain. If we are lucky the Carrera Office will send out a list of our hotel assignments before we leave home for the border. A little more information was recently posted in the official rules. Here are a few gleanings:

1. Huatulco – the navigators’ meeting is in the Hotel Barcelo. The parc fermé or paddock will be at the “Kiosko Parque Hundido Chahué,” which we believe is the old municipal parking lot near the marina and where the cruise ships dock at Hautulco-Chahué-Santa Cruz.

2. Oaxaca City – on the first night of the race, the driver’s meeting will be at the famous Hotel Camino Real in the old part of town. It’s a spectacular old convent, restored as a luxury hotel.

3. Mexico City – the race will end Saturday at the Santa Fe shopping center away from downtown in the chic ‘burbs. The driver’s meeting will be at the nearby Camino Real Santa Fe Hotel.

4. Queretaro – the usual hotels will probably be used, such as the two downtown Holiday and Fiesta Inns.

5. San Luís de Potosí – the driver’s meeting is at the Westin Hotel. Most of the hotels will be outside of the Centro Historico.

6. Guadalajara – the driver’s meeting will be at the Tequila Center (Cool! Bring your glass.)

7. Zacatecas – the drivers’ meeting will be back at the fabulous Quinta Real or bull ring hotel. (See story below. Keep your tequila cup handy.) Some of us will stay at the classic Emperio, as well.

8. Nuevo Laredo – the driver’s meeting will be at the Civic/Cultural Center outside of town. Last year we had a small SWAT team in the parking lot.

The route book should be posted on the official web site soon. Some sharp navigators print it out, and then divide it by days into separate binders that are easier to handle at high speed. (Thanks, Dy.)

**RACING IN MEXICO CITY

For the past two years the Pan Am cars have been invited by the mayor of Mexico City to race on the main freeway in his city, the Períferíco. Although they only closed 3.5 miles of this major highway for us, some Carrera cars reached speeds over 170 MPH. It was scary, but sorta cool. It also gave the race significant exposure on Mexican television.

Closing down this road at 9:00 AM on a Sunday morning was the moral equivalent of closing down I-10 in Los Angeles during Friday rush hour. Sunday morning is when half of the folks in Mexico City leave town to find clean air, picnic, or visit their little mama in “el campo.”

This year the Pan Am will not race on the Periferico. But do not despair; you will be provided an adequate substitute. The Carrera cars have been invited back to race on the famous track – “Dos Hermanos Rodriquez” – the same track used by the NASCAR Nationwide series and NASCAR Mexico. In fact, the Carrera cars will be an early morning warm up for a Mexican NASCAR race that Sunday.

Bring your Garmin GPS armed with up the most up-to-date Mexican maps from Mark Walker, Mexico Maps at http://www.mexicomaps.com/. Navigating through both Mexico City and Guadalajara are two big reasons to put a Garmin in your racecar this year. Finding the right entrance to the track will be a special challenge.

This is only the second time in my eleven years that the Carrera has been to Dos Hermanos. In 2006 we got onto the track right just after it rained and the results were “entertaining.” Beware: you will not get even one warm up lap.

In 2006 the Pan Am cars were sliding all over the wet track, as few drivers had any idea about how many laps they were to run or how to enter and exit the track. Pierre de Thoisy, the great Pan Am champion, won a big trophy for the fastest time at the track. Of course, “Lucky” Pierre had been at the track the weekend before getting in several dozen practice laps. Most of us amateurs had no idea what to expect or where to turn, especially when we were unable to see anything but water spray. Let’s hope it does not rain this year, so we can enjoy this impressive track in the heart of Mexico City.

**H.A.N.S REQUIRED

Eduardo Leon, the President of La Carrera Panamericana, has reminded all competitors that head and neck restraints will be required in all classes this year. The two approved devices are the HANS and Leatt brace. Mr. Leon also mentioned that any device approved by the FIA would be acceptable. He also mentioned a HANS-clone, the “DefNder,” that might be acceptable since it is SFI rated, but he did not know about others sold in the U.S., including the Safety Solutions R-3.

The Leatt brace will be for sale in Huatulco.

**MEXICAN CAR INSURANCE

If you are driving a car or tow truck into Mexico, you need to purchase Mexican auto insurance. It’s easy:

All you need is a VIN and credit card. Go to http://www.bajabound.com/?r=panamrace.

Bajabound.com, an insurance broker in San Diego, will offer you several insurance companies and various levels of coverage from which to choose. In some cases, you will decide how much your car and tow rig are worth for coverage purposes, if you buy comprehensive and collision.

Your Mexican coverage should start the day you cross the border, like October 16 or 17, and end on October 30, when most of us will cross the border back into the U.S.

In Huatulco, during registration, you must show proof of Mexican liability insurance in order to obtain the official decals for your service vehicle. This rule was firmly enforced for the past couple of years.

Although liability insurance is not required on your race car, if you plan on testing your car in Huatulco before the race starts, you might obtain Mexican insurance for it for those days. (I purchase liability insurance on my race car for the whole period, just in case.)
Mexican car insurance, like U.S. insurance, does not cover the car or driver when engaged in racing.


**ZACATECAS—JEWEL OF THE ROUTE

Of all the beautiful colonial cities along the route, Zacatecas remains the favorite of the great majority of Carrera drivers and their crew members. It is a pristine, world-class city in ever respect.

Underneath Zacatecas is the largest silver mine in the Western Hemisphere. It pumped tons of the precious metal into the coffers of the kings of Spain and the government in Mexico City. Today the mine is closed, except for tours and maybe a disco, but the city remains a beautiful monument to the accumulation of capital, not unlike Salamanca and Pienza.

Located on the side of a mountain at 8,000+ feet, Zacatecas can make you heart pump more rapidly after the slightest exertion. On the night of Oct. 28, the Carreraistas will follow a burro and small band through the city’s narrow streets, drinking cheap tequila until they crawl into the bullring patio of the famous Quinta Real Hotel, one of the top ten romantic places in the world, where dinner and trophies will be served. Bring your fur-lined banana hammocks boys, ‘cause it will be chilly. It is always a night to remember, regardless how the evening ends.

During the Pan Am races of 1999-2005, the Carrera stopped for two nights in Zacatecas, but under current management, our stay has been reduced, alas, to only one night.

**COOP’S 2008 PHOTOS POSTED

Chris Cooper, Los Angeles hot rod artist, illustrator, and photographer—navigator in car #395—has recently posted several hundred more photos of the 2008 race, including the Carrera Car Show in San Miguel de Allende. To check out Coop’s pics go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/coop666/3859370933/. Coop will be back in car #395 this year in Hautulco, with his cameras. One of his photos of the car show in the main square in San Miguel is above.

This email has been sent to those registered as competitors in the 2009 Pan Am race, crew members, and support services. Please do not post it on blogs or web sites, as it will be posted on http://www.panamrace.com/.

Only 57 days before the race starts! Are you ready?

© Gerie Bledsoe 2009



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Rally Mexico Bulletin

**CHIHUAHUA EXPRESS -- DISCOUNT ENDS SOON

You have until the end of this month (August) to take advantage of the discounted $1800 registration fee for the Chihuahua Express, March 19-21, 2010. Just hit the reply button to obtain an entry form and FAQ about this great event.

Express organizer Chacho Medina invites all his friends north of the border to return for the fourth year of this classic event.

The Express offers three days of racing over 1,000 miles, with about 325 miles of top speed stages. Just about any car -- year or model -- is eligible. Carrera cars run in their own classes, while modern cars are placed in appropriate classes based on engine size.

The event was just about as perfect as it could be last spring. The weather was spectacular. The roads were in great shape. The event organization was strong, and the electronic timing system worked well. Mr. Medina is open to suggestions to make the event even better, and he pledges to refund the entry of any competitor whose car is seriously damaged in the Pan Am race this October. Contact him at chachomedina@sporcar.com.

Chihuahua City is only 145 miles from Presidio, Texas, and 220 from Santa Teresa, New Mexico. And the route also includes racing into the famous Copper Canyon.

**CARRERA FIESTA -- MONTEREY HISTORICS, AUG. 15

More than forty-five tickets have been sold for the La Carrera Fiesta and Corral at Tarpy's Road House Restaurant in Monterey on Saturday, August 15, 2:30-6:30. Tickets will be sold at the door for $45, plus a $5 donation to our favorite worthy cause, Lupita.

A wide range of Carrera cars will be on display in the corral, including a 356 Porsche that participated in the original Carrera in 1953.

Tarpy's is located at 2999 Salinas-Monterey Highway #68 -- the road from Monterey to Laguna Seca.

All proceeds go to support Lupita Hernandez, the Mexican nurse who lost both legs as the result of a crash in 2004. If you cannot attend the Fiesta, you may make a contribution via http://www.paypal.com/. Just send your contribution ($10-100+) to gbledso@aol.com. All contributions will be proudly acknowledged.

**CELL PHONE SERVICE IN MEXICO

Making plans to attend La Carrera Panamericana in October and worried about staying in touch with your family back home? Here's a link to a handy guide to the use of a cell phone in Mexico. It's provided by our preferred insurance company Bajabound.

http://www.bajabound.com/before/aboutmex/phoneguide/cellphonebaja.php


**CAR INSURANCE IN MEXICO

All vehicles crossing into Mexico from the U.S. and Canada should be covered by Mexican car insurance. U.S. insurance is not valid in Mexico.

Mexican car insurance works just like U.S. insurance. You may choose among levels of liability coverage, as well as collision and comprehensive coverage. The insurance is sold by the day, week, month, or six-month period.

The easiest way to buy insurance on your tow vehicle and racecar is to go to http://www.bajabound.com/?r=panamrace, and select from one of four or five insurance companies and level of coverage. All you need is the VIN and credit card. You may also call them for help at 1.888.552.2252.

Actually, most of these Mexican companies are owned by U.S. enterprises. Bajabound, located in San Diego, is one of the only companies that sells car insurance online for cars made before 1981.

Insurance on your tow or service vehicle is required by La Carrera Panamericana. Coverage on your racecar is not required, but recommended. The Mexican car insurance policy does NOT cover anyone while racing, but only when the car is being driven before or after the event, or by someone other than the registered driver and co-driver. When racing the car is covered by the event's liability insurance.


**GPS SOFTWARE FOR MEXICO

The latest software for Garmin GPS units is available from Mexico Maps of Santa Barbara, CA. Contact Mark Walker at 805-687-1011 or email mwalker@mexicomaps.com. Mark will guarantee that you will receive the latest update of this software. Other retailers cannot make this guarantee because the software is updated several times a year, and the GPS units offered by the larger companies are likely to have an older version installed.

Garmin GPS software is not particularly useful when you are racing in the speed stages, but it can be extremely useful when trying to find your way through Mexico City or Guadalajara. Each racecar and service truck should be so equipped. Garmin GPS units -- the more basic models -- cost around $200, and you can obtain the maps for Mexico on a SD memory card, which you simply slip into the Garmin.

**PAN AM TOUR

If you or a friend want to observe the Pan Am this year, especially if you want to take action photos of the racing, you should contact Rosa Maria Mondragon at racecarmedia@yahoo.com.mx. Rosa Maria, a rally driver and former PR director of the event, is offering a private tour of the route. The cost is $1350 for the week of the race -- in a car. Hotel accommodations are extra. This too will be an adventure!

**2009 EVENT MAY CLOSE SOON

At this point there are about ninety paid entries for the Carrera, according to President Eduardo "Lalo" Leon. But another fifteen or more potential competitors have made a deposit or otherwise made a commitment to participate. If you are in either of these categories, you should finish the application process, or you may find the event closed.

There are only 72 days to go before the race starts on Oct. 23 in Huatulco, Mexico. Ready yet?

Gerie Bledsoe
650-726-9890
http://www.panamrace.com/