Tuesday, September 3, 2013

CARRERAS NEWS-UPDATE

Carreras News – UPDATE

June 24, 2013

 

--ROAD AMERICA PAN-AM EVENT SCRATCHED

--DATES FOR CHIHUAHUA ANNOUNCED, APRIL 4-6, 2014

--CARRERAS FIESTA, CALIFORNIA NORTE, AUGUST 17

--PAN AM ROUTE -- UNCHANGED

--PAN AM RULES POSTED—UNCHANGED?

--COYOTE CONVOY

--PAN AM TOUR ANNOUNCED

--LEGAL

--CONTACT INFO

 

--ROAD AMERICA PAN-AM REUNION SCRATCHED

 

Our efforts to get a group of Pan Am cars to show up at “The Hawk with Brian Redman” at Road America on July 18-21 did not succeed, primarily because the invitation was issued too late.  Too many Pan Am cars are still in pieces, being slowly put back together for the Big Show in October. 

However, another attempt will be made next year to attract these cars to Road America, so consider this the initial invitation.   By the end of the summer, detailed plans will be available.  It would be great to see a dozen of the Pan Am cars running this magnificent track in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

 

**DATES FOR CHIHUAHUA ANNOUNCED, APRIL 4-6, 2014

 

The dates for next year’s Express have been tentatively set for April 4-6.  Registration will be April 2-3 and the qualifying run will be April 3.

 Registration will open in November.

 

**CARRERAS FIESTA, AUGUST 17

 

For those who plan to attend the Historic races in Monterey this summer, remember to join us at the Carreras Fiesta on Saturday night, August 17.  We usually have over a hundred people show up for these events and a dozen or so Pan Am cars or other interesting “rides.”   The show starts around 5:00 PM and continues into the evening.

 The exact location has not been announced yet.  It will either be at the Baja Cantina in Carmel, as in years past, or at that proprietor’s new place in downtown Carmel.   We should know soon.


**PAN AM ROUTE

 

As announced previously, the overnight stops in October will be:

          Veracruz

          Oaxaca

          Mexico City

          Queretaro

          Morelia

          Guanajuato

          Aguascalientes

          Zacatecas 

It seems that we will run a speed stage or two in the foothills of the mountains in Veracruz and stop for a mid-morning service in the city of Orizaba, before heading up on the central plateau toward Tehuacán and Oaxaca.

 Mexico City has replaced Puebla as an overnight.   Let’s home we are not greeted by a huge rain storm, like the last time we visited the capital city.

It seems that we will not run the stage to San Joaquín, where five cars went into the ravine last year.  Instead, reportedly, we will run two laps around the Bernal area.


**PAN AM RULES

The rules for the 2013 Pan Am are posted on the official web site at http://lacarrerapanamericana.com.mx/index.php/participa/reglas.

The rules for the cars seem identical to last year.  Competitors should take the time to review them, just in case I missed something.

New cars or cars that have never been inspected at the Pan Am should apply for pre-approval by sending in a complete technical description, plus photos, including photos of the roll cage.
**PAM AM ENTRIES

As of this past weekend, 75 entries were posted on the official web site, an increase of four.  Unfortunately, two North American entries had to withdraw leaving us with 29 entries from the U.S. and Canada.

Turismo Production (8)

Turismo Mayor (8)

Sports Minor (5)

Sports Mayor (2)

Historic A (5)

Historic A+ (9)

Historic B (9)

Historic C (24)

Original Pam Am (3)

Exhibition (3)

 

All three Original Pan Am cars are from the U.S. and Canada:

David Buchanan and Raffi Najjarian will be back in their Chrysler, along with Christian Reichardt and Daniel Roche (Canada) in their Hot Rod Lincoln.  And the returning champions of OPA, Carson Scheller and his beautiful daughter-copilot, Lauren Scheller will be driving their ’54 Ford.

Clearly more cars are needed in OPA.  To encourage more participation, the Organizers agreed that cars that did not come from the factory with manual transmissions, like ’54 Chryslers, Lincolns, and Oldsmobiles, could install a three or four speed transmission from the era.  The event is simply too hard, it seems, on automatic transmissions.  However, this rule change and another allowing one ‘30’s street rod in Turismo Mayor with a 305 c.i. engine seem to be absent thus far from what has been posted. 

There may be a category for street rods next year.  Maybe the spirit of Ak Miller’s Iron Horse, the famous “special” of 1953-1954, will be revived.

The exhibition cars include a modern V8 BMW M3 and two 911s.  Go figure.

Want to participate this year?  Rent a Falcon from Mats Hammarlund Racing mats@mhracing.com.mx or Euro-Latino Racing heyermatthias@gmail.com in San Miguel de Allende.  They may also have cars for sale.

**COYOTE CONVOY

As announced last month, the 12th annual Coyote Convoy will congregate in Laredo, Texas on Friday, October 18, 6:30 PM, at the Residence Inn del Mar, and cross the border the next morning for the 560 mile trip to San Miguel de Allende.  It will spend two nights in San Miguel, before going on to Veracruz on Monday, October 21.  A party and car show are planned for the two days in San Miguel.

**PAN AM TOUR 

Rosa Mondragón, the former public relations person for the Pan Am, is offering another Pan Am Tour this year.  Rosa has a lot of experience helping family and friends of the racers, and others, such as photographers, get close to the action, as they follow the Pan Am across Mexico.

 For details contact Rosa at panapinkmary@yahoo.com.mx.

**LEGAL FINE PRINT


You all know by now that road-racing in Mexico can be deadly, dangerous, and addictive.  Furthermore, I should point out that CARRERAS NEWS is a spasmodic, idiosyncratic  publication that does not represent the official views of the organizers of the Pan Am, Chihuahua Express, or any other event.

**CONTACT INFO

 
Gerie Bledsoe, North American Coordinator

La Carrera Panamericana and Chihuahua Express

USPO address:  220 N. Zapata Hwy Ste 11

      PMB 68B

      Laredo, TX 78043

1-650-525-9190--Home office, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

1-224-999-7292--Home office, Evanston, Illinois-mid-July-mid-September

1-650-867-9488 (mobile, only in US)

Number in Mexico +52-415-185-8470

Email:  gbledso@aol.com

 




 

Carrera HQ, Mexico City 1-310-860-6959 (dial as a U.S. number)

Email general info and registration:  gaby@lacarrerapanamericana.com.mx

            For entry fee and hotels:  monica.grossmann@yahoo.com.mx