Carrera
News
July 9, 2014
**PAN AM CARS AT
PIKES PEAK
Ralf Christensson, a Pan Am and Chihuahua Express veteran,
won the Vintage Class at the 92d running of the PPIHC on June 29 with a blazing
time, a new record of 10:46. Ralf, who is sedish, was driving a specially
prepared ’67 Mustang provided by Todd Landon.
He also finished 27th overall.
Second place in Vintage went to Chris Lennon in a ’73
Porsche 911 with a time of 11:01. Lennon
had been a bit faster than Christensson in the qualifying runs, but could not
keep up the pace in the final “Race to the Clouds” on Sunday.
Another Swede, Magnus Widen, driving another Todd Landon Pan
Am Mustang, finished third in class with a time of 11:56. The third vintage Mustang in the class,
driven by Gerie Bledsoe, developed transmission problems and was DNF. The car and driver did manage to finish,
however, practice and qualifying runs on all three sections of the 12.6 mile course,
including three runs to the summit.
The overall PPIHC champion this year was Romain Dumas in
9:05.8, far off the spectacular record of 8:13.8 set by Sebastian Loeb last
year. Six-time champion and former
record-holder Tajima finished 4th (9:43:9), driving his all-electric
“monster” car. The electric cars
practices with the Vintage Class, which was more than interesting.
A video of Ralf’s run is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWgO5iXRdt8
**CARRERAS FIESTA – MONTEREY-CARMEL--
AUGUST 16 – 5-8:30 pm
Attached is the official poster for the 8th
Annual Carreras Festival in conjunction with the Monterrey historic races at
the Baja Cantina, 7166 Carmel Valley Rod (just past The Quail Lodge). The Fiesta is an opportunity for veterans and
fans of rallying in Mexico to get together, kick tires, tell old stories, and
raise some money for “Los Amigos de Lupita Hernandez.”
Lupita is the Mexican nurse who lost both
legs at the hit when a Pan Am car went off the road near Tuxtla Gutierrez and
pinned her against an ambulance. “Los
Amigos” have supported her for 12 years now, providing her a house, wheel
chair, computer, vocational training, start-up funds for a micro-business, and
a modest monthly stipend.
Tickets are $30 ahead of time and $35 at the door. An excellent Mexican buffet will be served at
5:30. Family and friends are invited, of
course. Proceeds go to “Los Amigos de
Lupita Hernandez.” Contributions in cash
or check will be greatly appreciated.
You are encouraged to bring your Pan Am or other exotic
automobile to the Cantina, but we can guarantee only 6 parking spots up close,
so if you want to reserve a spot, contact our gracious host Bill Hemmer at bekgroup@gmail.com. Bill is a real estate broker in Carmel.
**LA CARRERA PAN AM
ENTRIES
At last count there were 59 entries posted on the official
Pan Am web site, a number that lags last year’s somewhat. The organizers report having over seventy entries
in the pipeline, but they are having trouble getting the entries posted on the
web site.
Popular classes include:
Historic B (16 signed up, mostly Porsche 911s), Historic C (15, of
course, Mustangs rule!), Historic A Plus (7), Turismo Mayor (8), and Turismo
Production (7). Entries are needed in
Turismo Mayor (0), Turismo Menor (1), Historic A (3), Original Pan Am (2). Heck, if you just finish the race in some of
these classes, you will celebrate on the podium.
After two or three years of over-subscription, LCP entries
fell last year to 85. At this year’s
current rate, it seems like the final number will be about the same. This is good news, perhaps, for competitors
because it means less traffic jams at the timing check-points, but it also means
that we will miss seeing old friends and meeting new ones.
So, pull that Gullwing out of the barn, clean off the bird
poop, change the oil, and bring it down to race this year. Remember, this race is about having epic
fun. Most cars, even reproductions, are welcome
up to 1972 models, in some classes. Rumor
has it that we will see our first Trans-Am Camaro this year in Historic C
(watch out Mules).
Remember, too, that
the technical inspectors are more concerned with safety than originality, so
make sure the Organizers approve your roll cage design, in particular, before
you sign up.
Remember, too, there is an Exhibition Class for cars that do
not fit into a regular class. A certain
’49 Caddy with a blown LS7 Corvette engine has been known to enroll in this
class.
Need help signing up?
Give me a call in Chicago at 224.999.seven two 92.
**CHIHUAHUA EXPRESS
DATES – APRIL 23-26, 2015
Clearly and without a doubt, this is one of the best road
races in the world, maybe the best, but for some reason it is
under-subscribed. Why so good? It’s Close to the US. 1000 miles in three days. Beautiful mountain roads. Excellent, dry weather. Lunch over the famous Copper Canyon. Great organization. Generous local support. Police and ambulance resources the entire
route. Same hotel and paddock each
night. Reasonably priced.
Not up to driving at full speed just yet? Try the Express out at 70 MPH in the
Chihuahua Tour, a time-to-distance rally for half the competition price. Is there a down side? It’s only three days, I suppose.
Come down next year and check it out. It’s also a great warm up for the Pan Am.
**ORIGINAL PAN AM
LICENSE PLATE UP FOR AUCTION
Lauri
Menditto, a license plate artist from Washington, DC, has contacted CARRERA
NEWS to announce that she recently purchased a bunch of license plates,
including a plate from the fifth and final Pan Am race in 1954. The
plate is from the car driven by Alfonso de Portago of
Spain.
The
plate is too valuable to use in her artwork, so Lauri would like to sell the
plate to a Pan Am collector and make a donation to our non-profit, Los Amigos
de Lupita, upon completion of the sale.
Alfonso
de Portago led an adventurous life. He twice was a jockey on horses at
The Grand National Steeplechase in England, won a bronze medal in the two-man
bobsled, and at the age of 17 flew a plane under a bridge to win a $500
bet! The plate appears to be authentic, but CARRERA NEWS has no way to
establish that as a fact.
The
plate will go to the highest bidder. The
minimum starting bid is $1250 USD.
Bidding will be open for 10 days from the date of this email and end at
5 PM, Eastern time. Plates like this
have gone for over $3000 on eBay.
You can
send your bids or questions to Lauri at license2t@gmail.com.
**CLASSIFIEDS
Want to find or rent a Pan Am race car? Need a co-driver, navigator, truck driver,
or mechanic? Want to fill one of these
positions? Please let me know
immediately, as I am receiving calls about filling spots on teams more
frequently, as October approaches. I
have one driver who needs a co-driver, and one experience driver who is looking
for a car or a team to join.
There are four shops in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico that
rent and/or support Pan Am and Chihuahua Express cars. Todd Landon up in Minnesota provides the “Mustangs to Go” now of Pikes Peak fame.
Got a Carrera car for sale?
Advertise here, two NEWS editions for a $40 contribution to “Los Amigos
de Lupita Hernandez” c/o Doug Mockett in Los Angeles. We have sold three cars advertised here
already this year.
**LEGAL WARNING
Like most forms of motor sports, La Carrera Panamericana is
dangerous. Make sure that your car is
properly prepared, especially for safety, and driven prudently.
Worried about public safety in Mexico? Not so much.
In my sixteen years racing and living in Mexico, I have never seen or
heard of an act of violence or crime against a rally competitor. Don’t let the US media keep LCP and the
Express off your bucket list. Come on
down. You will never forget it.
**CONTACT INFORMATION
Gerie Bledsoe, North American Coordinator
La Carrera Panamericana and Chihuahua
Express
Chicago(Evanston) 224.999.seven two 92.
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico 650-525-nine
one 90
LCP Main Office
Mexico City +52-55-5586-6898
US Number 1-310-860-6959
www.lacarrerapanamericana.com.mx
team@lacarrerapanamericana.com.mx (entries, general info)
monica@lacarrerapanamericana.com.mx (hotels and entry fees)
Chihuahua Express
Chacho Medina, President
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