La Carrera Panamericana viewing today

[jhwalker]

Terri and I are joining a group driving to the mountains outside Guanajuato today to watch a "race" section. We will try to get close enough to get decent pictures, but these jalopies are known to crash -- and one of the donations we are asked each year is for a race nurse who lost both legs when a car crashed a couple of years ago...
Notes to the group:
"Subject: Re: PanAmericana viewing GTO mountains tomorrow, Tues 21st

After a mid-day service stop tomorrow, the fastest Pan Am cars will start leaving the Bicentennial Park between GTO city and Silao at 14:37 tomorrow. The last car should leave the park by 15:37. They will pass through Marfil and down Highway 67 toward SMA. (We generally refer to this as the highway to the Leon airport.)

The fastest cars should pass by the new PEMEX on highway 67 from SMA to the airport, at the junction of highway 110 to Dolores, beginning around 15:00 (3:00 PM). The rest of the cars will follow over the next hour. The cars will turn north toward Dolores at that intersection. They are not really racing at this point, but they have a strict time schedule to keep.
If people go to see the cars pass the PEMEX station, they should be there around 14:30 (2:30), and park on the Highway 110 side of the PEMEX, since the cars will pass that side of the gas station on their way to Dolores.
After passing that PEMEX, the cars pass through Dolores and line up to race the Los Quiotes speed stage, (*** this is where we will park to watch ***) outside of Dolores at at KM 60.8 on the highway to Santa Rosa and GTO city at 16:05. Normally they will close that highway at least and hour before that time, but this depends on the local officials and the Federal Police. Spectators who are going up the mountain to watch the next stage should be past KM 60.8 at least by 14:30. Leaving SMA by 1:15-1:30 should allow enough time to get ahead of the highway closing.

After running the Los Quiotes stage, the faster cars will the start up the Santa Rosa stage at 16:23. They will start in 30 second intervals for the 8.3 KM run up to Santa Rosa
Around 60 cars will run these two stages, plus a 6.4 KM stage from Santa Rosa into GTO city.

After that final stage, the car will start arriving in downtown GTO city (in front of the Teatro Juarez) shortly after 17:00 hours. They will stay there, lined on the street, for about an hour. It is quite a sight
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Should be fun, hope for decent pictures...

[jhwalker]

One of the local builders is both running a car in the race this year and is providing support to 3-4 other cars.
Yesterday he reported :

Here are some news inputs from Matthias on the PanAmericana race, what he calls a fast and short update:
Since yesterday ...
​We had around 12 (!) blown tires
On the service cars, a blown engine due to material failure ( piston broke ),
A bus destroyed our big 30ft white trailer in df (Mexico City) nearly totally,
and our Econoline blew its transmission on our way to Veracruz on the arco norte....

Then the engine for the Lancia Fulvia- built in Greece - blew due to bad work in Greece...

Since yesterday things are sorting out, and we are running very fine and good

The new ford 51 is impressive, and we are very very happy now (Walker's comment --- new and 51 Ford in the same sentence is ????)
Un abrazo
​
Matt
--------------------------------------------------------------- participating in this event is creeping towards "bucket list" status --------------- I will either come home today all inspired, motor revving, or come home saying "no way Jose".

[jhwalker]

It was a fun day. I was unrealistically hoping to see some real action, but I have to remember that this is was a short timed section of a 1200 mile event, part of which is racing. We saw 1 pass. A Mercedes passing a Volvo. (yawn) They start the cars in classes, and 30 seconds apart within a class. The intent being to minimize the carnage.
There is an interesting blend VERY high-end cars and junkers. Even the junkers have been really race-prepped. There are some excellent old Mustangs running. I will post up some pics and links to vids next week. Life has entered a busy phase for the next 4 days.

[jhwalker]

A look at a Mustang...