Hot Rods Preparations for the GREAT MEXICAN RACE!

It's a little HUMILIATING... Even the V.W.'s Beat me...

 

Not really a V.W. - But similar to my thinking. Hopefully no one is offended by my Ignorance...

 

Not well known to me, but, I got to have a brief chat with these Boys... These are Two Twenty-Somethings from Torreon where I now live... They have put all their "Lives" and Money into Rebuilding this Old Dodge! They are participating in the Carrera "Classic Tour" Category. (Notice - No Helmets) Something I Truly LOVE about the Carrera and the Mexican People in Total... The Carrera has this Special Class just to allow others to Participate. I find Mexican Society the SAME WAY! Very Accepting! Very Inclusive! Viva Mexico!

 

In addition to the Studebakers, Porsches and Mustangs are some of the most common Carrera Entrants.

 

A "Bug-Eyed" Sprite... 289 SBF Power... With the High-Speed High-Intensity of the Carrera, little time was available to get acquainted with the other Racers... I do know that I Raced against this Team in 2022...

 

A "Chiquita Camaro" yes indeedie! Not from the U.S.A. though... From EUROPE!

Look closely at the Door Details: You will see the Driver & Co-Drivers Name, Their Home Country's Flag and their Blood Type. The Blood Type is in the event of a Crash/Injury so Medics can assist. My Flag identification might be off, but, I believe they are from France and maybe Denmark.

The Carrera is an International Event... 16 different countries were represented the year I participated...

A Carrera History Note: The Contemporary Carrera is trying very hard to distance itself from the reputation of "the World's most Deadly Racing Event" of it's past! Today, every 5th Car started is a Medical Team in a Porsche Panamera. Medics arrive on the scene of an accident in mere Seconds!

 

Another Carrera Racer I didn't get to know... I'm guessing here... Ferrari for certain... Possibly 50's era???

This Team was involved the year I ran also... During 2022 he lost control and clipped a Boulder alongside the Road smashing the Rear Quarter Panel. The Taillight was hanging by the wires when I saw him. It was Duct Taped back on later in the week and STILL RACING! Americanos & Mexicanos both LOVE their DUCT TAPE!

Even with Precious, High-Dollar Value Cars, the Drivers run them at their Mechanical Limits! By NO WAY is the Carrera some "Antique Car Parade". Many of the Drivers too have a BLOOD THIRST for Winning. One Team was Confrontational with me (NOT the Team above!) and Extremely Critical that I was "Slow" and Unqualified. Cautious Muchachos! It can be Brutal there!

 

This is an appropriate Post to end the day on... A Memorial to the Fallen... Perhaps you have heard of this Mexican Racer - Carlos Gordoa. A Bold, very Daring Racer! This Shot is when I first saw him in Parras in 2021. In 2022 I could not keep Carlos' 1934 Studebaker in View! Sadly, the following year, Carlos died in a Fiery Crash. RIP Hermano Gordoa- The Carrera claimed on more Driver...

 

The sprog eyed fright is cool!

 

if you are even half as good a racer and missionary as you are storyteller.....well.... this is better than watching a movie of this!

 

Just found & loved your GREAT post. Good pictures. Why have not heard more about this revival of old race. More please. Also great engine can not kill them

 

You will need a 1953 lincoln to win it like Stropp
did way back when! Good luck !

 

I am Humbled and Gratified by everyone's Kindness and Support... Please accept my profound GRATITUDE...

 

Okay... Reverse Gear is necessary today... Earlier in the Post I got off on a Tangent about what what went POORLY for the Carrera "T". Following that Story Branch to the end caused me to miss some details. Sorry for getting the Chronological Sequence out of whack...

Let's "Rewind" back to my Garage in Central Ohio in the Final Days of Completing the Carrera "T"... (Only a few Pics today... Lotsa Reading... SORRY) The Truth is our "Team" was never really a "Team" at all... This was the PLAN for the Race; My Co-Driver/Missions Partner was Graduate of a Missions Academy in Monterrey Mexico. She got approval from her Academy to contact a long list of Alumni from the School. The Idea was that in each City/Pueblo we came Screaming into Daily, we would have established Christian Missionaries waiting to assist us. These Missions Volunteers would assist in Witnessing, help Distribute Bibles, Sometimes provide Music for the Effort, Support the newly Saved and also Help us out should we have some Breakdown or Mishap. It seemed like a GOLDEN PLAN. While in the Wrong/Opposite Direction, it was still a means of "Pre-Driving" the Race Course as we met each Missions Volunteer and delivered them their portion of the 1000 Bibles.

The old adage about, "How do you make God LAUGH?" Make definite plans for the Future... Comes into play here!

 

Those of you that are Racers have Cars solely for the purpose of Track or Drag Strip... They are Racing Specific and are not used on Public Streets... NOT SO for the Carrera! Carrera Racers must be completely Road Legal! All the Lights, Horns, Turn Signals, Wipers and mandatory Safety Requirements... Also Fully Legal VIN #, Title, Plates & Proper Insurance. Without any detail and the Vehicle will be Rejected at the Border. Mexico is very Bureaucratic and not at all like the Freedom we enjoy here in the U.S.A.

Soooo... All this RED TAPE necessitated a Ohio Highway Patrol Inspection and acquisition of the Title, Plates and so forth... And, I was fully at the MERCY of State Government Scheduling! Perhaps you can sense how STRESSFUL the final Preparations for the Carrera was! The Big FEAR that hung over me was, if something did NOT Pass Inspection, correcting the issue and doing another Inspection would ultimately KILL any chance of making it to the Starting Point in Mexico on time.

Truly we Serve a God that hears and Answers Prayer! The Highway Patrolman that did my Inspection was a Catholic Man that had done his own Missions Work in His Faith in the past. God connected me with a Like-Minded Patrolman! (Only God could have made that Connection!) With extreme RELIEF the Patrolman PASSED the "T" Jalopy! Just when I was ready to SHOUT PRAISE AND JUMP FOR JOY... The Officer told me... "Your VIN Tag will be ready NEXT WEEK...

 

"WHAT!?! I cried! I was ready to get on my Knees and BEG at that point! The Officer quite Sympathetically said he could Expedite the Process (Extremely UNUSUAL for an Ohio Highway Patrolman!) and could shave off some days. True to the Officer's Word, he arrived at my Garage and afixed the VIN Tag to fulfill all the Legal Requirements a few days later.

The completion of the day was a Mad Panic Laden Spree of PACKING "T", Tools, Spares, Bibles and everything else imaginable into the Support Truck and Trailer! WHEW! About DARK I began the CHARGE Southbound to the Mexican Border... I was several Days behind Schedule and all hopes of Pre-Driving the Race Course and meeting the Missionaries along the way were completely DASHED... I needed a MIRACLE...

 

I drove non-stop... At Gas & Potty Breaks I contacted my Co-Driver/Missions Partner and "Dropped the BOMB" about all that happened... She was well aware I was way behind Schedule and now had the Devastation of learning Plans had dramatically changed and we had NO SUPPORT TEAM! God BLESSED me with the most Incredible Racing Partner imaginable! Completely "UnFlapable" she responded... "I will Pray"...

 

A little "Garage Art" from my old shop to Share...

 

On Friday October 7th, I crossed the Border into Mexico... My Co-Driver/Missions Partner was waiting for me on the Mexican side... We had just Four days to arrive in southern Mexico in Vera Cruz... About 12000 Hard Miles were still ahead of us... Thru much uninhabited desolate Desert Scrub Land, Over Mountains, into different Climate Zones - into the Tropics, thru the Banana Growing Regions, thru Tropical Storms and fording Mud Slides... It was an enormous Adventure just arriving at the Race!

Our next stop would be my Co-Driver's Hometown - where I now live - Torreon Coahuila Mexico... A mere Pit-Stop there... Torreon seem off course to me... "Why stop at Torreon?" I asked my Racing Partner. "To Pick-Up our Support Team!" she replied. No way did I recognize it at the time, but God gave me the Miracle I was asking for!

 

My MIRACULOUS Support Team! "Chuyin" far left Laughing... "Cesarin" left of the Jalopy... A Motorcycle Mechanic! And Me... This Photo was taken in Vera Cruz before the real CHAOS of the Carrera began.

 

On the Road to Torreon my Co-Driver gives me the Run-Down on our "Support Team"... "My Uncle Chuyin has been Traumatized by witnessing the Death of his Brother..." She Began... "Uncle Cesar was GUNNED DOWN BY THE CARTEL..." she continued... "Chuyin had to clean-up the Blood and Brain Matter at the place they worked together... This has Troubled him Terribly and he has been coping by Drinking too much in the Bars..." OH NO! I am thinking Silently to myself... An Emotionally Shattered Hombre with a SUBSTANCE PROBLEM! How could this possibly be a Dependable Team Member? I thought... Sensing what I was thinking, my Co-Driver continued... "Chuyin has been Loyal to me in the past, he is an excellent Worker and the Carrera will be a healthy Diversion to keep him out of the Bars..." I perceived an appeal for Compassion from her revelation about Chuyin. The Fact that She loved and Trusted Chuyin implicitly influenced my approval... In reality, What other Candidate did I have???

 

I braced myself for the next revelation... Continuing, My Co-Driver says, "My Cousin Cesarin is a Motorcycle Mechanic... He can repair the Racing Car... He is Tuff and Brave like his Father Cesar... He will Fight to Defend us if needed..." What was my Co-Driver thinking??? Did she fear we may have our own encounter with the Cartel??? "Also, he has some Truck Driving experience..." Finally a genuinely Helpful Skill to assist! "Like Chuyin", she continued. "I Trust him with my Life and I an sure they will do 'Right' by us..." Okay... Bless God!... I consented... We have a Support Team...

 

Sorry!!! I just caught a "Typo" I made... 1,200 Miles to Vera Cruz... NOT 12,000... Ooops!

 

The Carrera Scrutineering Team checking out the "T" to assure it is Safe to Race. Only a "Glitch" the the Emergency Kill Switch... Otherwise the Jalopy sailed right thru...

 

Above was our Tow Vehicle and Support Trailer. This is how we travelled daily... This particular night we were Camping in the Town Square of Allende Mexico. The Christian markings on the Trailer opened many Doors for us on our Journey.

For those of you that have never travelled thru Mexico by Automobile, Military Check-Points are a common encounter. To Combat Cartel Violence, the Check-Points are deemed necessary. Well Armed Soldiers will encircle your Vehicle at the Stop, order you out and Search the Vehicle, Trailer and ALL... Not at all like the Freedom we enjoy in the United States! Thankfully, we were always compliant and the Soldiers treated us with Courtesy and Respect. Upon realizing we were Carrera Participants, the Soldiers treated us as if we were Foreign Dignitaries! The Mexican People view the Carrera Racers as HEROS! It is similar to a National Holiday as the Carrera passes thru. Pueblos will close up Businesses and Schools to afford everyone opportunity to see the Race! It was like an outpouring of LOVE each night from the Mexican Peoples at the Victory Fiestas!

 

By all appearances the Tropical Storms we drove thru on the way to Vera Cruz had subsided... But, driving the Oceanfront Street near the Carrera Host Hotel the Ocean Waves were still very turbulent... Waves Crashed up over the Barrier Wall, over the Street and Over Washed our Truck and Trailer with Ocean Water. Safety Precautions required the Racing Vehicles to be Off-Loaded at the Convention Center as a Storm Shelter.

Upon Passing scrutineering, the Official Carrera Entry Numbers were then applied...

 

Above - Appling the Official Racing Number! Number # 451.

The numbers themselves are "Encoded" to identify the "Class" your Car is competing in... The "T" Roadster was an Oddball... It didn't fit into any of the predefined Classes... The first number "4" indicates it is an "Exhibition" Car.

This was a GOLDEN MOMENT for me! A Powerful Sense of Victory and Accomplishment that a Five + Year Labor of Love was finally becoming a REALITY! Chuyin and Cesarin and I were Celebrating! Shaking Hands, High-Fiving one Another, Laughing Together and Drinking in this instance of JOY!

ALL WOULD BE SHATTERED momentarily in a bit of DRAMA...

 

The Number Stickers were on and the Graphics Guys were finishing up and gathering their tools... In great Satisfaction I was admiring the newly Christened Jalopy and the Genuine "Real McCoy" Racing Numbers... This was really happening for me! I Thought...It was then that I saw one of the Techs pull wires out from under the Jalopy's Dash and begin clipping them! Horrified! I thought my "T" was being VANDALIZED RIGHT UNDER MY NOSE!
Angrily, I reached across the Safety Tape and Grabbed the Guy by the Shoulder... Spinning the man around I demanded "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?! The Hombre's Eyes Wide and Frightened, he had no English speaking ability to answer me! Chuyin and Cesarin were at each of my Shoulders and Tense in Readiness to POUND this Guy!

A Supervisor was at hand to Instantly Intervene... Striding forward with his hands raised in a "Stop" gesture and speaking English in soothing tones he said, "It's Okay... It's Okay... What is wrong my Friend???" The Man's peaceful manner of addressing me calmed my Flash of Fury...

The Supervisor proceeded to explain that a "Transponder Unit" had to be installed in the Flivver... "Weren't you told?" "No!" I spat back... "Nothing has been said to me about additional equipment being added..." He went on to explain that in the Steep Mountain Routes there were still many places WITHOUT GUARDRAILS. Should a Racer have the misfortune of loosing control at one of those places they would plunge of into open air into a Deep Canyon and potentially be LOST FOR DAYS... The Transponder unit emits a Trackable "Ping" that aids Rescue Crews in finding the Wreckage...

(As I understand it, This coupled with a Gasoline Fire is what took Carlos Gordoa's Life...) I backed off trembling and allowed the Techs to complete their Install...