La Carrera Panamerica

The La Carrera Panamericana is a "Once in a lifetime" experience that I've done twice. As a participant many of us came back with the opinion that it was a life changing event. We were treated with the warmest regard by the Mexican people as we drove the backbone of the country. This isn't a resort tour guide, but a run up the middle of Mexico on a road designed to bring commerce and industry to that country.

The race's heritage starts 50 years ago when Mexico opened its leg of the Panamerican Highway system. To celebrate the completion of that roadway, the La Carrera was initiated. Initially it was no race for the timid and even today is an event like no other in road racing.

Somehow Pink Floyd's instrumental background music seems just right for the way the video is edited. I think if I could have chosen to have a video crew along with me, I would have been pleased with the excellent footage that PF's film team captured. I don't know what music I would have chosen (not being a musician), but this video works.

The race covers about 3000 kilometers of Mexican Two-Lane from near the border of Guatamala to the US border. It takes seven days of hard driving and seven nights of hard partying. Of the 120 cars that started in 1991, we were one of the 80 that finished. Our ride was a 1954 XK 140 Jaguar Coupe. We finished about 40th overall and 10th in class - not bad for our first road rally. Our best finish was in 1994 when we finished 24th overall and 4th in class.

The highest attrition rates are on the first and last days of the race. The first day brings many of the cars in as crash victims due to the huge adrenelin release at the start. The last day has many cars towed to the finish because of wear and tear. If you've read magazine articles about La Carrera or have any history books on the subject, this one hour video will help complete your understanding of the event. If you are thinking of making a "Run For The Border" this video will give you a good idea of what you might expect during the event.

Happy Trails, Tom Veale oldcat@execpc.com