Want to drive fast? Want to race on regular roads? Come to La Carrera!

To those who know it, ‘La Carrera Panamericana,’ is a phrase that conjures up visions of classic car racing, road rallying, old school muscle cars, dusty Mexican roads, and driving flat out.

In October, I was fortunate enough to travel to Mexico with English Motor Works to compete in the famous road rally, La Carrera Panamericana. This event began in 1950 when the Mexican president at the time, Miguel Aleman Valdes, was inspired to celebrate the construction of the Mexican highway system. He was keen to attract the world to his new and improved country. Major manufacturers and famous drivers from Formula 1, NASCAR, and other forms of racing came together to run the event. Teams like Mercedes, Ferrari, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Lincoln, Cadillac, and Chevrolet all competed – the event even gave Porsche the name for their legendary 911 ‘Carrera.’ However, by 1955, La Carrera had taken the lives of 27 people, and subsequently the race was cancelled.



Then, in 1988, the event was restarted by organizer Eduardo Leon as a vintage rally. It is similar to the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio – only longer, harder, and less civilized. Today La Carrera Panamericana is a 7 day, 2,000 mile endurance race – mainly for cars originally built in the 1950’s and 60’s. It starts by winding through the mountains of southern Mexico from Tuxtla Gutierrez (Chiapas) near the border with Guatemala, and finishes north of Mexico City in the town of Zacatecas. The top teams are still professional race crews with semi-pro or retired pro rally drivers. Then there’s a mixture of seasoned vintage racers and normal guys (aka petrol-heads) driving for fun. People still come from all over the world. There are 10 classes consisting of 115 teams from 13 countries. The classes consist of: Turismo Production, Turismo Mayor, Sports Menor, Sports Major, Historic C, Historic B, Historic A, Historic A+, Original Panamericana, and Exhibition. There is still a great mix of big American muscle cars and classic European sports cars. The most popular and successful setup is the low slung and aerodynamic Studebaker equipped with NASCAR equipment and putting out 500hp. English Motor Works was entered in the competitive Historic C class with a freshly prepared 1965 Ford Falcon.

English Motor Works is a private historic racing team based near San Francisco, USA. We race vintage Lotuses and Porsches, and we perform classic car restorations. The main events we participate in are the Sonoma Historics at Infineon Raceway and the Monterey Motorsports Reunion at the famous Laguna Seca. The team is owned and run by long time car enthusiasts and racers, Jim and Steve Lawrence. I have been working with the team with shop skills, race support, and event management for over three years now. After road racing for many years, Jim and Steve became inspired to try rallying, and what better event to try than La Carrera Panamericana. I immediately jumped on board and began helping with the project. We acquired a suitable Ford Falcon, and began preparing it over the summer. The race management had rightly adopted many of the FIA rules for racing and safety, so there was work to be done. We also had to try to safeguard the car from the dangers of the infamous ‘topes’ that are a feature of this race. No, they’re not the drug-running gangsters but the ‘speed-bumps’ designed to try to make Mexcian drivers obey the speed limits! Full-on racing for seven days takes its toll on any car, and we were determined to ensure that we would be there for the chequered flag. We worked hard to prep the car for its ordeal. We redid the engine, suspension, fuel system, oil system, and safety equipment. At the conclusion of our summer racing, we had finished preparing the Falcon and she was ready to be taken to Mexico (that in itself meant a 4,000 mile trip by trailer, but luckily we ‘outsourced’ that part).

Competing in La Carrera was a life changing experience. The rally is made up of a series of unlimited speed sections and transit sections. The speed sections are on closed roads, the transit sections are on regular roads with normal, everyday traffic, which includes donkeys and carts. In La Carrera, fear is really the only speed restriction, and it is therefore a one-of-a-kind, unique, and dangerous challenge that must be treated with respect. La Carrera is extremely tiring – each day involves a full schedule of activities. Beyond the thrills of the daily driving and car service, there are interesting evening festivities in picturesque towns. The Mexican people are extremely passionate about the event, and make each competitor feel welcome. It was wonderful arriving in a town, and being met by many enthusiastic fans who are eager to take pictures with you and receive autographs. I felt honored to compete in this rally, putting my name alongside names such as Moss, Fitch, Fangio, Ascari, Hermann, Hill, Gurney, Unser, and others. We completed every single speed and transit section, and brought the car home 54th overall and 15th in Historic C. This was a great performance for our first time at La Carrera, and a great tribute to our thorough preparation and the wonderful Ford Falcon. The ‘old lady’ did us proud, despite losing reverse gear and burning through some spark plugs and a couple of alternators! We achieved our objective, and we were delighted to be one of the teams to actually cross the archway in Zacatecas and complete the race. The race winner was the Finnish WRC driver, Harri Rovanpera – and yes, he was driving a Studebaker.

Overall the entire team had an incredible experience in Mexico. We all learned how we can improve, and hope to compete again soon – maybe even in a Studebaker! Visit www.gocarrera.com to review the story, learn more about the event, browse pictures, and comment on the blog. May the spirit of La Carrera be with you!