The Carrera Panamericana "Mexico" road race (as it was originally officially called), also known as the Carrera Mexicana, was held in its original form five times from 1950 to 1954. It can be compared to the Mille Miglia or Targa Florio in Italy, but it was even more strenuous and, above all, more dangerous. It was also part of the sports car world championship at the time. Due to too many fatal accidents, the car race was held for the last time in 1954 and then discontinued. All five races were documented in detail on Zwischengas .
In 1988, the event was resumed as a rally for classic cars and is still held annually today, attracting participants from all corners of the world. So do our guest authors of this article, Marco Brunner from Zurich and Andy Trümpler. They took part in the last Panamericana in 2016, which started in Querétaro on October 13 and ended in Durango on October 20.
A Swiss trio with a wild horse in Mexico
Marco Brunner was the initiator of the idea to take part in the Carrera Panamericana. However, he already had the idea in 2010 during a beer-filled round with colleagues. He wanted to get down to business, attended an information event near Frankfurt, completed the ACS license course in Hockenheim shortly afterwards and then bought the license. However, it was not quite so easy to get everything in place for 2011. The adventure had to be postponed.
But in 2012 the time had come: premiere at the Carrera Panamericana! That year, Marco Brunner was able to gain his first experience and also learn that you can repair a totally damaged car overnight and get it back on the track. He drove together with an "old hand" and a borrowed Ford Falcon on the youngster's drive. That year was a bit chaotic, but just right to be able to do better in any repeats.
It was only in 2013 that the original idea could be realized: to take part in the Panamericana with his own car, namely a red 1965 Ford Mustang, which he had specially built by "Eggimann Cars". In 2014 and 2016, Marco Brunner competed with co-driver and cousin Andy Trümpler, who quickly developed from a greenhorn to an intrepid and reliable navigator.
All set for Mexico - October 2, 2016
The tension is mounting and the countdown is on: The preparations are complete, the wild horse has long been on its way to Houston. Will the car survive the journey?
Marco will follow the Mustang to Houston on October 6, while his cousin Andy will fly directly to Querétaro on October 10, where the Carrera Panamericana will also start.
Oh yes, a photographer will also have to come along, of course, to capture the great moments professionally! Colleague Thomas Zwyssig will be accompanying the team from Switzerland throughout the Panamericana.
There's not much the two participants can do now except print out the road book and put it under their pillows.
Landed and stranded - October 7, 2016
Flight to Houston: check. The mare has also arrived safely and is standing at attention: check. But where is the luggage? Marco Brunner searches in vain for his luggage from the flight to Houston. We can't wait, so we buy four T-shirts, four pairs of underpants and four pairs of socks (for a total of US$18!) and head for Laredo (Texas). From there, the plan is to cross the border into Mexico the next day.
On the way, Marco Brunner was already able to take a valuable tip to heart: If the coolant starts to run out of the radiator in torrents, a banana stuck in it will plug the leak. That way you can drive a few kilometers longer before you have to top up the water again.
With the Chiquita Express to Querétaro - October 10, 2016
And so more and more participants found themselves on the road, all with the destination Querétaro. Over time, a real convoy formed, which was soon nicknamed the "Chiquita Express" due to the banana scent in the air.
Ready for the big ride! - October 11, 2016
After Marco's clothes had finally arrived in Mexico from Houston, the trip to Querétaro airport was doubly worthwhile. Andy arrived there straight away. With the crew now complete, it was off to the race center in the Autódromo of Querétaro for the official acceptance tests: Piloto and Co-Piloto registered, medical check, security check, Mexican racing license issued and then the mare was thoroughly examined, weighed and checked for air filter and radiator. Fit as a mustang, the 51-year-old racing mare presented herself... Ready for the big ride!
On the following day, October 12th, Querétaro really becomes the scene of the spectacle, TV crews everywhere asking the same questions, a hectic pace here and there, lots of machanics still tinkering around. Marco's service manager Juan organizes a replacement engine for his friends Axel and Jürgen, which is to be installed overnight. Marco's Mustang gets a final wellness treatment in the form of a carburetor overhaul.
Best time in qualifying - October 13, 2016
October 13 marks the official start of the 2016 Carrera Panamericana and qualifying is on the agenda. Afterwards, Marco and Andy know that the conditions are right for them to be among the front runners in the race: best qualifying time. That was the good part of the day...
On the way back, they overtake a truck that suddenly swerves. Andy, at the wheel, swerves under full brake, the emergency reaction ends in a stony meadow. The mare is at least able to eat some grass in the meadow before being pulled back onto the road an hour later with a rumble. The damage is limited, the start can come.
Querétaro to Puebla - October 14, 2016
The first day went well. All but one of the special stages were completed as fastest in class: First trophy secured!
But there was also an incident today. After flying off into the grass yesterday, there was a brief exchange of blows with a competitor today. He touched the rear during an overtaking maneuver in a tight bend.
Otherwise there was a mad rush on arrival in Puebla, Marco and Andy must have signed 100 autographs and posed for photos. Incidentally, Puebla is a former royal city with wonderful colonial houses and ancient trees in the old town.
Transfer routes and special stages mostly under full load
On average, the two of them covered a good 500 km per day, of which around 100 km were special stages, the rest were mostly long transfer routes. You were not allowed to make any navigational errors on these, so always follow the road book. In order to avoid severe penalties, the transfer routes also had to be driven in a sporty manner, as the arrival times were always precisely specified.
The special stages were often in quick succession (with very short transfer routes) or the routes were driven once in each direction. In contrast to the transfer sections, the special stages had no tops (speed) and were between 6 and 35 km long. These were driven at full throttle, with the Mustang often racing towards the finish line at 200 km/h. As the start was every half minute, there were also tricky overtaking maneuvers on longer stages.
The ride into the capital - October 15, 2016
On this day, the route from Puebla to the capital Mexico City was tackled. The atmosphere at the finish line was truly overwhelming. It was like being transported back in time, as the impressions gained were certainly similar to those when the king of the time rode on horseback to his palace in the city center and the population lined the street a kilometer before the Zocalo, the central square. On the Zocalo, he could only make his way through the crowd with the help of his bodyguard. Everyone wanted to take his picture, stroke his horse and shake his hand. As he was a popular king, he got off his horse and talked to the people about their worries and joys, but mostly about horses and their beauty and strength. To understand how Marco and Andy felt that day, all you have to do is replace the king with the two participants...
Although the mare bucked a few times during the 120 kilometers of racing, another trophy with a 1 on it could be won. All in all, a really good day!
Via "Toppes" and "Combres" to Morelia - October 16-17, 2016
From Mexico City, the route led to Toluca and the next day to Morelia. Marco and Andy were still going very well, a well-rehearsed team. Even unexpected and unsignposted "toppes" (so-called speed bumpers made of asphalt) couldn't get them out of the flow. In terms of the route, these days were among the highlights, riding through the "Mil Cumbres" (1000 mountains) with the jungle-like overgrown and completely confusing mountains is challenging but also overwhelmingly beautiful.
Full of bends to Guanajuato - October 18, 2016
The road book already announced it: there will be a lot of bends in quick succession today!
In addition to the bends, we had a normal breakfast for the first time since the start, i.e. no coffee brew from the Oxxo (Mexican 24-hour store) and muesli bars. Accordingly, the two of them were in a good mood, invigorated and ready for the ride in the 1000 mountains.
With blue lights to Zacatecas - October 19, 2016
The second last day of the race involved a longer transfer route, with Andy taking the wheel and Marco copiloting. In the evening, Marco confessed somewhat shamefully: "Unfortunately, I'm a bit out of practice at this, as the co-driver not only has to make sure that we always stay on the right track, no, he also has to notice when we should refuel and whether the announced stage times are being adhered to. For the first time today, we almost ran dry because no filling station appeared for more than 100 km, and then we obviously drove too slowly and couldn't keep to the prescribed time by a whole 9 minutes. And this despite the fact that a fun-loving police patrol pulled us through the heavy traffic with flashing blue lights and wailing horns. That was great fun!"
Despite the penalty seconds, they also won their trophy that day. The title defense was now within reach.
Last day - Zacatecas - Durango - October 20, 2016
The last day of the Carrera was the longest and, with a total of 700 km of transfers and special stages, also the toughest. So we galloped with our mare, grumbling contentedly in the cool morning air, 315 km towards the first special stages. Then we started the first section, also known as the "Devil's Backbone". The Mustang was put under a lot of strain and was therefore constantly looked after by the fantastic team of mechanics and checked between the stages.
Victory in the "Historica C" class
Finally, Marco Brunner told an anecdote about a really dicey situation. After the rally, he was driving alone through the desert to Corpus Christi when he suddenly noticed that the fuel needle was jumping around to zero. This moment gave him exciting palpitations, anyone who stopped here in the middle of the desert would not only have to fight against the heat but probably also have to deal with scoundrels... Fortunately, there was this goatherd waiting at the side of the road. Fortunately, he knew the way to a small village with a petrol station in the middle of nowhere. Well done again!
And what remains at the end?
The memories of the unique and crazy atmosphere among the participants will never be forgotten. The enthusiasm of the local people, the extremely friendly and hard-working Mexican mechanics, the beautiful colonial cities of Mexico, the many different landscapes and, last but not least, the fun and extremely good mood in the cockpit will leave a lasting impression.
The original online diary can be found at lacarrerapanamericana2016.wordpress.com
