Doug's News

Electricity and a Refrigerator Come to a Mexican Village.

Every year that the Carrera Panamericana starts in Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital of the southernmost, and poorest, Mexican state of Chiapas, we have always helped Prof. Jorge Morales Ramos, a good guy who runs a charity named "Enviame a Mi" ("Save Me"), dedicated to the "Education, Food, Health and Housing" of the poor of Chiapas. So last month when we arrived there was Prof. Ramos - with his big smile and with a special request - would we donate a refrigerator to Enviame a Mi?

Of course we would. He went on to explain how a village they serve had just received electricity. The refrigerator would be a huge hit for a village that never had one. I guess when we are used to virtually every convenience, this concept is a shock. A small donation that has made a big difference. The pictures explain better than any words.
 

	Our own Oscar Carrillo loading the refrigerator in Tuxla.
The road to the village   a 2-hour drive over a mountain range to a far valley
	Oscar fell off the truck! Deep into the mud!
Unloading the refrigerator.
	Happy kids with the village’s first refrigerator

2008 Carrera Panamericana

High-speed left-hand corner somewhere in Mexico – note left front wheel.

In Nuevo Laredo with 3rd place trophy.

Our annual high speed joyride, 2300 miles from southern to northern Mexico in 7 days, was, again, an adventure with more than a few highlights. Of 108 entries we qualified 7th and finished 3rd overall and 2nd in the Turismo Mayor class for big stock cars. But that hardly tells the story -

•We were 2nd (by 1 second) in what I call the "Running-of-the-Bulls" speed section along a freeway in downtown Mexico City. 4 1/2 miles with 4 miles of terrifying straightaway and a few top speed curves at the end. And no guardrail to the right and a million spectators. We hit 175mph and averaged about 160 for the run. And did it in 1:44. Whew! Glad that's over for another year ...

• 125mph down a straightaway outside Zacatecas and shadows under a tree. Only the shadows started moving. Then the shadows turned out to be black bulls, sauntering across OUR road. Yes, the brakes worked. Very well, thank you.

• Troubles: Handling problems, tire problems, and the worst was a slipping clutch that had to be gently massaged the last 400 miles of the last day. But we made it! 3rd was a good result considering.

• Triumph: this amateur crew of Angelica Fuentes and myself beating 1984 World Rally Champ Stig Blomquist. At every service stop Stig had a crew of 10 changing the whole car set-up. Oscar and Phil maybe bled the brakes, maybe changed tires, but mainly sipped good British tea.
 

Angelica with her posse.

2008 Pikes Peak Hill Climb - Vintage Class Winners!

The concept is simple, the execution is not so simple.
Just race to the top of Pikes Peak, to the summit at 14,110 feet. At the fastest speed possible. Mind the corners! And mind the drop offs! No room for wusses. Not for tea cuppers.
Now the challenge: race on everyday pavement for two miles, then on dirt for three, then on pavement for another three, then on dirt for the final four miles. Throw in 156 turns from mild to the worst hairpins ever. Needless to say, there are some dramatic dropoffs; in fact, best not to look. Then sprinkle in the final blow – a 4800 foot vertical climb from an already thin 9300 feet to a rarified 14,110 feet.
July 20, 2008 was the 86th running of this classic, the second oldest motor race in the USA. And here were we, Angelica Fuentes, pro navigator, and Doug, very amateur driver. Maybe Angelica, pro navigator, and Doug, aka Walter Mitty? And the 500+hp La Carrera Oldsmobile.
We qualified third in the Vintage class. And at the start blasted off and started up the “hill”. Long story short, Angelica called the perfect stage, never missed a corner, never missed a braking point (good thing, too), and depending on how you look at it, the run was either the longest 14 minutes, 26 seconds ever, or was over in an instant. All I know is it took forever and it took a nanosecond. I was drenched with sweat. But we were both elated that we completed this classic run and did a darn good job of it. A most satisfying run.
14:26 was good enough to win our Vintage Class. It was a “good” time, but nowhere near the time of the Pikes Peak Hill Climb hero, Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima, driving a very special 1000+ hp turbocharged four wheel drive Suzuki. He set the world record last year of 10:01, but this year did ”only” a 10:18. “Only …”
We all stay at the top until each of the 200+ entries makes his run, then all convoy down together. Slowly – spectators were coming to the edge of the road and “high-fiving”. I must have “high-fived” thousands of people on the 12 miles down. First left and I “high-fived”, then right and Angie did the same. All enthusiastic and all pleased to have seen our runs up the hill. Going up may have taken 14:26, going down took an hour. The best hour of decades of motor racing, honestly. It was so charming, so rewarding and so gratifying for all of us – spectators and competitors alike -- it was very special. …
Demanding, challenging, daunting, dangerous, rewarding, and even more adjectives. Believe me, I asked myself more than once, “what the hell are we doing here?” Still not sure, but sure glad we did it …what a thrill and what a feeling of accomplishment.
At the tourist shop at the summit it was a pleasure to fork over $ 2.99 -- Angelica now has a new bumper sticker for her car that says, “Real Women Don’t Need Guardrails”. Not on July 20, 2008, anyway.

2007 La Carrera Panamericana Road Race