La Carrera Panamericana is now: Classic Cars forum: Classic Motorsports

Forums » Classic Cars » La Carrera Panamericana is now

Oct. 22, 2009 3:40 p.m. VClassics Reader

Mechanico Steve Berry has some updates and good pics from Mexico posted on the Apple Farmer Racing site:

Steve's blog

Today is tech inspection and qualifying. The race starts tomorrow.
Oct. 22, 2009 4:15 p.m. aeronca65t HalfDork

Very, very cool.

To see the unique combination of cars that run this event, ~Click Here~

It can be hard on the cars, though......
Oct. 22, 2009 6:36 p.m. VClassics Reader

It can be plenty hard on cars. One of the original PanAm class Oldsmobiles wrecked in qualifying, one Jag E-type and one Porsche 911 damaged before even qualifying...

This just in from Gary Faules' blog:

"Like I said earlier, there were still lots of cars left yet to qualify but on a high note it appeared the #290 Volvo of Team Apple Farmer was kicking some butt and taking notes. They had even passed one of the cars from a much faster class. They could be a force to be reckoned with this year in the Historic A Plus class and if having a good attitude has anything to do with it their off to one hell of a start."

(I built the car...)
Oct. 23, 2009 11:43 a.m. VClassics Reader

Qualifying unofficial results, according to Gary Faules:

77 cars qualified out of a field of 102. There have been five wrecks so far, with two people in the hospital. Top qualifier was Doug Mockett in the Oldsmobile featured in the CMS November issue's hill climb article. The Apple Farmer Volvo came in 11th overall and first in the Historico A+ class.

This determines starting order, but is otherwise meaningless. There are still 2000 miles to go...
Oct. 23, 2009 11:46 a.m. DeadSkunk New Reader

I loooove Studebakers.Unfortunately, at this point I only have a book and a hat for them.
Oct. 25, 2009 11:01 a.m. VClassics Reader

Updates:

Friday's Huatulco to Oaxaca run did not go well for the Apple Farmers. Someone didn't lock down a valve adjuster, which backed off and had them running on three cylinders most of the day. This also caused some collateral problems, so they couldn't simply adjust it and get back to full power in the time available. They the day finished 3rd or 4th in class and 30th overall.

Saturday was Oaxaca to Mexico City, and they got it all back, ending the day 1st in class and 17th overall of 77 cars still in the running. At one point, they were clocked at 197 km/hr (122+ MPH) - pretty good for a naturally-aspirated pushrod 4-cylinder at 7000-8000 feet elevation

Today is Mexico City to Queratero, still all high altitude stuff. It's raining...
Oct. 25, 2009 7:28 p.m. VClassics Reader

Apple Farmer team is in Queretaro (to spell it correctly) and feel they had an excellent day. No official results yet, but they think they've held onto first in class.

Steve Berry has a bit of in-car video posted HERE, if you scroll down the page a bit. No audio, but you'll get the idea...

Doug Mockett blew the engine in his Olds the first day, but seems to have had a spare on hand and is back in the fray. No idea of where they are placed.

San Luis Potosi tomorrow (Monday)...
Oct. 27, 2009 11:05 a.m. VClassics Reader

Day Four seems to have gone very well for the Apple Farmers, but there are so many problems with the timing system (new this year) that no one knows what the standings really are. Times are being awarded to the wrong cars, crashed cars are shown running fast, teams listed in the wrong classes, etc.

Here are two in-car videos:

Qualifying run

A speed stage

Today is San Luis Potosi to Guadalajara...
Oct. 28, 2009 12:00 p.m. VClassics Reader

Apple Farmers ran very strongly all of Day Five. There's a report this morning that they're first in class, but I don't know how valid that is given the scoring problems.

Here's some video from Day Five:

First speed stage

The evening's festivities were held at the Cuervo estate in (where else?) Tequila, some distance beyond Guadalajara. After that, they had to change a leaking axle seal -- big job, late night.

This morning they're going north to Zacatecas, and tomorrow is the very long, very fast last leg to Nuevo Laredo.
Oct. 28, 2009 3:06 p.m. kreb Dork

What's up with all the Studebaker love? I like 'em as much as the next guy, but is there some historical significance or something?
Oct. 28, 2009 5:02 p.m. VClassics Reader

kreb wrote: What's up with all the Studebaker love? I like 'em as much as the next guy, but is there some historical significance or something?

Studes probably ran in the original PanAm in the early '50s, but I'm not aware that they were dominant. I think it's just that they are relatively small, light, aerodynamic, and make a nice platform for something that's very close to a NASCAR engine. In the revived PanAm, they are the ones to beat in the top class.
Oct. 29, 2009 8:51 a.m. kreb Dork

how do they get away with the monster motors? Are they true vintage cars or restomods?
Oct. 29, 2009 9:50 a.m. VClassics Reader

kreb wrote: how do they get away with the monster motors? Are they true vintage cars or restomods?

Depends on the class, and there are ten of them. In Original PanAm are cars that ran in the 1950-1954 events (the actual cars, not recreations), and those are just like they were back then except for modern safety equipment and tires. On the other end is Turismo Mayor, where just about any mods are allowed except that the engines must be naturally-aspirated, not injected, and are limited to (I think) 366 cubic inches. Some of the Studes in that class are tube framed.

The Apple Farmer Volvo is in Historico A+, which is the higher of two four-cylinder classes. We're allowed more engine mods than most vintage associations would permit, brakes, suspension, exhaust are all free. We have to have the same number of carbs as the production model, but Webers or similar in place of SUs are specifically allowed.

I'll post yesterday's results once I get a better grip on them.
Oct. 29, 2009 11:07 a.m. VClassics Reader

Okay, we're down to a cliff-hanger finish in Historico A+. At the end of Day Six, the Apple Farmers -- driver Richard Bailey and navigator Nate Wilson -- are 1st in class and 16th overall. 2nd in class and 19th overall is a Berkely-based Alfa Giulia Super, 3rd and 22nd is Jo Ramirez in the Telmex-sponsored Volvo 1800 (Google him).

The Alfa had mechanical problems the first three days, but has been consistently a bit faster than us for the past three. They are four minutes and two seconds behind us overall. They might or might not overcome that. Ramirez is too far back to be a contender unless we break something.

Right now, the car has over five hours of cumulative speed stages on it, and perhaps 1500 miles of fast transit stages. These are driven in traffic, but everyone goes like hell on them -- competitors are de facto exempt from speed limits, and the sooner you get to the next starting gate, the more time you have to service the car, and the more sleep you get.

Today is the longest and fastest stage. It starts out in Zacatecas, which is smack on the continental divide (gotta be 7000' elevation), and ends at Nuevo Laredo, which is almost sea level. The later speed stages are all straight highways where the drivers don't lift for miles at a time. Put the sea level jets back in the Webers, guys...

Does the Alfa have more top end than we do? And if so, enough more to make up four minutes and three seconds? Did I build the engine tough enough? Is there a herd of wild burros around the next blind turn?

Auuugh...
Oct. 30, 2009 3:41 p.m. VClassics Reader

Apple Farmers take first in Historico A+ class and 16th overall. That's ahead of the 2nd and 3rd place cars in Historico C, which are 5-liter V8s (that class was won by Pepsico CEO Bill Shanahan in a Falcon). The worrisome Alfa stayed second in A+ and 19th overall. Times have not been posted yet, so I don't know if he was gaining or losing on us at the end.

Overall winner was many time rally champ Stig Blomqvist in a Studebaker.