Lucky's Been Noninated For Two Awards!

Rebirth of a Legend
the feature documentary about the Mexican Road Rally La Carrera Panamericana
has been nominated for two awards at the 2010 Action on Film Festival in Los Angeles July 23-30.


___________________________________________


The one hour program is nominated for Best Sports Documentary and also a technical achievement award for Best Cinematography - Documentary.
These are the first award nominations for Rebirth of a Legend and the screening is a Southern California premiere. If you are unable to attend the screening at the Action on Film Festival in Los Angeles, the program is also available on DVD or Blu-ray at Strange Media. Check the AOF website for presentation times.

Program Synopsis:
Taking place from 1950 to 1954, La Carrera Panamericana is considered by contemporaries as the most dangerous car race in history. This documentary chronicles the near 3 year journey of California's Best Racing Team leading up to and competing in the modern day incarnation. A behind the scenes look at the preparation and commitment of a race team competing in the 2007 road rally. A compelling cinderella story about the men and women behind the wheel and underneath the hood. The program also journeys through a historical look at the race as we hear first hand from some of the legends of the original La Carrera.


Running TIme:
1:02:48


For More Information:
Steffan Schulz
email - schulz@strangemedia.com
o - 925-229-0290




© 2009 Strange Media
www.strangemedia.com






=

Sometimes It's Good Not Knowing What We Missed

This is one of my favorite photos of the 2007 La Carrera Panamericana. It was taken by Johnny Tipler at the start of a speed stage on Mil Cumbre, a day I will long remember especially sice we won that stage. Yesterday I was telling Johnny besides loving the photo and what it means to me another thing I find interesting is that in the movie, La Carrera Panamericana - Rebirth Of A Legend, there is a scene where you can actually see Johnny shooting this exact photo which is easy to pick out because of the large dead tree in the background.

This is Johnny's reply...

"Yes that was pretty amazing. Around that time, not only did a flock of sheep wander across the road, but a timber truck lumbered out of the forest and came up the hill just ahead of where you are in the pic, he figured out something abnormal was going on and thankfully pulled on to the grass at the side!"

WOW! I sure am glad I didn't know all that. I have no doubt that had I known it would have created some sort of hesitation in the corners to come... "Are there any more trucks. Did they get the road closed properly. How many damn sheep are in these mountains? I wonder how much damage a sheep will cause to my suspension if I don't lift?" The bottom line is just keep your foot to the floor and don't lift.

Sure enough Johnny sent the photos to prove it. LOL. Thanks Johnny. You're the best!

Reminicing Memories and Momentos

Five days after Bob signed this my son Will and I were in Oaxaca at the far end of Mexico taking the car out of the trailer and the first team in line for registration and tech inspection.

Winning Mil Cumbres

For many years the Mil Cumbres stage of the world famous La Carrera Panamericana has been reveled as the most dangerous stage of the entire race and and in the process has claimed not only many cars but tragically it has taken many lives as well; So many in fact that after Gary Faules and Jon Emerson won that stage during the 2007 LCP it has since been removed from the event. DO NOT let the sound on this video fool you since it is only being heard through the mic on Jon and Gary's helmets, these guys are seriously hauling the mail. Gary and Jon show how a good working relationship between driver and navigator are paramount thus giving each other the confidence each other can feed off of.

For the record, when Jon loses his place in the log book for a second or two I had to laugh and when all was said and done this was the only time during the entire race that it happened and he was flawless. Since the LCP Studebaker's are known for being built on tube frame chassis with Nascar Winston Cup engines that are capable of doing 200 miles per hour it was exceptionally rewarding to pass one even if it was between him and a donkey.

CLICK HERE FOR LARGER SCREEN

Gary Faules & Jon Emerson Winning Mil Cumbre Stage Of LCP from Gary on Vimeo.

A Hero's Welcome In Tehuacan

The greeting that La Carrera Panamericana participants are given as they enter every single little village or major city in Mexico is simply overwhelming and there can not be enough said to thank the citizens of Mexico for their awesome hospitality and generosity.

Here are some short segments as we enter the beautiful city of Tehuacan Mexico.

Lucky Memories

Caught Red Handed In The Act

Some times it just doesn't pay to be a bad boy. I had quite a laugh this evening when a reader posted a comment about the La Carrera Panamericana photo gallery found on radio station XHNOE-FM STEREO 9 which is he Official Radio Station for La Carrera Panamericana and has been since the late 80's. You can view some great shots at the finish arch in Nuevo Larado going back as far as 2002 by CLICKING HERE.

There is also a very complete gallery from 2009 by CLICKING HERE.

I was excited to see there was a gallery from 2007 so I clicked on it and sure enough there was a photo of Jon and I receiving our medals from the awards girls. But when I clicked to enlarge the photo you could see me poking the gal in the belly button with my finger. LOL

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE

One Man's Loss... Another's Gain

And I mean this with the utmost respect but sometimes one man's destiny can have either an adverse or a positive effect on another man's destiny. So with that in mind read along as I explain myself....


Without a doubt the most exciting recollections I have of the entire 2007 La Carerra Panamericana was the day Jon and I won what is and always has been the undisputed most dangerous stage of the entire race... Mil Cumbres. Not only did we win that stage but even after being told by veterans that because it was so challenging and dangerous we should not expect to pass any cars unless they crashed. But not only did we dominate that stage of the race but in fact we passed two very fast cars.

It was while coming into a very fast corner that Lucky's tail end swung out as far as it could go and removed one of those white cement bumpers that line much of Mexico's highways. To our left was a cliff with no guard rail and thousands of feet down and to our right was a solid rock wall. Due to the angle we were sliding and the speed it was obvious that if I lifted we would have most certainly bounced off the rock wall and gone over the cliff.

Lucky's Mil Cumbre battle scar worn with honor


Jon hung on and I stepped on the loud pedal as hard as I could. A soon as the tail end began to come back to me we heard the WHAM as Lucky's right rear quarter slammed the cement marker but in a split second the horsepower really paid off as the car straightened out. Without skipping a beat Jon says, "Nice save. Ok, Right 1." I'm here to tell you THAT was exciting!


As if it were only yesterday I remember every detail of that adrenaline rush stage and all that took place. With that in mind you can only imagine how excited I was tonight when I stumbled upon a friend's site which I have never before, seen only to find a photo he had taken of Jon and I in Lucky passing a Studebaker from a much faster class right in the middle of Mil Cumbre! What a treasure this is for us and had it not been for Terry's misfortune more than likely they would not have had time to shoot this awesome shot. HOW DAMN COOL IS THAT!!!


CLICK HERE and enjoy a fantastic site about Terry Sayther's #401 BMW that has to be the most beautiful car that I have personally seen running in LCP. WARNING... There is a LOT to see and read including some great photos and videos about Terry's adventures during three years of LCP in this car but sadly it suffered a terrible crash during 2007. I was so focused and busy with the entire race and even though I was around this car both before and after it's wreck I never knew one of my friends, Bill Arnold, was the co-piloto until I returned back to California. The sad remains were parked next to us at a service stop that evening and once again served those skeptics with a reminder by proving LCP is indeed a race and NOT just another rally.

Before


After

A VERY Exciting Picture

The main staging area for the 2007 La Carrera Panamericana was behind the Eduardo Vasconcelos Stadium in Oaxaca opened in 1950 and was named after Eduardo Vasconcelos, who was Governor of Oaxaca from 1947 to 1950. This was the meeting place for anyone who competed. It was a very exciting place for many of us especially us first timers and it was here that for the first time it really began to sink in that something big was about to happen. This is where we began to notice some of the cars and drivers we had been reading about for the last two years and a place were we would make new friends that will last a lifetime.

This is a very special never before seen slide taken right in front of the Oaxaca stadium at the start finish line during the 1954 LCP. Thank you to the estate of the late Frank C Ruppert brother of our good friend Frank J Ruppert. Anyone who was there in 2007 will really enjoy this simply because at the time we were there. It's hard to believe but it was MILES to the nearest empty lot and business's filled the streets as far as you could see. Obviously long before this photo was taken as there is NOTHING around the stadium them. If you look closly to the left of the soilder you can see one of the Lincoln team members wearing their blue team jacket.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE




Here it is today.



This was home for a couple days where we could park our rigs and begin any unfinished prep work and so on. We were required to take a brief physical or sorts and basically if you could get a helmet on your head you passed.





















This was where we gathered to get in line to get all the required goodies including registration papers, license, LCP jackets, hats and T-shirts and so on and I was the first person in line which I found out later really reaped it's rewards. Afterwards you could get in line to get your car scrutinized by the tech inspectors and this is where teams really learned the importance of getting their early and being prepared. This line for some lasted two whole days and in several cases some teams had to return more than once with corrections or changes to their cars to meet tech requirements as well as helmets and racing suits.



This also the place you finally get to see the route book for the very first time.



Cars lined up for tech inspection for two days.



After your car met the approval of strict tech inspection you were sent to have the required decals installed by an entire team of guys who really knew what they were doing and did an awesome job.







One thing I enjoyed was all the colorful graffiti that was on the walls. I was told that they welcome it and I was glad they did.
























Here is the start line in Oaxaca in 2007




Here is the start line in Oaxaca in 1953

Lucky's Day At The Winery

A lot of what I love about traveling is learning about places as well as their history and Heaven knows there is a lot to learn about so many of the places along the route during La Carrera Panamericana. The problem is... While driving at break-neck speeds you simply don't have time to take in any of the sites and even during those long transit stages the last thing on your mind is taking in the sites. (Note; if you are able to take in any sites you don't belong at this event.)

Taking all of the above into consideration I was really surprised to learn about one of the places along the 2007 LCP route where we had a service stop. Not too far from Queretaro is Cavas Freixenet de Mexico one of Mexico's premier winery's. How ironic that a couple of guys from California who spend the majority of their time racing at Infineon Raceway located smack dab in the middle of one of the premier vineyards in California didn't even realize this was a winery.

Cavas Freixenet de Mexico

I must admit when I found out I was really surprised even though I didn't realize there was anything significant about the place. What I do recall is that it was a much welcome rest stop and I was able to wander around inside the walls of the compound and enjoy a nice fountain. It was here that Jon and I bought three tacos and a drink for less than two dollars. When a gentleman walked up and offered me a newspaper I assumed he was trying to sell it to me so I said no thank you until he pointed out we were on the front page. It was a great moment for me and I didn't even care if I couldn't read a newspaper printed in Spanish. The memory of this place has lasted three years and just now learning this makes me want to go back.



Gary and Mark "Techno Viking" Williams hamming it up.


Lucky parked out front all serviced and ready to go.


Today I learned another very interesting fact about Cavas Freixenet de Mexico. Like any other respectable, well know winery, they also have a nice wine cellar. In fact this is one of the largest in all of Mexico and as far as I know none of the teams had a clue that we were walking around above them the whole time we were there.





What a beautiful back-ground the rock formation land-mark located behind Cavas Freixenet de Mexico during a local fireworks celebration.


There's one more very significant memory that stands out for myself and Jon with respect to Cavas Freixenet de Mexico... No sooner than we left the gates of Cavas Freixenet de Mexico we were at the next starting point for the next speed stage. All rested up and raring to go Jon, Lucky and I were ready to kick some ass and take names and numbers. When the green flag lifted Lucky's tires did a burn out that left no doubt we were in a big hurry. As soon as we came up to the first corner Jon was quick to call out, "Right. One." As we came around the corner Lucky's tires griped the road perfectly and had used up all of the road which took us to the far left oncoming lane. It was just as Jon called out "Left, Zero." that Jon began to yell out some rather interesting explicative's that I don't dare write here. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, square in front of us was some old beat up cattle truck (similar to the one in the photo below) dead center in the middle of our lane and it was headed straight for us!




Luckily a quick snap of Lucky's wheel was all it took to narrowly miss being driven to market ourselves. I have to say that when you are in the frame of mind that believes there will not be any other traffic let alone coming directly at you during a race stage it's a bit overwhelming. The next thing out of Jon's mouth was something to the tune of, "Where in the hell did that son of a bitch come from?" and them some grumbling about making a note in the log book but then he calmly said, "No foul. OK, let's go like hell Baby."

Try Threading A Truck And 24 Foot Trailer Thru A Needle

That's exactly what my son Will had to do at Zacatecas during the 2007 La Carrera Panamericana and since he was our only service crew member he had to do it entirely by himself. Not only is my son an amazing young man but I just cant imagine who else could have performed up to the level and expectations that he did. It's important to know while the race cars get a police escort thru mind numbing traffic jambs, the service teams are pretty much left on their own to figure out how to reach designated service stops on their own.

Team California's Best truck and trailer parked behind Enrique's service rig.


Service crews are given a route book similar to the ones given to the race cars which some times show alternate routes however teams need to do their homework the night before since many times the route needed will be closed for the race leaving crews stuck behind in traffic until long after the race is over. Some mornings Will had to leave as early as 5am in the morning to reach a service stop even though we didn't have to start racing until 8am. Good team work helped figure out team strategies and service stops. Do we check the brakes in the morning and get a good nights sleep tonight or so we service the car tonight so the service crew can let early? These are just some of the things that need to be considered. I'm very proud to say everything worked out perfectly for us. The only thing I would change in retrospect and when we do it again is that WE WILL NOT ATTEND EVENING AWARDS/DINNER CEREMONIES. Instead we will spend that time relaxing and site seeing.

Hell, it was bad enough driving in Zacatecas in my GT350R and that even taking into consideration I could run traffic lights, and pass police and go anywhere I wanted. The night Will had to drive in Zacatecas and find a safe place for the trailer and then get to the hotel was the hardest on him for the entire trip. Doing the smart thing, he parked and then found the hotel and me. Then we simply paid a taxi to lead us the best way back to the Hotel Emporio.

Our very good friend Enrique who many times teamed up with Will. Left to right, Jo Rimerez, Enrique, Gary Faules.



This video of Zacatecas shows exactly what I'm talking about and keep in mind this video was shot during day light and Will had to maneuver it after dark something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. (Fast forward thru the interviews) Zacatecas is one of the most beautiful cities along the LCP route but it was absolutely the roughest and unfortunately Enriques couldn't make it this day which is one more very important lesson in realizing that your service crew had better be able to deal with adversity. This is no place to anyone who can't roll with the punches and make shit happen. (Pardon the language but if you can't handle that then you are sure as hell aren't ready for LCP.)



Check out some of these streets in Zacatecas and remember this guy is doing it on a motorcycle! Then try an imagine it with a 24 foot trailer.

A Pleasant Surprise

There are so many rewarding attributes when it comes to racing but one of the best ones are the friends you make along the way. Involvement with La Carrera Panamericana is no exception and I have noticed even more so that friends within La Carrera Panamericana become more like family than mere friends.

Yesterday I got a welcome surprise when Franc Blas walked into my lobby. How cool is that! I sure wish I would have had a lot more time but we did get some time together to sit down and swap some stories and share some La Carrera memories.



The first time I remember meeting Franc was after we had traveled to San Miguel de Allende with the 2007 Coyote Convoy. We were parked next to each other and unloading our car in the parking lot to get them ready for the car show, which is just one more exciting day that I will never forget. Franc was on Roger and Daryl Habich's team with their beautiful #5 Studebaker.

Parked in the square at San Miguel de Allende


What's interesting about our meeting is that even though we traveled and raced with each other in Mexico for that week and change, it wasn't until yesterday, almost three years later that we finally got the chance to sit down and really get to know each other. I am looking forward to being able to spend more time with Franc and his lovely wife Marcia in the future. Maybe next time we can do dinner.

This Is No Time To Panic

I found this video from the 2007 La Carrera Panamericana today and I remember that moment in time as if it was just 10 minutes ago. This was the morning we were about to qualify Lucky for the starting positions for the start of the 20th anniversary running of the 2007 La Carrera Panamericana. For me it was the very moment that would bring everything to it's fullest fruition in light of all we had prepared for over the last two years. This was do or die.

Everything seemed to be at the ready and we were as ready as we could get or at least that's what I thought until the split second that Jon said something to the tune of, "Holy crap, those cars are moving fast. We better get our ass's in the car and buckled up right now." As I got in and began buckling up it began to sink in that we had never been in a situation where we had to rush to get ready. As soon as we climbed in and began trying to reach our seat belts, get our communications devices plugged in and tested, have the route book in hand and so on it immediately sunk in that from now on we really needed to start getting prepared much sooner.

In retrospect I really have to laugh because if you watch the video I was almost ready when it dawned on me I didn't know where to stick my window net. Now normally all I would have had to do was call someone over and ask for a hand lining it up. So here I was with my full face helmet muffling my voice while trying to yell loud enough over the sound of other race cars and waving my hand to get someones attention to come over and help me. That's when Jon comes over the intercom and says, "Don't forget they speak Spanish here."

In a last second attempt I was able to get the window net up, gloves on, engine fired up and ready to go and everything worked out just fine or so I thought. That's when I realized I had left my steering wheel on top of the car. The good news was not only did Lucky perform flawlessly but in fact Jon and I were very proud of our performance not to mention greatful for the lesson learned which was you can NEVER get ready too soon. So if you are planning your first La Carrera Panamericana my advice to you is add this to your list of things to practice. Make sure you know where to lay your gloves so you can reach them after you fasten your helmet straps, get the window net in place "by yourself" and so on and do this long before you get to Mexico so that everything you do is second nature.

New 2007 La Carrera Video 20XX Anniversary

The only reason I say it's new is simply because I have never seen this one before. It's always extreamly satisfying to find a photo or better yet a video three years later. Enjoy.

Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral

Turismo Production car number 32 driven by our good friends Gustavo Robles J. and Gustovo Robles as it passes the magnificent Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral.




It's interesting to note that this location if considered kilometer marker zero for all roads in Mexico.

When Cortes and his Spanish missionaries converted the Aztec in the 16th century, they tore down their temples and used much of the stone to construct a church on the site. Nearly all of the stone from the nearby Templo Mayor was built into the cathedral.

The original Spanish church was torn down in 1628 while the present Metropolitan Cathedral was under construction. The towering cathedral that stands today, begun in 1567 and finished in 1788, is a blend of baroque, neoclassic, and Mexican churrigueresque architecture.

Over the centuries, the cathedral and the Sagrario (chapel) next to it have sunk into the soft lake bottom beneath. The base of the facade is far from level and straight, and when one considers theimmense weight of the towers —127,000 tons — it's no surprise. However, much to the credit of Mexico City and its preservation efforts, the Catedral Metropolitana came off the World Monuments Fund's list of 100 Most Endangered Sites in 2000, as a result of an extensive reconstruction of the building's foundation.

Little Car sure... But BIG Excitment

Those of us who were fortunate enough to meet and race with Stacy and Luca Maciucescu were in for a real treat, not just because they were the kind of racers other racers find it so easy to become friends with, but also because seeing first hand what their awesome race car could do was simply awesome.

Stacy and Luca ready to take the track at Queretaro in their #430 Abrath



They really are an awesome car and rich in racing history with an awesome racing heritage to boot and now from what I just read on THEGARAGEBLOG.COM now it seems Abrath is making a comeback. How cool is that! For the entire story CLICK HERE.

In the mean time watch the teaser of whats to come. By the way, this video has been shot in widescreen, so be sure to hit the full screen button to get the full effect. Keep your eyes on The Garage for the first full episode.

Slip Sliding Away

Sliding thru the turns is always exciting. Some times the sliping creates a little more sliding than one would hope for. When looking at the following sequence of Piloto Dean Smith and Co-piloto John Doe in Dean's #397 DeSoto attacking a turn I can't help but begin humming one of my favorite Simon And Garfunkel tunes titled "Slip Sliding Away."

Not only did Dean come in too hot you can see the tail hang out just before it bounces off the guard rail. Another look will show you the huge dent Dean left in that guard rail. Somewhere I actually have video of Dean on the very corner.

And for the record... Dean never lifted. Good job. Come to think of it, I have video from a previous race when Dean never lifted and smacked a rock wall and kept right on going too.