Cinco de Mayo... It all began in Puebla

The Battle of Puebla.


Unlike the victory the French had and lost in Puebla Jon and I get to keep ours forver.



Just gotta love the Mexican hospitality!




Jon and Gary unwinding with beautiful Elke from Germany.

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "5th of May") is primarily a regional and not a federal holiday in Mexico. The holiday commemorates an initial victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. A common misconception in the United States is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day; Mexico's Independence Day is actually September 16 which is the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico.

Although the Mexican army was victorious over the French at Puebla, the victory only delayed the French invasion of Mexico City; a year later, the French occupied Mexico. The French occupying forces placed Maximilian I, Emperor of Mexico on the throne of Mexico. The French were eventually defeated and expelled in 1867. Maximilian was executed by President Benito Juarez, five years after the Battle of Puebla.

All I can say is thank God Mexico kicked Maximilian's ass. Can you in your wildest imagination imagine what a French taco would taste like! Besides I can think of nothing that was more exciting than the grand welcome the city of Puebla gave us in what has to be one of the most special stops of La Carrera Panamericana. These photos simply do not do justice since there is not a camera built that can capture the beauty of Puebla let alone the vivid excitement bestowed on us by the citizens of Puebla.


This is my idea of how to enjoy a couple of Coronas. There is nothing like beautiful gals that are color coordinated to match the car. Yeah Baby!

THE LUCKY TACO

As long as we just happen to be speaking of tacos.......... When we raced in the 2007 La Carrera Panamericana one of the cars that stands out in my memory banks was the #421 1954 Oldsmobile R88 piloted by Clyde Morter and co-piloted by William "Bill" Peter which ran in the Original Pan Am class. Like other cars that raced that year there are many reasons why his car holds so many memories for me all which are good ones. One reason is simply because Clyde's car was one of the very first ones we saw at the hotel in Laredo Texas the night before we crossed the border into Mexico. That afternoon and evening held so may memories.



It was the hotel where many of us met for the first time and little did we know how many friendships would be born there Clyde and William being two of them. Not only did I get my first look at "THE LUCKY TACO" (nickname for Clyde's car) but later that evening I got my first hand full of some "fortune tacos". That's right, fortune tacos. Instead of fortune cookies these were little tacos with little fortunes inside. Without a doubt this had to be the most cleaver theme for sponsorship of any car in La Carrera Panamericana. luckytaco.com



The Lucky Taco did very well all considered and with the help of his teammates Tom Hollfelder, Bill Peter and John Schantz they finished 4th in their class in spite of having missed one entire day of racing for lack of oil pressure. Not only did they podium three times but in fact they got first place in Zacatacas! John Schantz also recently took the "Lucky Taco" to the Chihuahua Express.

One of my son's favorite La Carrera stories is regarding Clyde's car. Clyde's car was definitely one of the favorite crowd pleasers while on display in San Miguel de Alende where fans would pick up hand fulls of fortune tacos that were scattered on the hood. After a couple awesome days there we got back on the road again with the Coyote Convoy on the very long drive to Oaxaca. For the most part everyone stays in a convoy but because teams would stop to gas up at various Pemex stations along the way every ones position in the convoy would change. The truth is trying to figure out who was in front or behind of you was half the fun that made the long trip seem to pass more quickly and was also a good thing in case anyone had any need for assistance. Finally as we were making good time as we traveled through the steep Sierra Madre mountains we came upon a long line of stopped traffic due to some road construction. Whenever we came upon these sorts of traffic stops they would allow traffic to move in one direction while the other direction was halted sometimes for as long as 30 minutes. As we sat there waiting our turn to go we couldn't help but wonder who was in front or behind. Then here came some young Mexican children with a cardboard sign selling something as they stopped at each car in the line. Will, my son, rolled down his window as they approached us and as he made a feeble attempt to read their Spanish sign and talk to them he began cracking up. Since I couldn't see what they were selling and didn't know what was being said I asked Will what was so funny. Will said, "Dad, look what their selling." as he held up a hand full of lucky fortune tacos. Riding with us was a couple the gals from Sweden and they began to laugh as well when one of them said, "Well, at least now we know The Lucky Taco car is in front of us." We all laughed for miles as we realized how much the children of Mexico had the same amount of entrepreneurship as those back in the U.S. selling lemonade. I remember saying, "I bet Clyde and those guys are saying, "Those kids will probably cherish those for many years to come." not realizing they were being sold as souvenirs just minutes behind them.

I have known of Clyde Morter and some of his writing for some time and well as his heavy involvment with vintage racing and him volunteering his time for many years. The funny thing is I was so damn busy with all else that was going on I never put two and two together until recently! I woiuld love to take part in some of his races in the future. One such orginization Clyde is very envolved with is the ELKHART LAKE HISTORIC RACE CIRCUITS not to mention his envolvment in THE GREAT RACE.

A long time ago I opened a Chinese fortune cookie and it said, "Help, I am a prisoner in a Chinese fortune cookie factory." I had to laugh and wonder if any of Clydes said, "Help, I'm a prisoner in the #421 1954 Oldsmobile."

The real flavor of Mexico

When it comes to food, if there is one thing about Mexico that stands out it has to be their tacos! Traditionally they are sold right out along the street in busy colonial cities but luckily they are sold almost everywhere including right out along the highway if you keep a sharp eye out. Better than just a great taco if the whole experience of watching it made. Unlike the greasy shell thing we are used to seeing here in the U.S. what you get in Mexico is something you need to see/experience. If it were possible I would love to be able to describe the flavor that causes ones taste buds to stand up and dance the Mexican hat dance when biting into one of these south of the border delicacies.

The first thing you need to learn is they are not called tacos. They are better known as Al pastor. I remember the first evening when my son Will, Jon and I accompanied with Steffan our cameraman took a stroll around Oaxaca late in the evening to get out of the hotel for a bite to eat. Along a busy street we found a place with some stools next to some glass cases filled with wonderful looking food. What stood out most prominently was the vertical stack of meat being cooked by a blow torch flame and the smell was out of this world! We all hung out and ate as much as our bellies would take. (Steffan's belly held a lot more than ours but that's ok since he paid. Thanks Steffan.)



Al pastor (Spanish; "Shepherd style"), also known as Tacos al pastor, is a dish developed in Puebla, Mexico, likely as a result of the adoption of the Shawarma spit-grilled meat brought by Lebanese immigrants to Mexico.

Usually pork, it is marinated during one or two days with a blend of different spices and herbs (such as adobo), and then slowly cooked on a vertical rotisserie called a Trompo (lit: spinning top), often with a pineapple on top. When ready, the meat is then thinly sliced off the spit with a large knife. It can be served with small tortillas, onions, pineapple, cilantro and lime. It is also a common ingredient in tacos, burritos, and tortas.



Tacos al pastor, are one of the most popular tacos served in taquerias both in Mexico and US Latino neighborhoods. In some places of Northern Mexico, such as Nuevo Leon, these are usually called Tacos de Trompo, if served on maize flour tortillas and gringas if they are served on wheat flour tortillas and cheese.

Unrelated to tacos but interesting to me was the fact that not once did anyone dealing with food ever touch money with their bare hands. The truth is I would like to see more of that here in the U.S.

A few laps at Queretaro

Hop in for a few laps around The Autodromo at Queretaro with Jon and I. Arriving in Queretaro was a special day not to mention the huge crowd of racers that were waiting at the track when we got there. The entire event was an awesome adventure for sure but for some reason when Jon and I pulled in to the Autodromo it was different. Throughout all of Mexico hundreds of thousands of fans lined up to watch La Carrera race cars pass but the majority of those waiting at Autodromo where in fact racers. Getting into the lineup and getting our log sheet was a bit frustrating but as soon as Jon and I got Lucky on the track we knew we were in our own element and now everyone was going to have to play by our rules.

It's important to remember this is the sort of driving Jon and I came from and it's what we do best. The only thing Jon and I hated about Queretaro was having to leave so soon. No sooner than we had finished our laps we hit the road for yet another transit section. Jon and I both hope that the next time we run La Carrera (and we will) that we will get to revisit Queretaro and Autodromo. Had we had more time to run this track we would have changed a few settings on the suspension to help reduce push but the car was perfect for the overall event and best left right where it was. In the mean time, check out some of the video that will be in our new HD DVD and crank up your dial and sit back and enjoy a few leisure laps with Jon and Gary.

God's Speed Chuck Daigh

This evening it was hard to for me to break the sad news to Frank Ruppert about Chuck Daigh's passing since they had been best of friends for a lifetime. I listened as Frank reminisced about countless adventures Chuck and he shared. Frank recalled times when Chuck had worked for Clay Smith and when Chuck had driven Frank's service truck when Frank took part in sponsoring Clay Smith in a 1948 Mercury in the 1952 La Carrera Panamericana. (photo below) Frank described what was truly a gentleman and quietly said the world has lost a fine man.



Chuck Daigh was born in Long Beach, California. He built hot rods prior to WW II and ran at the Dry Lakes.

He served as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne during WWII and saw action in France, Belgium and Germany, including fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. On his return he went to work for Bill Stroppe and Clay Smith preparing the Bob Estes entered Lincoln Capris for the Carrera Panamericana Mexican road race. He was the co-driver on three occasions, in 1952 and 1953 with Walt Faulkner, finishing 8th in 1953 and with Chuck Stevenson in 1954 when they failed to finish.

Chuck Daigh also drove Stock Cars in NASCAR as well as many other venues of racing. On the 29th of May 1960 he debuted in F1 and participated in another five Grands Prix at the wheel of a Scarab and a Cooper. What you will not see is the little known fact that he was the chief engineer that designed and built the Scarabs that became so famous. It was Daigh that drove the Scarab to victory in the 1958 Riverside International Grand Prix beating a field of international factory teams including famous race car driver Phil Hill and the Ferrari Team. Carroll Shelby drove the Scarab sports car built by Daigh to victory at the Continental Divide raceway in Castle Rock Colorado setting a new course record. He was also a successful sportscar driver in America, winning the 1959 Sebring endurance classic and also tried to qualify twice for the Indianapolis 500.

Like my good friend Carson Scheller said, "There goes another one .. crossin the final finish line of life... checkers wavin... crowd cheerin... hot tires, engine steamin and a satisfaction of a life well lived... RIP Chuck Gaigh."

Chuck Daigh died in the hospital in Newport Beach, California after a brief battle with heart and respiratory problems at 86 years of age.

An awesome LCP find

Check out this beautiful color photo of the 1953 Lincoln team. Considering it was taken in 1953 when most photos from that period were black in white this is an amazingly well preserved find. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE.

2008 Carrera Panamericana Entries Full

If you snooze you lose. In a notice from North American LCP Director Gerie Bledso I have been informed that registration for the 2008 Carrera has been closed. Besides the awesome representation of Mustangs and Shelbys and other amazing automotive works it seems there will be a larger number of Europeans joining this year than in prior years. It's interesting to note how many Europeans are driving American cars.