Take the good with the bad

Here I sit while looking out my window as I watch the rain pouring down while at the same time I am getting reports from around the world all racing related. It seems everyone is going racing except myself. All self pity aside it's very exciting to hear so much good news all of which is very exciting and deep inside I find myself wishing I was with each and every one of them.

Anna and Pat are about get underway at the Monte Carlo and they take off officially on January 1st. Two chics in a hot little Porsche racing around the Swiss Alps in the Monte Carlo... Is that exciting or what?

Then there is Will who is in the hot pits of the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona for a week meeting all kinds of awesome friends and drivers.

And just a few minutes ago I got some awesome news from George and Tom of Dover Brothers Racing saying, "OFFICIAL NOTICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Dover Brothers have officially entered La Carrera 2008. WE'RE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!" Two old dudes in a fast little Volvo racing around The Sierra Madras in Mexico... Wait... What am I saying!

The truth is I have always said I would be happy racing a wheelchair if nothing else but I have to say, Hearing from those who are already signed up for this years La Carrera finds a special place in my heart. As a matter of fact I am down right jealous and broken hearted that we will not be there this year. I will be watching everyone as close as I possibly can via Internet and reports from those who write in an attempt to be as close to all that goes on both before, during and after. Rest most assuredly I will be with each and everyone of them in mind and spirit.

In the mean time one of my favorite blogs to read is Marcia's blog who reports how the car build is proceeding on their little Nova as they get it and themselves prepared for this years La Carrera. It's like deja vu and I just love the passion, excitment, concerns, and all of the above.

Live from Daytona

All things considered Team No Hot Wire who Will crewed for had a pretty good showing. Last year on the very first lap of practice they blew their engine and the entire last year has been an overwhelming test of determination to get them back to Daytona again let alone perform well.

That being said they performed very well in my opinion. Prior to race day they found out all the problems that they thought had been overcome were on fact not as good as believed. There were some issues with the electronic cams so as a last ditch effort they had to set the cams to operate without the advantage of computerized cams. This meant they would have to give up some all important low-end. If that wasn't enough, it began raining during qualifying.

Then there was another set back just prior to the start of today's race as a result of yesterday's qualifying. Ken Dobson who drove during the qualifying session didn't suit up for the start of the race so per the rules officials made them start from the rear of the pack.

In the face of all this adversity I am impressed with Team No Hot Wire's performance. Not only did they hang in there and overcome but in fact the final outcome was a well run race which brought them home in a very respectable 28th place. Team California's Best would like to be the first to congratulate them on a job well done as well as all our other California racing friends back there.

Will was a busy beaver today since not only did he crew for Team No Hot Wire but he was also kept busy as a tire changer for TEAM COBALT CALIFORNIA cars # 98& 48 owned by our very good friend Tom Lepper and also driven by some of our friends as well. What a small world as Team No Hot Wire finished right in front of another very good friend and driver Randy Pobst in car #181. Will got to say hi to Boris Said as he was being hounded by the press. Seems funny that Will is running into more California friends all the way across the U.S. than I am right here at home.

Tomorrow Will is going to be in the pits enjoying himself while the Daytona prototypes go head to head.

Will finds Daytona exciting

After getting settled in at one of the best hotels with an awesome view of Daytona Beach, Will spent the last couple days helping Team No Hot Wire's/Car & Driver get their car dialed in. Like any big race there are some issues that need sorting out and the weather has not been helpful.

Will saw Randy Pobst but both of them were so busy they didn't have long to visit. There was some real excitement when a car hit the pit entrance way too hot and came sliding into the pits hitting another car and sent a crew member flying past Will. This is only testing and things are already exciting.

In the photo you can see Will in the hot pits with his favorite shades getting things done.

Will said it's interesting to point out if you look in the pic of the beach, the locals say that as recent as a couple years ago the sand went all the way to where the first wave breaks way out there. The bad hurricanes and storms in recent years have taken away all the sand.

Destiny... An amazing conception.

Regarding the La Carrera Panamericana which is still the last open, top-speed road race of its kind in the world, I am often amazed how much it seems as if time has stood still. Every single La Carrera has been as exciting and spectacular as the one before. In fact the La Carrera Panamericana ranks up there with many historic automotive races with all the glory, honor, grandeur, and distinction like a fine diamond in the Crown Jewels.

Having read just about every possible thing there is to read with respect to the La Carrera about the only two major things that have changed are those amazing drivers and co drivers who competed in it and the rule changes with regard to that of improvement in safety equipment. The safety equipment changes and strict enforcement have been the single most important transformation within the race and thankfully one of the only ones thus allowing the La Carrera to remain one of the few unchanged races of all time.

Many men have lost their lives in the pursuit of the La Carrera finish line and the satisfaction of knowing they could build and drive a car thru what has remained one of the most grueling races in history. There are many literary descriptions for the La Carrera Panamericana and here are just a few;

The most dangerous torture tests of all time for man and machine.
The premier event of world racing.
World's Longest Road Race.
Battle Of The Giants.
The Mexican Road Race.
The Most Dangerous Race In The World.
The World's Toughest Race
Most Grueling Race In Any Calendar.
More grueling than Le Mans, four times longer than the Indy 500 and more treacherous than the Mille Miglia.

With respect given to no changes in the La Carrera here is an article that was published in TIME the year I was born 1951.

From the sunbaked, palm-dotted town of Tuxtla Gutiérrez near the Guatemalan border, 97 carefully tuned automobiles set off last week on the first northward lap of the second Pan-American stock-car race, a five-day, 1,933-mile scramble sponsored by Mexico's National Automobile Association. Competing with Mexican speed demons for $68,000 in prizes—and the glory of beating some of the world's nerviest racers to Ciudad Juarez—were two-man teams from the U.S., Canada, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, France and Italy. Ahead of them were the hairpin curves, roller-coaster dips and erratic paving of the Pan-American highway, bone-jarring enough at tourist speeds, and highly dangerous for even the most experienced racer.

At the start of the race, Jose Estrada, a prosperous Mexico City auto dealer and a veteran racer, announced: "I will win, or die trying." On the first lap, his 1951 Packard screeched off the road and tumbled 630 feet down into a ravine. Both Estrada and Co-Driver Miguel González died in a Oaxaca hospital that afternoon. Next day Carlos Panini, wealthy Italian-born founder of Mexico's first scheduled airline (Aerovias Panini), was killed when his Alfa Romeo skidded into a field and turned over.

Though the Mexican attitude toward bloodshed and danger is traditionally stoic, the deaths of two well-known Mexican sportsmen in the first two days of the race brought some reactions of horror and indignation. A government official publicly branded the race "an imitation of North American customs not suited to Mexican characteristics." The press went off on a crusade. Mexico City's El Universal declared that permitting such dangerous shenanigans was a "crime."

Meanwhile, the race went on, to heightened public interest. Of the 97 starting cars, only 35—all but two U.S. models—finished out the race. Among the starters who dropped out: Hershel McGriff of Portland, Ore., winner of the 1950 race. The two foreign cars that went the route, both lightweight 1951 Italian Ferraris, came in first and second. Leading the pack was Italy's white-haired Piero Taruffi, who finished fourth last year. Taruffi's Ferrari covered the 1,933 miles at an average speed of 88.2 m.p.h., 9.8 m.p.h. faster than McGriff's 1950 mark. Runnerup was Alberto Ascari, Italy's champion racer. Seven minutes and 50 seconds behind Ascari, according to the official clocking, was William Sterling of El Paso, in a Chrysler. The top Mexican came in ninth.

A look from across the pond

He get's a lot of it wrong but a fun video just the same.

Zacatecas and Mexico's Robin Hood

The city of Zacatecas without a doubt is one of the most beautiful places in all of Mexico and one no La Carrera participant will ever forget. Since I am making plans to take my wife to Zacatecas sometime in July I have been doing some research about it. All La Carrera participants are bigger than life characters and it seems many such characters have been involved in Zacatecas history over the years.

One of them was none other than Pancho Villa himself. Primarily remembered as a bandit today, he was in fact a populist revolutionary fighting for the people of Mexico. It's interesting to note, he was the only military leader to invade the mainland of the United States in the 1900's. In 1916 he crossed the border and attacked Columbus, New Mexico. In response, the United States sent General John Pershing into Mexico to track him down. After two years, he gave up, unable to find the noted revolutionary.

In colonial days, Zacatecas was the largest silver producing city in the world and the source of much of Mexico's wealth thus a supply of funds for whomever held it. One of the single bloodiest battles of the Revolution was on the hilltop overlooking Zacatecas which is the same hill we raced up called La Buffa. To this day there are monuments on the hill commemorating this event as well as a beautiful church overlooking the summit.

Zacatecas was heavily defended by Federal troops trying to take the wealth is silver which would help rule Mexico but Pancho Villa had different thoughts. Attacking up steep slopes, Villa's men won the bloody victory, with combined casualties numbering over 7,000 dead and 5,000 wounded and unknown numbers of civilian casualties. Thanks to Pancho Villa the loss of Zacatecas in June 1914 broke the back of the Huerta regime, and Huerta left for exile.

In retrospect it's simply amazing to realize we raced Lucky's horses up the very same hill that Pancho Villa raced his horse up which sits over looking the city of Zacatecas a city I day dream of often.


Trivia; The Mexican reales were the original dollar and where the first to be called "pieces of eight." It is also why the Mexican Peso and the Dollar both use $ signs and why a quarter is “two bits” (two-eights of a piece of eight = 2/8 = 1/4 = one quarter).

Will goes to the 24 Hours of Daytona!

While a few of us find time to relax for a few weeks before our next race there are others who simply can't stand still... one of those being California's Best Racing team member Will Faules. Yesterday found Will at Button Willow Raceway in Southern California crew cheif'ing for Team No Hot Wire Grand Am Cup car for some last minute testing before loading up and heading off for Daytona.

Team owner and friend, Richard Biscevic had much of the preparation of both of his beautifully prepared 2006 Nissan 350Z's done at the same place Lucky's cage was built at Impact Engineering. Last year they suffered some engine set backs during open practice at the KONI Challenge FRESH FROM FLORIDA 200 but after yesterday's session things are looking very promising for Team No Hot Wire.

Will helped get the car dialed in for both Richard Biscervic and CAR and DRIVER driver Aaron Robinson as they spent the day sorting out the car. When all was said and done they all came away smiling after what was considered a great test day. The Fresh from Florida 200 at Daytona will run at The World Center of Racing on January 25, 2008 prior to the prestigious twice-around-the-clock 46th Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 26-27.

After the Fresh from Florida 200 race Will will be crewing for THE RACERS GROUP Porsches for the 2008 24 Hours of Daytona. California's Best Racing has ran in races with THE RACERS GROUP over the years many times including the prestigious 25 Hours of Thunderhill.

Please join Team California's Best in wishing Team No Hot Wire a very successful run in the KONI Challenge FRESH FROM FLORIDA 200 as they head out for the cross country drive. Team California's Best would also like to wish THE RACERS GROUP a good long run during the 24 Hours of Daytona.

These photos of Will Faules (Crew Chief), Richard and Aaron were taken yesterday at Button Willow Raceway.