Speaking of Studebakers one of my favorite articles which I read several years ago simply has got to be one of the all-time great La Carrera Panamericana tales. While it's far from verbatim it goes something like this... During the 2005 La Carrera Panamericana the colorful Rusty Ward running in a 1965 Studebaker had gone off road taking out part of a bridge in the process, something Rusty has down to to somewhat of a science. Even while doing so the damage was repairable largely due to the fact there were so many Studebakers sitting around in Mexican wrecking yards which was one of the reasons they were so popular in Mexico in the first place. While working on the car they noticed the wheels had been badly bent. Thinking they had things under control and even after the crew and several local mechanics had stayed up all night getting the car ready before the next mornings start the last problem they encountered were the special 16 inch wheels used on this particular Studebaker where considerably wider and taller than the original factory steel wheels and after an exhausting search they could not find replacements.
This photo was taken during a transit stage in 2007 as Rusty and I just had a good time cruising along side by side playing tag with each other.
Thinking they were done for the piloto and co-piloto sat in a local bar drinking their sorrows away when all of a sudden the crew bust into the bar yelling and telling them to get suited up. When they asked why all the rush the crew began telling them they had figured out that the bolt pattern on their car was the very same as late model Ford Crown Vic wheels. Naturally the next question from the piloto was, "Where are we going to find some Crown Vic wheels?" Then one of the crew yelled, "LOOK!" as he pointed to a Federally with a huge smile standing in the doorway waving four crisp one hundred dollar bills. It seems the cars driven by the Federally's that years just happen to be... You guessed it. Crown Vics.
This story is like a fine wine. It get's better every time I tell it. Thank God for the Federallys and all their support.
The following post was written by Bill Beilharz and while it is a worthwhile read one thing I enjoy about it is how one gentlemen racer (Bill) takes the time to remember his racing roots and others who where influential in his past. This is but one of the key ingredients to being a true gentleman but a very important one.
While we were in San Luis Potosi, an old friend came up to reintroduce himself. In 2000, Gerardo Castaneda was working at Mysla Ford in Tehuacan. Our tow vehicle had broke down there and Gerardo was one of the mechanics who helped to fix it. It was great to see him again and see how he has progressed in life. He is now married and had a great job as a Fleet Manger in San Luis. He introduced me to his beautiful wife and young son. We hung out for a while and I was feeling like pretty hot stuff, leading the race and having people, like Gerardo, wanting to be around me. Then he told me that, while it was really good to see me again, what he would really like is for me to introduce him to the famous Rusty Ward and possibly arrange for a picture of his son with Rusty. With some renewed sense of humility, I was happy to help him out.
Rusty is probably the most "famous" of the drivers in this race. I first met Rusty in 1994. He crewed for my brother, David, and I, during our first La Carrera. He then fell in love with this adventure, built a car and has been back to compete almost every year since. Back then we started calling him "Superman". He would work on the car till 11 PM and then go out partying, reappear the next morning just in time to leave for the next town - only do the same thing again that day. I don't know that I ever saw him sleeping. With his long, curly blonde hair he was a BIG hit with the ladies. Now that he's married with children he's slowed down a little but he still lives life to it's fullest.
For anyone who has missed his 2006 crash, here it is again:
I was crewing for him that year and, believe it or not, after we pried the sheet metal off of the tires, he was able to drive it out of the water.
I'm thinking of painting some sharks teeth on my car. Maybe I can steal some of his mojo.
For those of us who have raced in La Carrera Panamericana we all know how popular the old Studebaker's were and still are. When I first saw this Studebaker (?) for sale on E-BAY the first thing I thought about was how handy it would be for hauling all the extra parts, tools, personal items needed for this adventure. Equally important is that it could be used to haul all the trophies, a few bottles of tequila and a few senoritas home afterwords. Just think of all the possibilities... Rust Ward could install a paddy wagon in the back and you might just get frisked! LOOK OUT!
