Getting Started At An Early Age

Tyler Gene loves to drive, Tricycle, boat or car... just give him the wheel.

It's common knowledge that many of today's top drivers got started early, many of them in carting and the sooner they get started the sooner they get "that feel in the seat of their pants" not to mention both seat time and experience. It is all of the above that helps give each of them their own personal advantage and accompanied with the right coaching and reinforcement of good lessons and with the best equipment they can go on to be one of the greats themselves. You can NEVER get started too soon.

The other day, Tyler Gene, my two year old grandson walked into my den and he said, "Papa, look. That's your race car." When I looked to see what he was talking about he was pointing at a photo on the wall of Jon and I in Lucky racing down some twisted road in Mexico. Ironic as it seems, when I was his age they were trying to teach me to say, "Look. See Jane Run." And now here's a two year old who can tell the difference between a car in the mall parking lot and a full on race car.






















"Yes, Tyler, that's Papa's race car alright and that's my friend Jon and I racing in Mexico." I said. Without hesitation Tyler said, "I want to race in Mexico Papa." Tyler, God willing, I am sure you will and if Papa is around to watch, that's just icing on the cake. Then I began asking myself, what is the age limit to run La Carrera anyway? I wonder what we should start building?

Learn To Give Back. It Feels Good and Makes You A Champion.

Merriam-Webster defines CHAMPION as;

1: warrior, fighter
2: a militant advocate or defender
3: one that does battle for another's rights or honor
4: a winner of first prize or first place in competition; also : one who shows marked superiority.

I like number three as it best reminds me of two of my favorite champions for a cause or rights that I know. They would be my friend Gerie Bledsoe and my daughter Charmagne Faules.


Each year when the Coyote Convoy arrives in San Miguel de Allende good things begin to happen. Not only do the La Carrera teams get a reprieve from the long arduous drive which for some begins as far away as Canada, but something even more special happens as well.

Gerie Bledsoe, the La Carrera Panamericana North American Director, who leads the Coyote Convoy to San Miguel each year has a special place in his heart for the people of Mexico. He tells of small children coming up to get autographs, babies being photographed sitting in the driver’s seat of a race car and hundreds of people waving as the cars go roaring by.

He describes his commitment to helping children and families this way, “When we come here to race, all of us are touched by the faces of children we see as we travel across Mexico. People are so kind and warm and we just want to do something to give back to a country that is so welcoming to all of us.”














It is almost impossible for this need to give back to not rub off on other La Carrera members who in turn help make the same commitment in whatever way they can.

The Concurso de Motor Sports San Miguel de Allende is a result of this commitment. All of the profits from the events in San Miguel, from October 17-19, will all go to help children and families in need through the work of two exceptional nonprofit organizations located in San Miguel. One of the beneficiaries is CASA and the other is CASITA LINDA.

For those first time La Carrera teams who would like to help be part of this "giving back commitment" simply write either myself or Gerie Blesdoe to see how YOU can help. Don't panic... we all know that getting here was a big hit on the pocket book to begin with but you will be amazed how far a small donation can go. Many of us teams went to Walmart and picked up a few cases of paper or pens and pencils and while you might think that's not much... it was huge from their perspective. Ask Gerie how you can help by clicking here.


And while we are speaking of champions.... Giving Back is nothing new for Team California's Best but it is as rewarding and fulfilling for each of us as it was the first time we did anything regardless of how large of small the effort was. Another great champion that will in fact be in attendance at this years Concurso is none other than Hershel McGriff the first man to champion the Great Mexican Race.

While we are talking about Champions, recently Charmagne, our daughter and some of her co-workers made a trip to Mexico with an organization called CLUB DUST to help give back in the best way that they knew how. For Charmagne it was nothing short of life changing and I was proud to see the tears in her eyes as she attempted to tell me how good it feels to help others that have so little. It is equally rewarding when I see that my daughter and son have learned the values that have been passed down from my parents and their parents before them. The photos below pretty much sum up what Charmagne and her friends did while in Mexico and some of her experiences.


Charmagne and some of her new found friends in Mexico.



Charmagne and more new friends.





These are some of the homes that are to be replaced with new ones.


Charmagne and Co-Worker painting a new home.


A new family having fun helping to paint their new home and faces.




Charmagne and friends organizing and sorting shoes and clothing before families arrive.


Before anyone gets new shoes Charmagne and her friends washed their feet.


Making sure everyone gets a nice pair of shoes.



Sorting out healthy food to be divided up amongst the lovely families.



These are just some of the families many of whom walked miles to get in line in hopes of getting clothing and food their young children needed.


This young mother walked and carried her three children over 10 miles just to get there.


One day (or should I say in 15 minutes) Charmagne is taught how to cut hair.


WHOOPS! Charmagne grits her teeth hoping nobody would notice how close it was. But when all was said and done everyone including the young boy had a good laugh.


Finally a happy customer! Charmagne ask, "How do you say "NEXT" is Spanish?


Another new home for a lucky family. It's so wonderful to be part of these adventures especially when you see the humble smiles in each set of eyes and then we begin to realize how much we take for granted. It's also important to realize, these people are not the type that are used to asking anyone for anything. Pride... to see it first hand is priceless.


Hey, what's this? Possibly a future La Carrera Panamericana Champion?

Yet Another La Carrera Video

An oldie but goodie video from 2005

This is a video I dug up from 2005 La Carrera Panamericana

Another great video from 2007 La Carerra

I just can't get enough when it comes to good La Carrera Panamericana video and this one put togteher by the Mat Hammerlund gang is a good one too. The only thing sexier than a great sounding car is those damn Swedes. What I enjoy most about this video is the enthusiasim that everyone on the team shows... always smiling and ready to race. Gotta love the Mat Hammerlund gang.

If Only We Could Turn The Clock Back

In the 7th grade my teacher asked me to write a paper telling what I would like to do if I could go back in time. I remember after a lot of thought I wrote how I would like to go back to the days of the pioneers as they drove their wagon trains across the Oregon Trail. But in my trip back in time I wanted to be able to take the old red military Jeep that I grew up driving on my parent's ranch and enough gas to be able to go anywhere. I remember imagining the looks on their faces when I came screaming along on the wide open prairies like a scene from the Baja 1000 while they plodded along with their ox. But the best part of all would be when I slapped it in four-wheel drive and helped them find easy ways over the mountain passes or used my winch to pull them out of tough spots.

Then the other day my wife asked the same question... "If you could go back in time and change anything what would it be?" I told her it was funny she should ask such a question because I had been asked that same question years ago but after giving it some more thought I told her I now had a different dream should I ever have the chance to go back. I went on to tell her how cool I thought it would be to go back to the very first La Carrera Panamericana with Lucky, my GT350R, and run the very first race with the greats including Hershel McGriff.

With all the excitement I asked, "Does that sound great or what?" Then she asked, "So... You don't think remembering our anniversary would be more worth your while?" DOH!

Thanks to Paul Chenard for the photo.

The Art of Giving Back

I always enjoy hearing of racers who make it possible for others to appreciate and enjoy the same sorts of excitment that we do. Here is a nice article from Mexico in the Atencion San Miguel newspaper worthy of reading about the LT Special driven by Sam Burg and co-piloto Dyana Marlett and maintained by Mat Hammerland. Be sure and check out Mat's new website.
The ride of a lifetime
By Cathy Cooper Long



After yet another first-place Panamericana win in 2007, two crashes and a complete overhaul and rebuild, the famous Mexican race car, the LT Special, made its comeback debut at the Jardin in San Miguel on Sunday, August 17.

The event was the conclusion of a fundraiser begun in October of last year by Feed the Hungry (FTH), San Miguel’s children’s charity.

The LT Special—owned by Lerdo de Tejada, and built and maintained by Mats Hammarlund Racing here in San Miguel—is an exact replica of the only race car ever built in Mexico. The original car, built in the fifties and the only one of its kind in the world, is priceless and no longer races. But its clone has won La Carrera Panamericana a total of four times, including last year, and the sleek red machine was given a hero’s welcome at the event at the Jardín.

“It is definitely a crowd pleaser. The car is very noisy; it’s very bright; it’s very special and…it is very, very fast,” said Mats Hammarlund, who rebuilt the car after last year’s Panamericana. Hammarlund and his hot-red hot-rod were at Sunday’s event on behalf of FTH and the lucky winners of last year’s raffle. A total of six winners were drawn from hundreds of raffle tickets sold in October, 2007. The prize: a once-in-a-lifetime chance to ride in the renowned race car.

A large and curious crowd gathered round as the race car, which could be heard two to three blocks away, thundered into the Jardín for the event. Gleaming in the midday sun and basking in the glow of last year’s victory, not so much as a single fingerprint marred its lustrous scarlet finish. The spectacle was such that onlookers shielded their eyes and covered their ears!

Emiliano Tristan, the first winner to claim his prize, brought his toddler son along for the ride. The little boy, not yet two years old, slept through the commotion and had to be gently awakened from his nap. Eventually he roused, and then seemed underwhelmed by the car and overwhelmed by the crowds and all the attention he got. His father, however, couldn’t hide his excitement at getting to ride in the LT Special. “I have always liked cars a lot, so I have been looking forward to this for a very long time. It is very special.”

Another raffle prize winner, Duane Eriksmoen, is coincidentally a volunteer and board member of FTH. Full of anticipation and anxious to redeem his prize, Eriksmoen was the first winner to arrive at the Jardín, but the last to take his ride in the famed race car. “I’ve been waiting for eight months. What’s another couple of hours?” he asked good naturedly. “I’ve been like a 10-year-old kid, waiting for the ride of my life!”

In addition to the raffle winners, two very lucky and very special young visitors from Los Angeles got a chance to take a spin in the passenger’s seat—lucky because they happened to be in the right place at the right time; special because, after hearing about the work done by FTH for thousands of children in and around San Miguel, they decided to give part of their personal savings to the nonprofit organization to help it continue its work.

Nine-year-old Hanah Daines said, “I wanted to spend my ‘charity money’ on children. The pictures in the brochure tell the story. Feed the Hungry makes kids happier.”

Her 11-year-old brother, Noah, also made the same choice and both children made their decision before they had any idea they’d be rewarded with a ride in the race car. Their mother, Barberry Gray Byfield, explained: “Their charity money is part of their allowance. They each set aside one-third every year, and then they decide how to donate it.”

Horst Tutepastell, a FTH board member and organizer of the event, set up a tent and booth alongside the race car to spread the word about FTH, answer questions, recruit volunteers and give interviews to reporters from El Sol de Bajio and Azteca’s Canal 4. He said that FTH’s part of Sunday’s event was also a success. “The race car is a hit,” he said, “but we have had many inquiries about FTH as well. We received donations today and got new volunteers. We couldn’t ask for a better turnout; we are very grateful.”

Perhaps Hammarlund, the builder and driver of the LT Special, summed it up best when he said, “This is great fun, but it is also a wonderful cause. FTH is highly respected, locally and nationally. I like their work, and I love to help however I can.”

FTH is a nonprofit organization which builds, operates and maintains 35 kitchens in San Miguel and the surrounding ranchos. A thirty-sixth kitchen is underway. A hot nutritious meal is provided to almost 4,000 kindergarten and primary school children every school day.

For more information, contact Feed the Hungry San Miguel, Inc. (a 501(c)3 corp.), www.feedthehungrysma.org, 220 N. Zapata Hwy., Suite 11, Laredo, TX 78043; La Conexión, Aldama 3, San Miguel de Allende, Gto 37700, or call 52 (415) 152-2402 in Mexico or (505) 349-3700 in the US.