7 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, October 9, 2009 Couple heads to Mexico for fast cars By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF For most people dangerous roads, high speeds and one week of putting the pedal to the metal is not their idea of a good time. Oakville residents John and Emine Nielsen, however, are not most people and are gearing up for plenty of all three as they prepare to participate in the worldrenowned Mexican road race known as La Carrera Panamericana. Described as the most difficult road race in the world La Carrera Panamerica was started in the 1950s as Mexico's way of showing the world they have a functioning roadway that stretches from the country's southern border to its northern border. The route of the race zigzags across Mexico's heartland, covers around 3,200 kilometres and takes seven days to complete. John, who has a back- ground in racing motorcycles notes that the race is not for the faint of heart. "The roads to say the least are very winedy, tight mountain roads. They were built back in the '50s so there are super elevations, banking corners and so they are really fun to drive. Unfortunately they exist in mountain terrains so they are dangerous. If you fail to take a corner, you're going off a cliff or into trees and rocks and whatnot," said John. "We usually lose about 10 per cent of the cars every year due to crashes." John went on to point out that the race has a dual format with some sections of the race being about pure speed while other transit stages require a more precise approach with the participants having to negotiate their way through Mexican cities and towns. "There's a lot of road hazards," said John. "There's donkeys and cows and pigs and chickens, every- thing you can imagine in the street including Mexicans on bicycles and whatnot." In these sections, the driver is penalized not only if they arrive at the end of the section late, but also if they arrive at it early. After completing several of these sections, a winner is declared for the day and the participants are given time to eat, sleep and prepare the next day of racing. The driver who has the best time at the end of the overall race, which involves around 100 cars, wins. The fact that the race is only for vintage cars made before 1966 also presents challenges, noted John who is throwing his '65 Mustang Fastback into the mix. "It's really hard on the vintage cars. These cars are usually 45-50 years old and it's tough to keep the car together unless they have been completely rebuilt and updated with modern technology and in the rules some things can't be updated, you have to run original equipment," said John. "The roads themselves aren't particularly that brutal and rough. They're all asphalt roads there's no dirt roads, but in the transit stages Mexico is famous for the `Tope,' which is a big speed bump and they are everywhere. You're going through these towns and they have huge potholes and if you don't see them you can break a suspension part, if you don't see the Tope, you run over it you can smash the oil pan." John noted this will be the third time he has participated in La Carrera Panamerica. He initially found out about the race while reading an in flight magazine and coincidentally was invited to participate a short time later by a friend who needed a copilot for the 2005 race. A heart attack kept John from attending that race, but the next year he was back competing in a P1800 Volvo. "We were running in the top five of our class, but we had transmission problems so we missed a whole day and when you miss a day you're out of the running," said John. "We did finish in the middle of the pack at the end of it all and we were happy to finish. Finishing the race alone is a feat. Today they still call it the See Racing page 16 "MASONRY & FIREPLACE DESIGN SPECIALISTS" 406 SPEERS RD., OAKVILLE ACROSS FROM RONA LANSING 905-337-2066 w w w. c o b b l e s t o n e m b e r s . c a We're Making Room for the New 2010's so... ALL 2009's MUST GO! Free Gas Card, Airmiles or Cash Incentives 2009 Eclipse 2009 Lancer QEW Dor D val r. 2009 Outlander Oakville Mitsubishi 191 Wyecroft Road Oakville, Ontario 905-337-3388 oakvillemitsubishi.ca fa Tra lga rR d rr Ke St.