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La Carrera Panamericana 2002
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Friday, 10/25/02, Day 1 La Carrera---Tuxtla to Oaxaca
We were up at 5.30 for an early breakfast so that Deb, Will, and Rick could leave
at 6.30 to be at the first service stop ahead of us. Brandon and I then headed
 downtown
for the official starting arch. Sendoff from the starting ramp started promptly at 8AM and
cars left at 30 second intervals. Our 71st starting position was quite near the back, but the
crowds cheered and waved anyway. At the start we drove down a narrow lane through
masses of cheering people for about the first kilometer and then passed more groups of
people thick beside the road for miles. The first speed section was the same road we had
run the day before, but I'm certain we were much faster the second time.
We were warned before the start that there had already been two serious
accidents, so we were being quite cautious. They say that 50% of all accidents happen on
that first morning. We proceeded onward carefully through transit stages, the car running
well. We stopped for gas once early but then in the late morning we ran out and coasted
to the side. At the edge of the road we slid into the weeds at a fairly severe angle---with
the filler neck down and the fuel tank pick-up toward the top. Not a great position for an
easy restart. Brandon stayed with the car while I hitchhiked to the next gas station.
Luckily, we caught a huge break---the next gas station happened to be our service stop
and it happened to be only about 10 km away. I found Debbie and the crew there, got a
gas can filled, and caught a ride back with the Federal Highway Patrol officers we had
befriended on our way south. "You never forget your first time," they said, and they were
right. We got back to the BMW and added the gas while our friendly cops rounded up
some more cops to help push us back onto the road. The engine started right up and we
quickly went on to the service stop. Debbie had sandwiches and chips waiting for us,
Will and Rick took care of the gas and windows, and just like that we were ready to go
again. Best of all, because of the peculiarities of the service stop rules; we didn't even
loose a minute of time. Very lucky.
Onward we went through more transit and a few more speed stages. And finally
we got to pass another car---a 911 driven by two German girls who were driving by
 themselves without any support crew. We also had a great race with a Volvo P1800
where he passed us up a hill and then we re-passed him on a downhill section just before
the flag. We were already finding that we were completely non-competitive on any uphill
section but we had great brakes and suspension for downhill racing. 
Our arrival in Oaxaca turned out to be one of the most fantastic and memorable
parts of the entire event. We entered the city in a group of four cars and immediately
picked up a police escort with lights and siren. With thousands of fans lining the
 streets
and cheering us on, and with other cops at every side street blocking traffic, we drove at
80mph through the center of the town on main streets. Finally, the madness ended at the
finishing arch of the central square where the daily finishing medals were awarded at a
big fiesta. What a great day!!
After an hour or so at the fiesta, we headed on to the Victoria Hotel to wait for the
crew and then attend the drivers meeting. Trophies were awarded every day for the top
three places in each class and we got our first 3rd place trophy. We also moved from 71st
place to 52nd. That felt like a pretty good days work.
The only negative note of the day was early on in one of the small towns where
masses of high-school age kids blocked the road completely and played chicken with the
cars, throwing dirt and plant materials through the windows, and stealing our external
engine shut-off key so that we had to coast to a stop and dig out our spare. Kids are the
same everywhere, I guess.
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