Driving La Carrera

In this episode our guest is, in my opinion, one of the best motorsports photographers in the world, Frederik Herregods. Affectionately known to the world as @herrfrederik. He is a man who loves beards, cameras, and cars. He is a part-time viking and a member of the Motul media team. We talk with Frederik about his globe-hopping travels, what it’s like to own a mega Ford pickup in Europe, and his dream assignments.

This episode features one of the most dynamic women in motorsport, Mexico’s own Angelica Fuentes. We step into the way back machine and talk about Angelica’s wins at the Pike’s Peak Hill Climb and La Carrera Panamericana in 2008 and 2006. She gives a give us the low down on racing Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique and vintage sports car driving tests at Brooklands Museum. Our first repeat guest, Angelica is a great sports person and a true racer.

There's an idea in the Carrera called The Spirit of La Carrera. It's the way teams come together to help each other and it's the way the country of México, and the fans, support the race. In this episode MrPetrolhead, Chris, and I talk about how that spirit, and the people of México, saved our race.

Chris and Jeff share the adventures of the 2019 La Carrera Panamericana road rally where they placed third, despite a serious crash in qualifying that almost ended their race.

Mr. Petrolhead is a motorsports photographer from Puebla, Mexico. His journalistic style focuses on the story of racing, not just the beauty of the car, but the drama of the race and the human dynamics of the team. He has joined the Driving La Carrera team as our Media Producer for the 2019 Carrera

Our first run at the carrera last year was a huge learning experience and we wouldn’t have gotten through it without the help of other teams. Michael and Kristi Shoemaker have run La Carrera five consecutive years beginning in 2014. They were our main competitor in the Historic A + group. But, in the spirit of la carrera, they offered us their help and advice from the very first day and along the way became good friends. Last November I had the chance to talk with Michael about his and Kristi’s carrera journey and the reason why they race.

We did it. My brother Chris and I successfully raced La Carrera Panamericana. We finished 5th in the Historic A+ class and 49th overall. Not a bad result for our first time out. It was an incredible two-week adventure in Mexico. After I’d been home a couple days I had a chance to call Chris and talk about the race, our experiences, and of course ask the big question, “are we going to race it again?”

Our guest on this episode of the podcast is rally racer extraordinaire Angelica Fuentes Garcia. Now a professional co-driver and navigator, Angelica has competed in La Carrera Panamericana 22 times. She took the overall win in 2006 with her teammate Gabriel Perez and has scored numerous stage wins and podiums along the way. People talk about the spirit of La Carrera—its passion, its community, its pride— and I can’t think of anyone who embodies that better than Angelica. At the same time she is a fierce competitor who is meticulous with her preparation and confident in her skills.

Our guest on this episode of the podcast is the famed Scottish racer Murray Smith, who’s career in auto sports spans 50 years. As a driver Murray has raced and rallied in both modern and historic cars all around the world. Including 10 runs in La Carrera Panamericana. Murray’s practical and no nonsense advice on what it takes to be a successful rally team is a reminder to me that anything worth doing is worth doing well. Like all great racing drivers, Murray pulls no punches and tells it like it is.

This month’s guest is auto technician extraordinaire Tim Ritchie. Tim heads up Vintage Racing Services in Stratford, CT. VRS is the racing side of Automotive Restorations Inc., one of America’s premier restorers of vintage and historic cars. Tim has been building and preparing race and rally cars for nearly 30 years. He’s been involved with La Carrera Panamericana since VRS sent its first car to Mexico in 1992. To say Tim’s knowledge of the Carrera runs deep is as great an understatement as saying an F1 car is merely quick. His knowledge of the rally, how to prepare the car, how to preserve the car over 7 days of racing, and what it takes to win it goes deeper than deep. What driver wouldn’t want such a mench on his Carrera crew? I know I do.

In vintage racing you’ll find many unique characters, people with a passion for vintage cars and for the joys and challenges of racing. This episode’s guest Kent Bain is one of those people. In 1978 Kent started Automotive Restorations in Stamford, Connecticut, one of America’s premier restoration shops for vintage cars. Born from that was Vintage Racing Services which prepares and supports all types of vintage car racing, including rallies such as La Carrera Panamericana. I sat down with Kent, who’s been both a La Carrera driver and mechanic, to talk about the spirit and history of the race, Carrera cars, and what makes good rally driver. I hope you enjoy.

Welcome to Driving La Carrera. I’m Jeff Mason. Along with my brother Chris and our 1965 Volvo Amazon, this show catalogs our journey to race the great Mexican road rally, La Carrera Panamericana. Each month we interview experts about different aspects of the race and the unique experience that is La Carrera. We talk about cars, drivers, racing, and our preparations for a run in 2018. Part personal journal and part how-to guide, we’ve made this show for everyone who dreams of racing. This month I thought we’d go back and talk about the very beginning of this project with my brother Chris. Chris and I sat down and talked about how we got started, how we’ve been preparing for the Carrera and our hopes for the race. I hope you enjoy.