1950 Carrera Panamericana

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The 1950 Carrera Panamericana was a motor race held in Mexico from 5 May to 10 May 1950. It was the first edition of the Carrera Panamericana.

Contents

Background

After the Mexican section of the Panamerican Highway was completed in 1950, a nine-stage, six-day race across the country was organized by the Mexican government to advertise this feat and to attract international business into Mexico. The race ran almost entirely along the new highway, which crossed the country from north to south for a total distance of over 3,300 kilometres (2,100 mi). Antonio Cornejo, a Pontiac dealer in Mexico City, was the general manager of the event.

Drivers

Racers from the US, Italy, France, Spain, Venezuela, Colombia, Guatemala, Peru and obviously, Mexico. The Formula 1 drivers Piero Taruffi and Felice Bonetto took part in the race. Also Bill France, the founder of NASCAR. Other NASCAR drivers participated as Hershel McGriff, Curtis Turner. The sporcar racer Jean Trévoux took part too.

The route

The first race ran from north to south, beginning in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, across the international border from El Paso, Texas, and finishing in El Ocotal, Chiapas, (now known as Cd. Cuauhtémoc) on the Guatemala-Mexico border opposite from La Mesilla, Guatemala. At least one stage was run each day for six consecutive days. The elevation changes were significant: from 328 feet (100 m) to 10,482 feet (3,195 m) above sea level, requiring amongst other modifications re-jetting of carburettors to cope with thinner air. Most of the race was run between 5,000 feet (1,500 m) and 8,000 feet (2,400 m).

Results

The first three places were won by American cars and American drivers. The winner, Hershel McGriff, drove an Oldsmobile 88 at an average speed of 142 km/h (88 mph). Though less powerful, the car was substantially lighter than its big Lincoln and Cadillac competitors, meaning that it would eventually pull away from them on the steep, winding course. The car (which had cost McGriff only $1,900, when the winner's purse was $17,000 [1] ), had another advantage in its weight – it was much easier to stop, meaning that McGriff finished the race on his original brake shoes when the big cars were re-shoeing every night. The reason that this was so important was that neither McGriff nor his co-driver were capable of even the most basic maintenance to the car. [1] McGriff also noted that the control afforded by his manual gearbox gave him a significant advantage the last day on the gravel roads in Chiapas, when he finally passed the Cadillac leading the race. The best placed European car, in fourth position, was an Alfa Romeo 6C driven by Italian driver Piero Taruffi.

RankDriversCarTime
1 Flag of the United States.svg Hershel McGriff
Flag of the United States.svg Ray Elliott
Flag of the United States.svg Oldsmobile 88 27:34:35
2 Flag of the United States.svg Thomas A. Deal
Flag of the United States.svg Sam Cresap
Flag of the United States.svg Cadillac Series 62 +1:06
3 Flag of the United States.svg Al Rogers
Flag of the United States.svg Ralph Rogers
Flag of the United States.svg Cadillac Series 62 +21:04
4 Flag of Italy.svg Piero Taruffi
Flag of Italy.svg Isidoro Ceroli
Flag of Italy.svg Alfa Romeo 6C +26:29
5 Flag of the United States.svg Bud Sennett
Flag of the United States.svg John C Walch
Flag of the United States.svg Oldsmobile 88 +27:46
6 Flag of the United States.svg Lewis Hawkins
Flag of the United States.svg Wayland Burgess
Flag of the United States.svg Oldsmobile 88 +44:40
7 Flag of Mexico.svg Luis Leal Solares
Flag of Mexico.svg Damaso De la Concha
Flag of the United States.svg Oldsmobile 88 +49:19
8 Flag of Italy.svg Felice Bonetto
Flag of Italy.svg Bruno Bonini
Flag of Italy.svg Alfa Romeo 6C +51:01
9 Flag of the United States.svg Johnny Mantz
Flag of the United States.svg Bill Stroppe
Flag of the United States.svg Lincoln Cosmopolitan +52:35
10 Flag of the United States.svg Jack McAfee
Flag of the United States.svg Ford Robinson
Flag of the United States.svg Cadillac Series 62 Sedanette +53:28
11 Flag of Mexico.svg Raul Argilles Salgado Flag of the United States.svg Mercury +1:11:14
12 Flag of France.svg Jean Trevoux
Flag of France.svg André Mariotti
Flag of France.svg Delahaye 175S +1:20:29
13 Flag of Mexico.svg Jesus Nava Gonzales Flag of the United States.svg Lincoln +1:23:47
14 Flag of the United States.svg Edmund A. Kasold
Flag of the United States.svg Geano Contessotto
Flag of the United States.svg Ford +1:36:42
15 Flag of Mexico.svg Leo Almanza Flag of the United States.svg Mercury +1:48:31
16 Flag of the United States.svg Owen R. Gray
Flag of the United States.svg Leon McMillan
Flag of the United States.svg Oldsmobile +1:52:17
17 Flag of Colombia.svg Arcesio Paz Flag of the United States.svg Mercury +2:04:13
18 Flag of Mexico.svg Carlos G. Mass Flag of the United States.svg Oldsmobile +2:07:35
19 Flag of Mexico.svg Abelardo Matamoros Acosta Flag of the United States.svg Lincoln +2:09:08
20 Flag of Mexico.svg Jesus Valezzi
Flag of Mexico.svg Duenas Costa
Flag of the United States.svg Lincoln Cosmopolitan +2:21:50

Stages

LegDateRouteDriverCarLengthTime
15 May Ciudad Juarez-Chihuahua Flag of the United States.svg Bill SterlingCadillac3752:19:12
26 May Chihuahua-Parral Flag of the United States.svg George LynchCadillac3001:56:38
36 May Parral-Durango Flag of the United States.svg Bill SterlingCadillac4042:55:08
47 May Durango-León Flag of the United States.svg Lonnie JohnsonCadillac5473:46:14
57 May León-Mexico City Flag of the United States.svg Tom Deal Cadillac Series 62 4482:59:15
68 May Mexico City-Puebla Flag of Mexico.svg Fernando Razo MacielPackard1351:03:05
78 May Puebla-Oaxaca Flag of Italy.svg Piero Taruffi Alfa Romeo 6C 4123:45:26
89 May Oaxaca-Tuxtla Gutiérrez Flag of the United States.svg Johnny MantzLincoln5404:35:38
910 May Tuxtla Gutiérrez-El Ocotal Flag of Italy.svg Felice Bonetto Alfa Romeo 6C 2752:59:22

Fatalities

In this edition four people were killed. A four-year-old Juan Altamirano was hit by the car of Jesús Valezzi and Adolfo Dueñas Costa in the first stage in Cd. Juárez before the start of the race. [2]

In the same stage near to finish line the Guatemalan Enrique Hachmeister lost the control of his Lincoln. [3]

The Peruvian co-driver Jesús Reyes Molina died in the fourth stage in León, Guanajuato when the Nash of Henry Charles Bradley crashed with a bridge in the Florida river. Reyes Molina was taken to León Hospital, where he died. [4]

The Nash Ambassador driven by the Americans Eddie Sollohub-Nicholeo Scott hit the crowd and killed a spectator in the fourth stage. [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 "The Legends of the Great Road Races Seminar | Car News Blog at Motor Trend". Blogs.motortrend.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-24.
  2. "Juan Altamirano". Motorsport memorial. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  3. "Enrique Hachmeister". Motorsport memorial. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  4. "Jesús Reyes Molina". Motorsport memorial. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  5. "Unknown". Motorsport memorial. Retrieved 7 May 2011.