DAY 1 – “ANOTHER GREAT ADVENTURE” TRACKCHASING TOUR

 

 

Editor’s note:  Due to the length and uniqueness of this international Trackchasing Report my annual financial planning/investment advice/return on investment story will appear in my next report.

 

 

TO GO OR NOT TO GO?

Although I know where each of you lives and could come there if I had too, I doubt anyone lives closer to Mexico than Carol and I do.  Our home in San Clemente sits just off Exit #74 on interstate 5 in sunny Southern California.  This means we’re just 74 miles north of the Mexican border.  Since you don’t live near Mexico you may or may not be privy to the recent “goings on” here.  They’ve been having some major drug wars in this country.

 

 

In a way it’s a lot like Procter & Gamble battling Colgate for supremacy of the toothpaste shelves in your local grocery stores…..or not.  Obviously, selling drugs is a profitable business.  Various drug lords have been looking to expand their business.  And, just like Procter & Gamble would defend their toothpaste turf should Colgate try to encroach on our business, the drug cartels do the same thing.  They try to defend their business.  In the toothpaste wars, “defending the business” which is an actual term we would use might mean dropping a 50 cent coupon in next Sunday’s paper.  In the illegal drug business, it might mean shooting multiple people “gangland” style and then either slitting their throats or if time was not a concern decapitating them.  Folks, this is just how big business works!

 

 

“Now Randy, aren’t you dramatizing this just a little too much?  Are you trying to convince your readers that the challenge you face in trackchasing is so much more than those Dreaded East Coast Trackchasers are up against when they have to actually drive across a state line to see another JM Productions figure 8 race?”, the occasionally skeptical RANLAY Racing Trackchaser Report reader might ask.

 

 

This is a valid question.  You don’t have to take my word for it.  There are lots of other folks who have a major concern about visiting Mexico right now.  I throw out this one warning.  Do NOT come to any conclusion about visiting Mexico until you have read my COMPLETE report.

 

 

THE UNITED STATES STATE DEPARTMENT.

“A U. S. Department of State issued a travel alert (valid through August 2009) says, in part: “Some recent Mexican army and police confrontations with drug cartels have resembled small-unit combat, with cartels employing automatic weapons and grenades. Large firefights have taken place in many towns and cities across Mexico but most recently in northern Mexico, including Tijuana, Chihuahua City, and Ciudad Juarez. During some of these incidents, U.S. citizens have been trapped and temporarily prevented from leaving the area.”

 

  

When I read the above warning I was relieved to see that the statement had apparently expired in August 2009.  However, my research soon turned up this most recent warning to U.S. citizens regarding travel to Mexico and more specifically Tijuana.

 

 

“August 20, 2009

 

The Department of State has issued this Travel Alert to update security information for U.S. citizens traveling to and living in Mexico.  It supersedes the Travel Alert for Mexico dated February 20, 2009, and expires on February 20, 2010.

 

 

While millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year (including tens of thousands who cross the land border every day for study, tourism or business), violence in the country has increased.  It is imperative that travelers understand the risks of travel to Mexico, how best to avoid dangerous situations, and who to contact if one becomes a crime victim.  Common-sense precautions such as visiting only legitimate business and tourist areas during daylight hours, and avoiding areas where prostitution and drug dealing might occur, can help ensure that travel to Mexico is safe and enjoyable.

 

 

Recent violent attacks have caused the U.S. Embassy to urge U.S. citizens to delay unnecessary travel to parts of Michoacán and Chihuahua (see details below) and advise U.S. citizens residing or traveling in those areas to exercise extreme caution.  Drug cartels and associated criminal elements have retaliated violently against individuals who speak out against them or whom they otherwise view to be a threat to their organization, regardless of the individuals’ citizenship.  These attacks include the abduction and murder of two resident U.S. citizens in Chihuahua in July 2009.

 

 

Violence Along the U.S. – Mexico Border 

Mexican drug cartels are engaged in violent conflict – both among themselves and with Mexican security services – for control of narcotics trafficking routes along the U.S.-Mexico border.  In order to combat violence, the government of Mexico has deployed military troops in various parts of the country.  U.S. citizens should cooperate fully with official checkpoints when traveling on Mexican highways.

 

 

Some recent Mexican army and police confrontations with drug cartels have resembled small-unit combat, with cartels employing automatic weapons and grenades.  Large firefights have taken place in towns and cities across Mexico but occur mostly in northern Mexico, including Tijuana, Chihuahua City, Monterrey and Ciudad Juarez.  During some of these incidents, U.S. citizens have been trapped and temporarily prevented from leaving the area.  The U.S. Mission in Mexico currently restricts non-essential travel within the state of Durango, the northwest quadrant of Chihuahua and an area southeast of Ciudad Juarez, and all parts of the state of Coahuila south of Mexican Highways 25 and 22 and the Alamos River for US Government employees assigned to Mexico.  This restriction was implemented in light of the recent increase in assaults, murders, and kidnappings in those three states.  The situation in northern Mexico remains fluid; the location and timing of future armed engagements cannot be predicted.

 

 

A number of areas along the border are experiencing rapid growth in the rates of many types of crime.  Robberies, homicides, petty thefts, and carjackings have all increased over the last year across Mexico generally, with notable spikes in Tijuana and northern Baja California.  Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana and Nogales are among the cities which have experienced public shootouts during daylight hours in shopping centers and other public venues.  Criminals have followed and harassed U.S. citizens traveling in their vehicles in border areas including Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, and Tijuana.

 

 

The situation in the state of Chihuahua including Ciudad Juarez is of special concern.   The U.S. Consulate General recommends that American citizens defer non-essential travel to the Guadalupe Bravo area southeast of Ciudad Juarez and to the northwest quarter of the state of  Chihuahua including the city of Nuevo Casas Grandes and surrounding communities.  From the United States, these areas are often reached through the Columbus, NM and Fabens and Fort Hancock, TX ports-of-entry.  In both areas, American citizens have been victims of drug related violence.

 

 

Mexican authorities report that more than 1,000 people have been killed in Ciudad Juarez in the first six-months of 2009.  Additionally, this city of 1.6 million people experienced more than 17,000 car thefts and 1,650 carjackings in 2008.  U.S. citizens should pay close attention to their surroundings while traveling in Ciudad Juarez, avoid isolated locations during late night and early morning hours, and remain alert to news reports.  Visa and other service seekers visiting the Consulate are encouraged to make arrangements to pay for those services using a non-cash method.

 

 

U.S. citizens are urged to be alert to safety and security concerns when visiting the border region.  Criminals are armed with a wide array of sophisticated weapons.  In some cases, assailants have worn full or partial police or military uniforms and have used vehicles that resemble police vehicles.  While most crime victims are Mexican citizens, the uncertain security situation poses serious risks for U.S. citizens as well.  U.S. citizen victims of crime in Mexico are urged to contact the consular section of the nearest U.S. consulate or Embassy for advice and assistance.

 

 

THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS.

Camp Pendleton, a United States Marine Corps base sits just to the south of San Clemente, California and about 40 miles north of the Mexican border.  As a Marine, I was stationed at Camp Pendleton.  We frequently went to Tijuana for “fun and games” during my time in the Marines.

 

 

An official has barred Marines from visiting Tijuana as the California border town’s drug violence soars.

 

 

Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton has restricted travel to Mexico for the unit’s 44,000 members, USA Today reports.

 

 

“The situation in Mexico is now more dangerous than usual,” Mike Alvarez, the unit’s civilian public information officer, told the paper. “The intent is just to look out for the Marines’ safety and well-being.”

 

 

Last year, 843 people were killed in Tijuana, up dramatically from its 2007 death toll of 337. Many of the murders were execution-style and the bodies were found decapitated, the paper said.

 

 

The Marines said the order was first put in place for the Christmas holidays. USA Today said the order was extended indefinitely last week.

 

 

FROM MY MEXICAN RACE CONTACT.

This note came to me in an email from my Caldera Promotions racing contact Carlos Perdoma.  The sanctioning group was trying to make the racing experience for U.S. competitors as enjoyable and safe as possible.

 

 

“A sign of things getting better and safer in Tijuana, we are trying to make everybody safe and comfortable in our events. We will try to keep doing the same thing that we did in our last race.

On our last event, all USA racers met near Otay Border crossing in the USA. We then all drove together to the race track.

On Sunday after the race, again all racers drove together to the border to a shorter border crossing line taking us less than half-hour to cross.

All this made everybody feel more safe. We had good feedback about this.”

 

 

FROM FRIENDS AND FAMILY.

My golfing buddies were all of unanimous opinion with comments that all centered around the “Are you crazy” theme.  Even son J.J., whose 2009 international travel resume dwarfs my measly 15 trackchasing countries says, “I wouldn’t do it”. 

 

 

That left just “Trackchasing’s First Mother” to weigh in.  The United States State Department, the United States Marine Corps, my local contact for Mexican racing or family and friends could not dissuade me from seeing this race in Mexico.  However, Carol could….but she didn’t.  She has faith in her husband’s judgment.  As she frequently says, “You got me this far didn’t you”.

 

 

TIJUANA HERE WE COME!!

 

 

OTHER FEARFUL TRACKCHASIING EXPERIENCES.

I can never remember feeling as if I were in a dangerous situation at any U.S. track I have visited.  I must say that visits to both Bogota, Colombia and Durbin, South Africa had me looking over my shoulder.  However, both of those trips turned out fine.  As I look back on my trackchasing in both Colombia and South Africa, they are two of my very best highlights.

 

 

Carol and I did encounter a few anxious moments in Sydney, Australia several years ago.  We had decided to ride the train from downtown Sydney out to the track in the Sydney suburb of Granville.  On the train, we met “Frankie” a young man who convinced us he had a short cut to the track.  Frankie explained which exit we would need to use to get off the train.  Unfortunately, for us…and Frankie, he was kicked off the train at the exit before we were scheduled to get off for not having a train ticket!!

 

 

At the next exit, Carol and I did get off the train.  We were in an industrial area of old warehouse buildings and the like.  Since it was daylight the area didn’t seem too bad.  As we stepped off the train we were surprised to see “Frankie” and his buddy peeking out from behind a cargo container despite their having “departed” the train one stop earlier.  I still don’t know how they did that.  Frankie helped guide us through a five-block maze of rundown warehouses to the track.

 

 

I was feeling as if we really had the inside scoop when I learned Frankie was an employee of the Parramatta City Speedway.  He really showed us around and as memory serves me might have actually gotten us in for free. 

 

 

However, there is no such thing as a “free lunch”.  When the races were over it was now dark.  “Frankie” was nowhere to be found.  Carol and I now had to walk back to the train station through five blocks of shadowy old buildings where anything or anybody could be lurking.  I didn’t like that walk.  However, we made it.  If we could handle this as well as Colombia and South Africa we could surely do O.K. in Tijuana just 74 miles south of our oceanfront retreat.

 

 

MORE ABOUT TIJUANA

I do a considerable amount of research via the internet before embarking on my travels.  I can find stuff in a matter of seconds that gives me just as much information as I want to get.  Of course, as we all know if “it’s on the internet then it’s got to be true”…….or not.  Here is some information I found during my search for more data about Tijuana.

 

 

Tijuana

Tijuana, the world’s most-visited border city

 

 

Friday, January 23, 2009

 

  

Reasons to go to TJ

 Its a big, dirty, lawless city. You probably don’t have any good reason to go there unless you are looking to save some money or do something that would be illegal in the United States. Be prepared to see appalling displays of poverty. 

 

 

Reasons to go to TJ

 

• The whole city is like one big dirty Pier 1 imports.
• You want to buy prescription drugs. There is a pharmacy on every block there.
• You want to go to the Zona Norte, the red light district.
• You are passing through on your way to a nicer part of Baja Califonia.
• You want to test your Spanish speaking skills.
• You want to drink underage or go to clubs.

 

 

 Locals in Tijuana

Current estimates are that tourism accounts for over 12% of Tijuana’s economy. A significant additional portion goes to providing for those who are “in transit” to the north, a process which can take quite some time (in some cases, a lifetime). Barely 50% of the population (over the age of 12) is considered to be “economically active,” pointing to a significant population of consumers rather than producers.

 

 

Tijuana’s employment figures are overwhelmingly geared toward tourism and manufacturing. Currently, 53% of the employment is in “services,” which includes the tourism sector. Another 46% is involved in manufacturing, primarily in the maquiladoras. This leaves 1% of the workforce that is involved in agriculture.

 

 

The people who are making decent money can live relatively well in Tijuana. In the better parts of the city, housing quality is comparable to that of the US, complete with all the usual amenities (like electricity and cable television) — although some utilities (such as water) might not be as reliable as we are used to in the US.

 

 

Those that are not so lucky, aren’t classified as producers or consumers — they aren’t classified as anything at all, because they never officially show up in any counts. As much as 10% of Tijuana’s population lives in this condition. The city claims on one hand that it has a shortage of almost 37,000 housing units — yet other indicators show that there is a significant vacancy rate. The problem is not necessarily the availability of housing, but the availability of affordable housing as well as acceptable housing: many of the existing homes are in such disrepair that they are not livable; others are self-constructed and generally inadequate.

 

 

The problem is especially bad for the poorest residents. The family members (usually just a mother and her children) crowd into a cheap hotel room paid for by selling trinkets on the streets if they are lucky. If they aren’t so lucky, they might be living in the city dump.

 

 

In northern Mexico, the city dump is called “el dompe,” a variation on the English word. Even el dompe has a pecking order. Gangs rule the dumps, deciding who can pick through what area of trash, and keeping the choice areas to themselves, or even demanding “tribute” from the poorer residents for the privilege of digging for trash and living there. Even the dump has outcasts — imagine being thrown out of the place you were thrown out to — that are forced to build makeshift shelters in an area called the “pig village“, where they sleep next to the pigs waiting to be slaughtered.

 

 

The better shacks might have floors composed of carpet scraps and squares of linoleum, with walls of discarded wood. Some of the shacks might even have a television, even though they had no electricity — they would take a car battery out of a wrecked car and hook it up to the television.

 

 

At the summit, though, where the best shacks are located, is one of the best views of San Diego. The “residents” pick through the trash looking for bottles, tin, or glass that they can sell. They hunt for wood or furniture they can use to build a home. On a good day, they can find discarded meat that is not TOO rotten, which they can cook for a better meal than usual. And through the haze of burning animal carcasses (for that, too, goes on at the city dump), the shining buildings of San Diego’s coastline look close enough to touch but are a world away.

 

 

Despite the warnings and cries of despair, “Trackchasing’s First Mother” and I were going to TJ.  Of all of our children’s friend’s parents, we are the most adventuresome by a factor of several.  Until we meet our demise we intend to keep it that way.  As you will see, with proper precaution, folks can travel anywhere safely.  With this attitude, we won’t be glued to the recliner watching FOX news for the remainder of our years.

 

 

GREETINGS FROM TIJUANA, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO

 

 

TODAY’S HEADLINES

  

Find out how we were almost kicked out of Mexico in the first 15 minutes of our visit. …………..details in “The Trip”.

 

 

It’s all about fun and adventure for me………………more in “The Objective”.

 

 

We came to Mexico was some apprehension.  However, by the time we left we were more than pleased with every one of the people we had met. …………..details in “The People”.

 

 

“Trackchasing’s First Mother” is very good at playing the “What if” game…………..details in “The Trip”.

 

 

THE OBJECTIVE, THE TRIP, THE PEOPLE…AND A WHOLE LOT MORE

 

 

The Objective 

 

 

I am in this for the fun and adventure.

For me trackchasing is done for fun and adventure.  A trip to Tijuana, Mexico fit the bill on both accounts.  You’ll see in the “Trip” section of this report how it all “came down”.  We lived to tell about it and can’t wait to go back for more Caldera Promotions (http://www.calderapromotions.com/) races in Mexico. 

 

 

The Trip

 

 

It was time to take a close by international trip.

I live in the most remote section of the continental United States for the purpose of trackchasing.  However, I live closer to an international border than any other worldwide top ten trackchaser.  Until today I had never taken advantage of my newly discovered geographical advantages.

 

 

Have you ever experienced a “moving roadblock?

Our 74-mile ride down the to the Mexican border was not without drama.  About midway in our ride, we encountered a California Highway Patrol moving roadblock.  We see these from time to time but certainly didn’t want to be delayed by one today. 

 

 

Most of our freeways are 4-6 lanes in each direction.  Southern California has the best freeway system of any place in the world from my experience.  We need good roads because we have a lot of drivers.  Once in a while, an accident or other road hazard problem will present itself.  This is when the CHP get involved.  By the way, you will rarely, if ever, see a motorist pulled over for speeding in SoCal.  I think the cops believe the resulting traffic delays from “rubberneckers” is more of a problem than a speeding motorist might cause. 

 

  

Today we encountered a “moving roadblock”.  When this happens a black and white CHP patrol car effectively “slows down” 4-6 lanes of freeway traffic all by himself.  He gets in front of the traffic, much like a pace car would do to start a motor race.  However, the CHP unit weaves back and forth, much like a NASCAR driver does to clean his tires before a restart.  The CHP patrol car weaves from one side of a 4-6 lane freeway to the other at about 20 M.P.H.  Motorists know to slow down and not pass the CHP car.  We were at the “front of the pack” today when this process began.  There is a protocol as to how close the “front row” of slowed traffic should follow the CHP car.  As you might imagine “Trackchasing’s First Mother” thought I might be following the police officer too closely.  However, if I was going to get some great photos of this phenomenon for you I had to have an up-close first-row seat, right?  

 

 

What was the moving roadblock for this morning?  Was it another famous O.J. Simpson like “chase”?  Was the paparazzi following Paris Hilton home from a trip to jail?  Nope!  It was nothing exciting like that.  The CHP was using a moving roadblock to keep traffic back while the highway department filled in some potholes along the freeway!  Yes, I was as disappointed in this as you apparently were.

 

 

Walking vs. riding, what was best?

When we reached the border we had a choice.  We could “walk across the border” and take a taxi to the track.  Alternatively, we could drive the Carol Lewis owned and Life of Virginia sponsored Lexus LS 430 across the border and drive to the track ourselves.

 

 

U.S. auto insurance doesn’t “work” in Mexico.  Therefore, one must buy “Mexican auto insurance”.  Mexican auto insurance will only cover vehicles up to $30,000 U.S.  However, our Lexus is in its “aging” phase.  It is now nearly six years old.  I haven’t trashed it by using it for trackchasing.  I just surpassed 80,000 miles with it this week.  The Lexus’ market value is less than $30,000 so we could have bought Mexican insurance and driven to the track.

 

 

However, my Mexican racing contact Carlos Perdoma recommended we park our car at the border (on the U.S. side!) and walk across into Mexico.  That seemed like a prudent idea.  Parking for the day was just $8.  By the way, I would not have any airfare, rental car or hotel expense.  I was trackchasing just as those “Dreaded East Coast Trackchasers” do.  What an economical “piece of cake”.  This would turn out to be my most least expensive trackchasing day of 2009!

 

 

I wanted to keep our expenses down in other areas as well.  Therefore, Carol and I did not bring any gold watches or diamond rings with us.  We don’t have many of these items, but the ones that we do have needed to be kept in the Lewis estate.  I also kept other valuables like my Hawaii driver’s license and miscellaneous credit cards securely locked in the trunk of our car.  With the valet lock on, the trunk could not be opened from the car’s interior in case that part of the car was broken into.

 

 

Now it was time to get creative.

I had just one other valuable that I didn’t want to lose.  That was my car key.  A Lexus car key goes for about $700.  I have never lost one and I don’t want too.  I couldn’t lock the key in the car.  Lexus technology prevents the car from locking if the key is inside anyway.  I could leave it above one of the tires like we do sometimes but that seemed sort of obvious.  I had to come up with a new hiding place.  I found some very heavy ice plant near the car.  I buried my key in there.

 

 

Of course, “Trackchasing’s First Mother” had some comments about this.  “What if some kid comes walking through the grass dragging his feet”.  I looked around.  We were in a 99% asphalt parking lot.  I didn’t see any kids.  I knew she meant well but her concern didn’t seem to be realistic.  Later, she would trouble me with “what if a sprinkler turns on where you’ve buried the key, we’ll never get home”.  Of course, this is one of the most lovable things about “Trackchasing’s First Mother”.  She’s always playing the “What if” game.  Sometimes I like to put my hands around her neck and say “What if” but that’s a story for another time.

 

 

Crossing the border.

You’ve all read about the need for a passport to travel to foreign countries.  Of course, Carol and I both have passports.  I have traveled so much I had to send my passport back to the U.S. government to get 24 more pages added to it.  However, there is no need for a passport to walk from the United States into Tijuana at the San Ysidro border crossing.  What do you need to do?  You just need to walk!

 

 

Yes, that’s right, you walk right in like you owned the place.  You don’t need to talk to anybody.  You don’t need to fill out any forms.  You don’t need to have anything inspected.  We did seem a few armed guards, some with automatic weapons.  Of course, that was comforting!

 

 

We were in!

Once we were in Mexico we went straight to McDonalds.  That’s right, we went straight to “Mickey Ds”.  Of course, we didn’t go to McDonalds for the food.  I have known trackchasers who eat at McDonalds on their international trips.  Shame on them.  Where is the adventure in that?  However for every rule there is an exception or two.

 

 

Today, we went to the McDonalds with the primary purpose of using their bathrooms.  I figured we needed to “buy something” in order to not be an imposition.  So, while Carol went upstairs to use the “banos” I ordered a “cono”.  That’s an ice cream cone to you gringos.  Right now, one U.S. dollar will buy about 13 Mexican pesos.  A “cono” was six pesos.  I used my best Spanish from my two years of high school Spanish at the East Peoria Community High School to place my order.

 

 

A little historical background.

Editor’s note:  Back in 1963-65, I resided in East Peoria, Illinois.  Part of the curriculum for being in “college prep” required two years of a foreign language.  East Peoria was an all-white primarily southern hillbilly kind of town.  I didn’t know any Spaniards, I didn’t know anybody who spoke Spanish.  I wasn’t even sure I knew anybody who knew anybody who spoke Spanish.  I studied Spanish just enough to keep me academically eligible for the basketball team.  I can prove this point with my “D” and “D-“ grades I received for each of my four Spanish semesters.  If you don’t believe me please send a self-addressed stamped envelope (enclose one dollar for handling and profit) to the following address.  I will send you a copy of my high school transcript to prove what I am telling you. 

 

 

Randy Lewis 

P.O. Box 4275 

San Clemente, CA 92674

 

 

Anyway, I went with the grammatically correct, “Uno cono, por favor”.  This provoked a puzzled response from the counterperson.  I was thinking, “Hey I have two years of high school Spanish, how can I screw up saying ‘One cone, please”.  It turns out they don’t serve the ice cream cones from the regular counter but form a special place in the corner of the store.  Senorita Korngiebel, my high school Spanish teacher told me I would never do well in a Spanish speaking culture.  I guess she was right.

 

 

Almost kicked out of Mexico in the first 15 minutes we were there.

I feel it is my responsibility to provide you photos of my trackchasing experiences.  There is always the possibility that you have not and never will visit Mexico.  If you’ve been to TJ maybe I saw the place from a different angle than you did.  Therefore, I go out of my way to take pictures and share them with you.

 

 

I most enjoy taking photos where photo taking is prohibited.  I have long ago learned that a “who me?” approach will go a long way in keeping me out of trouble in this regard.  Of course, “Trackchasing’s First Mother” is always uncomfortable with this method.  I tell her she can fade into the background as I am led away to a life in Mexican jails when this strategy backfires.  That almost happened today.

 

 

I was busily taking pictures when I happened across a “Mexican sportsbook”.  You’ve seen these in Vegas.  Folks go here to “bet the ponies” and watch sports on TV.  It was a darkly lit place so a flash photo was needed.  I took my picture quickly and kept on moving. 

 

 

However, once I was out in the daylight again an “international incident” took place.  First, a security guard from the sportsbook came running out of the building like it was on fire.  Then a policeman came up to me shouting something in Spanish.  All the while I seemed to sense that Carol was distancing herself into the Mexican landscape with her fellow TJ onlookers.

 

 

The local security people were now screaming.  “No photos” and “deleto”.  I suspected they had learned their English is a place not much different than where I had learned my Spanish.  I’m going to be perfectly honest with you at this point.

 

 

Editor’s note:  Being honest is not unusual.  It is written in the RANLAY Racing Trackchaser Report bylaws that every statement of fact that I write must be the complete and unadulterated truth.  It can’t be any other way.

 

 

The truth is I do not know how to delete a single photo from my digital camera.  I know it can be done, I just don’t know how to do it.  Additionally, without my reading glasses I couldn’t delete a single photo even if I knew how to complete the process.  However, this does not prevent my “pretending” to delete a single photo.  That is exactly what I did.  As I continued to walk away from the sportsbook, I kept nodding yes and pretending to delete the photo until, like attack dogs, the security people stopped yapping and let me go on my way.  Then as if by a miracle Carol reappeared and joined in our adventure again.

 

 

Now we needed a taxi.

With just about everything I do there is a strategy.  Much of my strategy development comes from information others give me.  Carlos had advised that we walk across the border and take a taxi to the track.  He also advised avoid the “yellow taxis” and hire a “white taxi with red stripe” as they would be less expensive.  That is what we did.

 

 

Additional research told me that the yellow taxis had drivers who spoke more English but did not use a meter.  Folks told me we would pay much more to rent a yellow taxi.  The white taxis were reportedly driven by people who didn’t speak much English but did use a meter.  We ended up paying about $10 for the 14-mile ride from the border to the track.  That didn’t seem too bad.

 

 

We arrived at about noon.  Carlos had said the racing would begin at 11 a.m.  However, he qualified that statement by saying this was “Mexican time”.  I wonder if “Mexican time” is the same as “Short Track Racing Time”.  I think both of those time descriptions are not meant to be complimentary.

 

 

Since we were a bit off the “beaten path” at the track, I figured it would be good if our taxi driver could meet us back here at a prearranged time.  I thought three hours at the track, considering we arrived an hour after racing was scheduled to begin, would be about right.

 

 

I abandoned “Senorita Korngiebel’s” teachings and went with sign language rather than Spanish with the taxi driver.  I pointed first to my watch, then held up three fingers and pointed straight down.  This was meant to say that we wanted the taxi driver to meet us right where he was dropping us off at 3 p.m.  He responded with “Tres”.  We were on the same page!  He gave me his business card, wrote his cell phone number on it and we were off.  We didn’t have our cell phones with us but I guess we could call him with someone else’s phone if we had too.

 

 

The food!

One of the best parts about foreign travel is the food.  I grew up in Illinois.  Therefore, I can say with some authority that Midwesterners are not on the forefront of culinary exploration.  We first moved to California in 1974.  Relatives would visit us from “back east” and end up ordering a cheeseburger at a SoCal Mexican restaurant.  I love meat and potatoes as much as the next Midwesterner but do enjoy the challenge of finding foods I’ve never eaten that I might learn to enjoy.

 

 

Carol is very good about trying new foods as well.  That helps.  Today there were about 200 fans in the stands.  Add in about 100 people in the pit area and the entire place held maybe 300 people.  This is what made the concessions situation so unusual.

 

 

There had to be a minimum of ten fixed booth food outlets.  They sold everything from M&Ms candy to Tecate beer to Tacos.  On top of this wide selection of things to eat and drink they sent vendors through the stands selling their wares.  There were at least ten separate people coming through the stands constantly.  They mainly sold drinks on a warm, but not hot fall day.  There were a couple of vendors selling trinkets and sun hats as well.

 

 

They also had a nice “event shirt” advertising the “Grand Prix – Tijuana”.  They were hard to pass up at $10 U.S. each.  However, in Mexico people bargain.  I made a deal to get the shirts for nine bucks each.  I’ll bet I’ll the only guy on our block that will have a Tijuana Grand Prix racing t-shirt. 

 

 

On the lunch front, we started out with a fried potato selection.  Actually, this delicacy was very similar to the “Mile-high fries” that are so popular and good at the Boone Nationals in Iowa.  Essentially one potato is sliced, potato chip style, and fried.  The entire potato stays “connected”.  The vendor then places a stick up through the center of this potato and applies salt and hot sauce.  The name of this vendor is “2 X 1”.  I think this means “two for one” as two potatoes cost us 20 pesos.

 

 

We ended up drinking three Tecate beers with lime.  The three drinks were only 45 pesos (about $3.50 U.S.).  I was surprised to see they did not sell any diet sodas whatsoever.  I noticed this outage in other foreign countries as well.

 

 

Next up was an order of tacos.  There were several meats sitting on a hot metal “stove”.  The various meats looked to be in a semi-cooked stage.  We chose the “carne asada” aka steak tacos.  The chef laid out some corn tortillas and quickly reheated the meat.  Then with the most mild of the recommended sauces we grabbed a spot in the shade and enjoyed our Mexican feast.  For those who think they are eating Mexican food at Taco Bell, trust me you are not.  The food was a major highlight of our international experience.

 

 

All too soon it was time to go home.

At the appointed time we looked up the road to see if our taxi driver had returned.  He had!  I was still finishing up a beer and he didn’t say anything when I got in the taxi with it.  However, as we approached the border, he told me in broken English to hide my can.  I knew the drill.

 

 

We had walked across the border into Mexico.  We would end up walking across the border to get back into the United States.  However, the process of getting back to the U.S. was a little more time consuming than getting into Mexico.

 

 

But then Carol nearly created an international financial incident.

Just before we reached “border control” we encountered a vendor selling “Gorditas Denatas”.  This was a pancake-shaped corn treat of some sort.  We ordered six of them hot off the grill.  I think the charge was 20 pesos.

 

 

Carol attempted to create an international financial sting by giving them Euros rather than pesos.  There were just a few things wrong with this idea.  First, the woman immediately recognized that we “weren’t using Mexican money”.  Then Carol tried to blame me for putting Euros in her Mexican money pile.  Now everyone within earshot looked at me with a  raised eyebrow.  Finally, had we given up our Euros for “Gorditas Denatas” we would have paid about four times the price that was being asked.  Some good-natured local women helped right our financial ship and soon we were off with a package of Mexican treats that were too hot to eat for several minutes.

 

 

It took us about ten minutes to cross the U.S. border.  I almost got in trouble for taking a picture of the Constantine wire used to keep folks from coming into the U.S. without approval.  “Trackchasing’s First Mother” reminded me that she would not be using her few remaining Euros/pesos to bail me out of jail.  I have never seen a U.S. Border Agent look at passports faster.  Once we got to the head of the line we were asked only one question.  What did you buy?  Our answer was simple just three racing t-shirts and a bag of “Gorditas Denatas”.

 

 

 

The People

 

 

Everyone we met was fantastic.

Of course, every one of the Mexican people we met was friendly and as helpful as they could be.  Our Caldera Promotions racing contact Carlos Perdoma was great.  His advice on how best to get to the track saved us time and money.

 

 

Once at the track Carlos went about introducing Carol and me to several of the local and visiting drivers and crews.  Then he took me out to the track and introduced me to today’s racing officials.  He made sure they knew that I could go anywhere I needed getting photos for your enjoyment.  Finally, Carlos secured a cell phone so we could get word to our taxi driver to pick us up later than originally planned.

 

 

Our taxi driver did a great job for us.  As expected he didn’t speak much English.  However, when he saw I was about ready to take a picture he slowed the taxi down until I was finished with my shot.  He was also very punctual when it came time to return us to the border.  We tried to tip him generously.

 

 

Other locals, we met from the track officials to the four clowns that were on duty making animal balloons for the children to the vendors we bought things from could not have been friendlier or more helpful considering the language barrier we all faced.

 

 

It is hard to believe the United States has so much abundance and a place like Mexico lacks the riches we take for granted.  I can certainly see why residents of Mexico want to get into the United States so badly. 

 

 

I won’t kid you.  We had some apprehension about this trip.  We’ve had a few trips like this as I have visited 15 different countries in search of that next racetrack.  Each time, however, we’ve run into “good people” who have made the trip most enjoyable.

 

 

Mexico has its problems.  They have bad people killing other bad people.  Sometimes good people get in the way.  I hope that doesn’t happen much more and Mexico can get back to being a fun place for foreigners to visit for a good time in the sun.  Viva la Mexico!

 

 

RACE REVIEW

 

 

GRAND PRIX – TIJUANA, TIJUANA, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO

 

 

This is really about the cultural experience.

Our international trackchasing adventures have always been much more about the cultural experience than the racing experience.  I suspect that was the case today as well.  Today’s racing was part of the Caldera Promotions Mexican racing program.  I had intended to take in one of their shows last year in Tecate, Mexico.  However, it was canceled on short notice.

 

 

I asked Carlos what the “official” name of the track was for my record-keeping purposes.  He told me he didn’t think the track had a name although he would check to confirm that.  At press time, I had not heard back so I’m going with the name on the event shirts as the name of the track…..”Grand Prix – Tijuana”.

 

 

I am told that today’s temporary racing circuit will be moved to a different location in Tijuana for next year.  The location of the two circuits will be about ten miles apart.  I believe that meets the requirements so that each track can be counted in my trackchasing totals despite the circuits being “street courses” and of the temporary track variety.  My contact Carlos Perdoma also mentioned the group plans to race in both Ensenada and Mexicali, Mexico next year.  I hope they do.

 

 

This is the only Mexican street race in the country.

Today’s racing took place on the streets of Tijuana.  I was told this is the only road course street racing held in all of Mexico.  Mexico does have a fully scheduled NASCAR group that races on ovals and road courses all over the country.  Today’s group races just 3-4 times per year.

 

 

In total there were about 25 cars racing today.  I believe that three of the drivers had brought their cars in from the U.S.  I met the Derek Dvorak racing team (Camaro #327).  They race out of San Diego, California.  I quizzed them as to where else they raced.  They mentioned all of the major road courses in California, Arizona and Nevada.  Unfortunately, I have already been to each of these tracks.

 

 

When we arrived there was no action on the track.  We were told that practice would be the next item on the agenda.  I asked when the first race would take place.  This is when I got the “Mexican time” response.  Based upon this feedback, I had one of the officials call our taxi driver to move our pickup time back from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.  They couldn’t race the three races they had planned too late because there were no lights.

 

 

Carlos’ son races as well in a beautiful red & white #73 Honda sponsored by Burger King.  I noticed in looking at the Caldera Promotions website that entries were much greater in years past especially from the U.S.  I suspect the violence and economic troubles have been a double whammy on the race.

 

 

There is a good deal of new construction going on near the racetrack.  There is a new housing development within just feet of the track.  This is probably why the track needs to move in the near future.

 

 

I was told the track is about 1.7 miles long.  The track has the shape of a “reverse L”.  The cars race in the counter-clockwise direction.  To keep the speeds down stacks of used tires form “chicanes” in at least two spots that are visible from the main viewing area.

 

 

For most of the track’s surface where spectators are not allowed, there is no safety fencing.  Down one long straight section of the course sits a large dump truck.  From there the starter waves the flags.  I would hate to see one of these racecars get out of shape while flying down this straight and tag the dump truck!  I also saw spectators walking with their backs to the racing in this area of the course.  I wouldn’t do that.

 

 

The track workers were all decked out in matching shirts.  They used radio headsets to communicate in Spanish.  The grandstands were about six rows high and seated maybe 200 people.  An announcer spoke to the crowd continuously in Spanish.  When Carol and I arrived he noticed us and greeted us in English.  I guess we looked like “we weren’t from around here”.

 

 

There was no admission charge for Carol and me today.  The ticket selling area was 200 yards from the grandstand and racing action.  Our taxi driver dropped us right at the gate.  We didn’t see a sign regarding admission prices.  Therefore, I flashed my trackchasing business card and we were admitted without charge.  On the way out of the track I saw a separate entrance with a sign that said tickets were 50 pesos (about $4 U.S.).

 

 

From what  I could tell, given the fact the announcer was speaking in Spanish, there were 3-4 classes racing today.  Most of the cars were four-cylinders Hondas and VWs with at least one 8-cylinder Chevy Camaro thrown in.  The first race was scheduled for 30 minutes and included 2-3 different classes.  The second race, also scheduled for 30 minutes, included the classes that did not race in the first race.  Finally, the third race would be an enduro for one hour with all cars racing.  We didn’t stay for that race.

 

 

Overall, the experience of being in a true third-world foreign country will long be remembered more so than the racing.  Road-course racing at most places is more for the drivers than the fans.  That was true today.  Nevertheless, Carol and I enjoyed our visit to Tijuana.

 

 

STATE COMPARISONS

 

 

Baja California

Today Carol and I each saw our 3rd-lifetime track in the country of Mexico.  This gives us a strong trackchasing leadership position in the country even though our total would appear to be low.  As it turns out, just a few trackchasers have ever ventured down here.  None of them has seen more than one track in Mexico.  I hope that my international visits and those of the others in what is becoming the “international big three”  will encourage trackchasers from all over the world to branch out a bit.

 

 

This was our first ever trackchasing adventure into the state of Baja California.  Did you know that Mexico has 31 states in the country?  We’ve also been to Jalisco and the “Distrito Federal” Mexico’s “District of Columbia”.  No trackchaser is the nearly 100-year history of trackchasing has ever pursued the hobby in the Mexican state of Baja California.

 

 

Coming Soon – RANLAY Racing Exclusive Features!

 

Trackchasing politics revealed….they’re about ready to kill each other.

 

 

Who have been Randy’s three toughest trackchasing competitors? (October, 2009)

 

 

Don’t miss my financial “Return on Investment” review that I offer each year. (Coming in my very next report!)

 

 

Should a “handicapping” system be used in trackchasing?

 

 

Thanks for reading about my trackchasing, 

 

 

Randy Lewis 

Alberta’s #1 Trackchaser 

What would Jesus tweet?

 

 

TRAVEL DETAILS

 

AIRPLANE

No airplanes needed on this trip!

 

 

RENTAL CAR #1

No rental car needed on this trip!

 

 

OTHER MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION

Personal car – San Clemente, CA – trip begins 

Personal car to Mexican border – 74 miles 

Walking – United States to Mexico – 74 miles, 500 yards 

Taxi – near Mexican border to the track – 88 miles, 500 yards 

Taxi – from the track to near Mexican border – 102 miles, 500 yards 

Walking – Mexico to United States – 102 miles, 1,000 yards 

Personal car – near Mexican border to San Clemente, CA – 181 miles, 1,000 yards – trip ends

 

 

Total Air miles – 0 (0 flights)

 

 

Total auto and air miles traveled on this trip – 181 miles, 1,000 yards

 

 

TRACK ADMSSION PRICES:

Grand Prix – Tijuana – No charge 

 

Total racetrack admissions for the trip – $0

 

 

 

COMPARISONS

 

 

LIFETIME TRACKCHASER COMPARISONS 

There are no trackchasers currently within 200 tracks of my lifetime total. 

  

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 1,506

Official end of RANLAY Racing Trackchaser Report

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click on the links below to see a photo album from each of my trackchasing trips to Mexico.  You can view the album slide by slide or click on the “slide show” icon for a self-guided tour of today’s trackchasing adventure.

 

Tijuana

Tijuana is just 74 miles from our place in San Clemente.

 

The Tijuana trip from start to finish…and more