MEXICO

 

 

We live in San Clemente, California.  We are just 74 miles north of the Mexican border city of Tijuana.  Nevertheless, it took me until 2007 to see my very first race in Mexico.  It always seemed as if it was difficult to get racing information from south of the border.  Following my initial Mexican trackchasing conquest I went back for more in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and now in 2017.

 

Despite the reported dangers of visiting Mexico we’ve never had a problem when visiting these Mexican tracks.  The people and food are wonderful.  NASCAR has a major racing series in the country.  That series can provide several future trackchasing trips to Mexico.

 

In the meantime you can check on the six tracks I HAVE seen in Mexico to date.  In those few visits, we’ve seen lots of the country and eaten some outstanding Mexican food.  We even stop at roadside “restaurants” when we come south of the border.  

 

 

As you read along you might find some information that reminds you of a similar experience you have had or provides some stimulus for you to take a trip to these parts of the world.  I think you will find the scenery interesting and the people most friendly.

 

 

Mexico was the 10th different country where I have had the opportunity to see racing.  

RLR – Randy Lewis Racing Lifetime Trackchasing Countries

 

# 1 – UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – Peoria Speedway (Mt. Hawley, oval)   

# 2 – CANADA – Cayuga Speedway (oval) – Track #174, Nelles Corner, Ontario, Canada 

# 3 – AUSTRALIA – Parramatta City Raceway (oval) – Track #180, Granville, New South Wales, Australia

# 4 – UNITED KINGDOM – Northhampton International Raceway (oval) – Track #378, Northhampton

# 5 – NETHERLANDS – Driesum Racetrack (oval) – Track #839, Driesum

# 6 – BELGIUM – Bellekouter oval (oval) – Track #841, Affligem

# 7 – FRANCE – Circuit de Croix en Ternois (road course) – Track #843, Saint-Pol sur-Ternoise

# 8 – GERMANY – Nurburgring (road course) – Track #844, Nurburg

# 9 – NEW ZEALAND – Western Springs Speedway (oval) – Track #1,134, Western Springs

# 10 – MEXICO – Triovalo Bernardo Obregon (oval) – Track #1,281, Tiajamulco de Zuniga, Jalisco

 

 

 

 

 

DAY 3 – “I’M UNRESTRICTED NOW!” TRACKCHASING TOUR

 

 

 

TODAY’S HEADLINES

 

 

This hobby requires airtight logistics …………..details in “The Objective & The Strategy”.

 

 

Passports, Mexican auto insurance and tacos………………more in “The Trip”.

 

 

Eating in Mexico rocks …………..details in “Great places to eat before it’s too late”.

 

  

GREETINGS FROM MEXICALI, MEXICO

 

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

 

 

The Objective and the Strategy  

 

 

The objective.

 

Getting some more international exposure. 

The objective is to continue to add to the list of more than 200 international tracks I have visited to date.  We’re also here to expand our “international” experience.  With the exception of Canada, every international location is dramatically different than what we experience in the U.S.

 

 

The strategy.

 

We sink or swim with logistics. 

The overriding strategy of this trip involved logistics.  It called for planes, rental cars and personal automobiles to all be on time and in place.  The planning of these trips is both challenging and rewarding when everything comes off as planned.

 

 

The Trip

  

No retired person should have to do this. 

I woke up this morning in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  I went to sleep in San Clemente, California.  This is what happened in between.  I was awakened at 3:15 a.m. Pacific time.  For the three mornings of this trip I got up at 4:45 a.m., 5 a.m. and 3:15 a.m. Pacific time.  No retired person should ever be subjected to such a rigorous morning schedule!

 

This was another one of those logistical travel situations where everything needed to go perfectly.  I was concerned about that happening.  Things normally work out but not always.

 

I started my trip this morning in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  First I needed to catch a 6:05 a.m. flight to Los Angeles, California.  Then I had a 35-minute connection at LAX for a flight to San Diego, California.  I landed at the San Diego International Airport (SAN) at 8:20 a.m.  My part of the plan had been successful.

The ‘trackchasing assassins’ were moving into place. 

While I was flying the “friendly skies” Carol was wheeling the “Carol Lewis owned and Life of Virginia” sponsored Lexus LS 430 down the freeways of Southern California.  She would arrive at the commuter terminal at SAN exactly on time at 8:30 a.m.  I love it when a plan comes together!

 

From there we joined up as a pair of “Trackchasing Assassins” ready to “go in” and get the job done.  It was 122 miles from the airport to Mexicali, Mexico.  This is one of the most unusual drives, scenery wise, in the country.  Don’t miss the pictures.

 

The temperature at the top of the mountains was in the low 40s.  By race time in Mexico temps would be in the low 80s.  We drove under sunshine as we looked off to the right.  There was Mexico!  Interstate 8 and then California 98 parallel the U.S./Mexican border just a mile or two north of Mexico.

Your government at work. 

Every 10-15 minutes for the entire drive we saw U.S. border patrol officers prowling the desert.  Their familiar (to us) green and white SUVs seemed to be everywhere.  The vastness of this area and the border in total reminded us just how difficult it is to keep our border safe from intruders.  We did see some alleged illegal aliens (undocumented workers?) handcuffed along side the road.

 

Our destination was Mexicali, Mexico.  Mexicali’s border town partner is Calexico, California.  Pretty clever town names don’t you think.  We stopped in Calexico for two reasons.

Uh….did you bring your passport? 

We needed to make a pit stop…at McDonalds.  McDonalds has clean restrooms.  It was here that I thought to ask Carol a question that should have been mentioned last week.  I bring my U.S. passport on every trip.  My trips are so unpredictable I never know when I will need to leave the United States on a moment’s notice. 

 

Had Carol remembered to bring her passport?  No passport is needed to ENTER Mexico.  However, one cannot return to the U.S. without a passport.  Yes!  Carol had brought her passport even though we had never discussed the need for it.

This is the only country I visit where I buy extra auto insurance. 

The second box that needed to be checked was getting some Mexican auto insurance.  For years we could never bring the Lexus into Mexico because it’s value exceeded the limit Mexican auto insurance companies offer.  However, over the years the value of Carol’s car had declined and the amounts of insurance offered have increased.  Our U.S. auto insurance does not cover us in Mexico.

 

Yes, I drive the “Carol Lewis owned and Life of Virginia” sponsored Lexus.  However, the car is in Carol’s name.  I could tell you why that is the case but then I would have to…….you know the rest.  There’s a good reason this is the situation.

 

I was glad I had invited Carol on this trip.  Since she is the legal owner of the car, we could not get Mexican auto insurance without her being present.  If she had not come along, then I would have had to drive the car into Mexico without insurance.

Tell me about Mexicali. 

Mexicali, Mexico (Mexicali) is a city of about 700,000 people.  It is dramatically larger than it’s border sibling of Calexico, California (Calexico).  Calexico has just 27,000 residents.

 

Mexicali is the capital of the Mexican state of Baja, California.  Mexicali’s standard of living is one of the highest in all of Mexico.  Did you know that Mexicali is the northernmost city in Latin America?  Me, neither.

 

The city used to be dependent upon agriculture.  Now many U.S. company’s have industrial plants here including Mitsubishi, Coca-Cola and Nestle. 

This is earthquake country. 

Just a year ago, April 4, 2010 Mexicali suffered a major 7.2 earthquake.  Only two people were killed in that quake despite its intensity being stronger than the recent quake in Haiti that killed 200,000 people and made one million homeless.  Why?

 

One reason for the lower death toll and damage is that the epicenter of Mexicali’s quake was in an agricultural belt with few buildings 38 miles from the city in northern Mexico. The Haiti quake was only 18 miles from its densely populated capital of 2.5 million people. 

 

The secondary reason is “seismic codes”.  Both in Mexico and the US we have seismic codes that in general are being enforced. There is a culture of earthquakes. 

 

We found Mexicali to be one of the cleanest Mexican locations we had seen.  The traffic was well controlled.  The people were more than friendly.  Despite Mexico’s current reputation at no time did we ever feel unsafe.

Garth doesn’t speak Mexican Spanish. 

I figured that once we crossed the border into Mexico that it should be easy to find the race course.  Wrong!  I had not considered that Mexicali was a city of 700,000 people.  We stopped to ask the border police for directions.  They didn’t know where the racing was happening.  We decided to just “drive and search”.

 

After 5-10 minutes this strategy proved ineffective.  I saw a Mexicali police cruiser parked on a side street.  We pulled over to ask for some help.  The police officer eyed us wearily.  Did he know we were “trackchasing assassins”?  He was wearing enough armor to qualify for a roll in “The Terminator” (The Terminator).  Nevertheless, he was friendly, didn’t speak much English, but did direct us four blocks to the track.

 

 

After the races…………..

 

 

We want to EXPERIENCE the countries we visit. 

We insist on maximizing our international experiences.  Today that would include having dinner in Mexico.  We were only a mile from the U.S. border.  We could have easily (not quickly though) gone back into the U.S. for supper.  We don’t roll that way.  We would have dinner in Mexico.  More on that in “Great places to eat before it’s too late” section of this report.

Wrong place, wrong time. 

Following dinner it was border-crossing time.  The worst time of the week to cross back into the United States from Mexico is Sunday afternoon/evening.  Today’s adventure took us one hour and 45 minutes to complete. 

 

While we waited in line a non-stop troupe of Mexican budding entrepreneurs offered their line of goods.  This went from water and soda to small snacks.  Of course, the guys who wanted to clean our windshield were ever present.  The final group were the beggars and disabled looking for a contribution.

Yep!  I screwed up. 

Once back in Calexico we got enough gas to get us home.  I made a strategic error here.  I could have purchased gasoline for about a dollar per gallon cheaper in Mexico than prices offered in the U.S.  What a dummy!  If I lived in a border town I would cross the border every time I needed fuel.

 

The U.S. border patrol agents were everywhere along our drive home.  We hit the driveway at a minute or two past 9 p.m.  This was just in time for Carol to see the Desperate Housewives finale.  It was a good trip.

 

 

The People

 

 

They know me down in Mexico. 

I guess I’m getting pretty well known with the Mexican racing crowd.  I don’t know if it’s the website, the t-shirts or the videos but more and more people seem to recognize me when I come to the track.

 

When we pulled into the track parking lot the parking attendant was a woman we had met in Ensenada.  She was Martin’s, the track promoter’s sister.  Additionally, she appears at the beginning of my video from our last visit to Mexico in Ensenada (Ensenada Grand Prix).   Don’t miss this friendly and beautiful young woman at about 2:30 in the film.

My favorite driver from the Mexican tracks. 

Once inside the track we walked over to the orange #327 racing Chevy Camaro.  Derek Dvorak drives this car.  Derek signed up to receive Randy Lewis Racing Trackchaser Reports, videos and photos a couple of years ago.

 

He’s been part of the Mexican street racing scene for many years.  Derek hails from San Diego and is a fun guy to talk too.  He told me that he was racing at more than 100 M.P.H. today on the fastest part of the track.  Considering there are few safety barriers along this city street course, that is fast.

 

Derek was also up to speed on my recent England trackchasing trip.  He said, “That’s really good that you are willing to make all these trips.  Most people wouldn’t be able to do that”.  Derek’s big orange Camaro is one of the three racers featured on the official “Mexicali Grand Prix” event t-shirt.  I made sure to get mine.  Derek is my favorite driver from the entire Mexican racing group.

Carlos always gives me the word. 

I also met up with my pal, Carlos Perdoma.  Carlos, although U.S. based, is the public relations man for this race group.  Carlos keeps me posted on upcoming events.  We’ve now seen three of their races.  There’s a good possibility that the group will race in a fourth location in 2012.  If so, we’ll be there.

 

Carlos’ son is also a racer with the Mexican race group.  Today driving the #73 Carlos Perdoma Jr. recorded fast time.  Good for the Perdoma’s!  Carlos, thanks for keeping me in the loop.

 

It was great seeing all these folks.  You’re doing a great thing with Mexican street racing.  I wish more trackchasers could see your events, and more importantly experience the culture of your promotions.

 

 

GREAT PLACES TO EAT BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!

 

  

Las Brasas Asadero – Mexicali, Mexico

 

This was a lucky find. 

We’ve been to Mexico many many times.  We used to have a Starcraft popup camper when our kids were younger.  We went camping several times in Mexico, especially near Ensenada.

 

Because we have some experience touring the country we feel more comfortable there.  Yes, I know it’s recent reputation is not good.  However, we don’t live in fear of much.  If you’re careful you should be able to have a good time.  Mexicali seemed very safe to us.

 

 

Taco Bell is not Mexican food….I don’t know what it is. 

We eat Mexican food (Taco Bell is NOT Mexican food) all the time in San Clemente.  We have some Mexican restaurants that are as authentic as any we’ve eaten at in Mexico.  However, it’s more exotic actually eating Mexican food in Mexico.

 

We stumbled across the Las Brasas restaurant (not to be confused with Las Brisas (Las Brisas) in Laguna Beach where we ate last week) by pure luck.  We were looking for a place to eat and it just popped up in the downtown portion of Mexicali.  Las Brasas is a chain of restaurants.

 

You’ve heard me rail against chain restaurants.  Not all chains are bad.  It’s just that folks who continue to go to the same chain eatery are missing out on so many great dining opportunities.  Since we had never eaten at a Las Brasas we didn’t face that issue.

 

This is a sit-down restaurant.  Our waiter, a young Mexican man, had lived in the U.S. for 15 years.  He had returned to Mexico because his wife is from here.  He took a liking to us and us to him.

 

 

A little bit of everything…it was all good. 

He brought us an English menu which was helpful.  We ordered a wide range of foods that included yellow chili peppers, pork, melted cheese, beef and tortillas.  Our server brought out seven different dishes of veggies and salsas.  It was all absolutely delicious. 

 

For dessert I was looking for flan.  However, they don’t do any desserts.  The best they could offer in this area were stuffed peppers!  If I ever get the chance to eat at another Las Brasas I will.  You won’t want to miss the food pictures from this visit.

 

  

RACE REVIEW

 

MEXICALI GRAND PRIX, MEXICALI MEXICO

 

 

This was a cultural event.

I am not a big fan of city street racing.  I don’t like it because as a spectator I can’t see much.  However, seeing a race in Mexico is such an eye-popping cultural experience I enjoy the “event” a great deal.

 

 

Today our car was parked in a lot separated by a single street from the track’s paddock area.  Of course, that “street” was part of the race track!  When we arrived the Chump Car (Chump Car Racing Series) group was racing.  This is a series for $500 racing cars.  Normally, these Chump Car events are well attended by racers.  However, today they had only about five entrants.  Derek mentioned that fear of crossing into Mexico might have held the car count down.  They are scheduled to be in Ensenada, Mexico in August, maybe their turnout will increase.

 

 

Mexican safety requirements are much more lax than what would be allowed in the U.S.  Let’s focus on MUCH MORE relaxed.  While the Chump Car race was going on we were allowed to run across the racetrack into the paddock area.  In the U.S. that would never be allowed.

 

 

A large fairgrounds was located in the center of the track.  The paddock area was here as well.  The track itself used the streets of De Los Presidentes and Independencia. 

 

 

The fairgrounds were huge.  However, this area has fallen into a serious state of disrepair.  I couldn’t tell if it was being torn down or rebuilt.  The streets were lined by shanty shack type housing.  Don’t miss the pictures.

 

 

A beautiful day enhanced our experience. 

The weather was warm with temperatures in the low 80s.  However, the wind was ferocious, blowing at 20-30 M.P.H. all day.  Carol and I roamed the area trying to get the best view from every location.  You definitely will not want to miss the pictures.  I got a shot from every nook and cranny.

 

 

Inside the paddock area the sights and sounds were stimulating.  The Mexican music blared loudly.  The pit was jammed with about 70 race cars in total of various classes.

 

Tacos and beer and horchatas. 

The typical Mexican snacks were being sold.  This included some sort of fried chips that were doused in Mexican hot sauce.  We are very adventuresome eaters.  How many folks will pull alongside the road in a place like Mexico and eat from roadside food stands.  We do.

 

 

Today, we sampled the Mexican tacos being made in the paddock area.  I never did understand what type of meat the vendor told me his tacos were made from.  They did taste different.  Can you spell Lassie?  We doused our Mexican treats in Mexico’s Tecate Beer and Horchatas.

 

 

There was a P.A. of sorts.  However, all communication was in Spanish.  Yes, I took two years of high school Spanish.  However, I could still be sitting in that Spanish class to this day and I wouldn’t know more than ten Spanish words.  It was never a priority for me.

 

I’ve never seen this before. 

The Chump cars had run in the morning and yesterday (Saturday).  They had some odd looking machines.  One little car had fins that made it look like a ’60 Plymouth!  It was being towed by an even stranger looking machine, a Hummer.  In all my days of trackchasing I have never seen a Hummer used as a tow vehicle.

 

 

The crowd was the biggest I had seen at one of these events.  The paid crowd was supplemented by many people watching from their home sites.  Their locations were elevated and must have provided a good view.

 

I think I knew what was going on. 

As far as I could tell the racing was divided into three classes, aptly named “A”, “B” and “C”.  The “A” class were the top dogs.  Derek Dvorak races in the “A” class.  We saw each one of their races.

 

 

Overall, this was a fun day at the track.  Seeing racing in Mexico is always so much more about the cultural experience.  I can’t wait to go back.

 

 

COUNTRY COMPARISONS

 

 

Mexico 

This was our fifth Mexico track to see.  I’m surprised it took me so long (2007) to see any racing in Mexico.  Now I had seen a track down there for each of the last five years.  Only two other trackchasers, Guy Smith and Will White, have ever ventured into Mexico.  They each saw an event across the border from Texas.

 

 

There are still several race tracks to see in Mexico.  I’ll go whenever I get the chance and I feel the safety situation is under control.

 

 

Coming Soon – RLR – Randy Lewis Racing Exclusive Features! 

 

My review of the Apple iPhone trackchasing “app” Track Guide powered by the National Speedway Directory.

 

 

How is the transition going from unofficial trackchasing commissioner Will White to his successor?

 

 

 

Thanks for reading about my trackchasing,

 

Randy Lewis

World’s #1 Trackchaser

Mexican sayings:  “Al que madruga, Dios lo ayuda” – Who wakes up early God will help.

 

 

TRAVEL DETAILS

AIRPLANE 

Orange County, CA (SNA) – Salt Lake City, UT (SLC) – 588 miles

Salt Lake City, UT (SLC) – Grand Junction, CO (GJT) – 216 miles

 

  

RENTAL CAR #1 

Indianapolis International Airport – trip begins

Cortez, CO – 203 miles

Albuquerque, NM – 425 miles

Albuquerque International Airport Airport – 479 miles – trip ends

 

 

AIRPLANE

Albuquerque, NM (ABQ) – Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – 675 miles

Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – San Diego, CA (SAN) – 109 miles

 

 

PERSONAL CAR 

Lindberg (San Diego) International Airport – trip begins

Mexicali, Mexico – 122 miles

San Clemente, CA – 261 miles – trip ends

 

 

Total air miles – 1,588 (4 flights)

Total rental car miles – 479 (1 car)

Total personal car miles – 261

 

Total miles traveled on this trip –2,328 miles

 

 

TRACK ADMISSION PRICES: 

Fairgrounds Speedway – $9 (no senior discount)

Sandia Speedway – $7.50 ($2.50 senior savings)

Mexicali Grand Prix – complimentary admission

 

Total racetrack admissions for the trip – $16.50

 

 

COMPARISONS

LIFETIME TRACKCHASER COMPARISONS 

 

 

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

 

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 1,651

 

2.  Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 1,368

 

3.  Guy “The Kid” Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania – 1,364

 

  

Official end of the RLR – Randy Lewis Racing Trackchaser Report

 

 

 

Click on the links below to see the video production from the racing action today.

 

 

Mexicali Grand Prix – 1 

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Mexicali Grand Prix – 2