Seventy years ago, the first Carrera Panamericana Road Race was held and since those original races held from 1950 to 1954, fascination with the event, from fans and participants, has only grown. This year, the 35th running of La Carrera Panamericana revival race will be held from October 14 to October 20, 2022.
The race this year will start in Veracruz, make its way north towards Oaxaca, through Mexico City before passing through Quartero, Morelia, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosi, and finally culminating in Durango. Participants will cover a total of 3,610 kilometers.
The modern La Carrera Panamericana provides a host of categories that racers can enter. There is the original Panamerican Cars Group for vehicles that raced in the original Carrera from 1950 to 1954. There is also an Historic Cars category for cars built between 1955 and 1973, as well as a Classic Tour Category (1950 to 1979) and a Sport Tour Category for cars built from 2015 to 2020. Finally, there is also an Exhibition Cars category, for anything outside the other categories.
Leading up to this year’s event, Driving La Carrera has released an 8-episode documentary series titled, “To Race La Carrera”. The series brings to life what the Carrera is and provides an insider’s look at the event as a participant in what is believed by many to be the world’s last, great road race.
2016 winner Hilaire Damiron summed the Carrera up this way, “It’s the last road race in the world in which you can race seven stages of pure speed against the clock.”