1954 Carrera Panamericana
The 1954 Carrera Panamericana was the fifth and final running of the Carrera Panamericana Mexican sports car racing event, run from November 19-23, 1954. It was the sixth and final race of the 1954 World Sportscar Championship. The race was run from Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, over 8 stages and 3,070 kilometres (1,910 mi).[1] 150 cars started the race, and 85 finished all 8 stages. The race was won by Umberto Maglioli in an Erwin Goldschmidt-entered Ferrari 375 Plus. He finished the race in 17 hours, 40 minutes, and 26 seconds, averaging 173.69 kilometres per hour (107.93 mph).[2]
Pre-race
For 1954, the Touring classes were divided into three classes, over 3,500 cc (213.6 cu in), between 3,499 and 1,900 cc (213.5 and 115.9 cu in), and under 1,900 cc (115.9 cu in). The Sports classes were divided as before, over and under 1,500 cc (91.5 cu in). This was in order to accommodate the huge number of participants and the diverse breeds of cars within the race.[3]
Going into the race, Ferrari had already won the championship, but victory would ensure the marque would score maximum points for the season. Although no works entries were sent from Italy, there was a number of top quality entrants from both Mexico and the United States, hoping the get that victory on behalf of the Maranello concern.
Heading into the event, pressure was mounting on Mexican government, as the annual death toll from the event caused the country to be shown in a negative light. This wasn't the kind of attention the locals wanted. It had been abundantly clear the days were numbered for the Carrera Panamericana. 1954 would be the last time the event was run in this format, although it did return as a revival event in 1988.[4]
Race
The race was held in eight stages over a total distance of 3,070 km (1,910 miles). The race was won overall by Umberto Maglioli in a Ferrari 375 Plus. Maglioli finished the race in 17h 40' 26", his average speed of 173.7 kilometres per hour (107.93 mph) reflected the level of professionalism and technology that led the field: the inaugural 1950 event had been won in an average speed of 111 kilometres per hour (69 mph)- and the winner had taken 10 hours longer to complete the race distance. Phil Hill and Richie Ginther took second place in another Ferrari, over 24 minutes behind. The under-1500 sports car class winner Hans Herrmann finished third in his Porsche 550, a further 87 minutes behind the Americans. Ray Crawford and Enrique Iglesias won the over-3500 stock car class in a Lincoln, the European stock car class was won by Consalvo Sanesi and Giuseppe Cagna in an Alfa Romeo, and the small U.S. stock car class was won by Tommy Drisdale and Walter Krause, Jr. in a Dodge.[5]
A number of the sedans from the US failed to make it through the first stage of the race. The Austin-Healey 100S of Englishman, Lance Macklin struggled from ignition troubles and retired before completing the first stage. The Ferrari 375 Plus of Jack McAfee and Ford Robinson had an accident that provided the first fatality, with the death of Robinson. Sadly, there would be fatality, when Leopoldo Olvera Zabado died following an accident on the fifth stage. [6][7]
The Californian pairing of Hill and Ginther continued to look impressive, making it through the second stage in their Allen Guiberson-entered Ferrari 375 MM without incident and remaining close to the front of the overall standing. However, another American was not going so well: Carroll Shelby suffered an accident while driving his Austin-Healey 100S. Frustrated with his team-mate, Ray Jackson-Moore's slow pace, Shelby supposedly removed Jackson-Moore’s seat and took off on his own.[6][7]
As the event progressed, the list of cars remaining grew shorter and shorter. Many of the strong competitors were either out of the race, or behind the leading Ferraris of Maglioli and Hill/Ginther. The two Americans continued to chase hard to rein in solo-driving Maglioli. It was a 375 MM spyder chasing after a 375 Plus, with still a long way to go before anyone could celebrate. After 1,900 miles (3,100 km) there was very little time separating the two cars.[6][7]
Despite feeling the pressure, Maglioli strengthened his grip and did not make any mistakes in the closing stages of the race, finishing nearly 25 minutes ahead of Hill and Ginther.[8][9]
Californian hot rodder Ak Miller became famous by finishing seventh overall, in his Oldsmobile-powered 1927 Ford.
Only months after its introduction in Mexico, the local distributor entered seven Volkswagen Beetles in order to prove their reliability and to make the car known. To maintain the given time bracket, they were required to keep an average speed of 50 miles per hour (80 km/h), but had achieved 61 miles per hour (98 km/h) during the reconnaissance runs, so expectations to finish inside the time limits were high. As they were using standard Volkswagen engines, the cars were driving bumper-to-bumper in order reduce air resistance as available power was limited. By the time the event got to Ciudad Juárez, all seven Beetles were still within the given time limit, none was disqualified, with Alfonso de Hohenlohe and Alberto Álvarez coming home in 78th place overall (7th in class), albeit, the Beetles filled seven of the last eight finishing positions. [10]
Official Classification
Results
Class winners are marked in bold.
Pos | Class | No. | Entrant | Driver(s) | Car | Stages | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | S+1.5 | 19 | Erwin Goldschmidt | Ferrari 375 Plus | 8 | 17:40:26 | |
2 | S+1.5 | 20 | Allen Guiberson | Ferrari 375 MM Vignale | 8 | 18:04:50 | |
3 | S1.5 | 55 | Dist. VW Central, S.A. | Porsche 550 Spyder | 8 | 19:32:33 | |
4 | S1.5 | 56 | Jaroslav Juhan | Porsche 550 Spyder | 8 | 19:33:09 | |
5 | S+1.5 | 22 | Prado Américas | Ferrari 250 Monza Scaglietti | 8 | 19:45:06 | |
6 | S+1.5 | 24 | John Shakespeare | Ferrari 375 MM Pinin Farina | 8 | 20:10:28 | |
7 | S+1.5 | 11 | Akton Miller | Caballo de Hiero Oldsmobile | 8 | 20:21:09 | |
8 | S1.5 | 54 | Monte Carlo Auto Sport | Osca MT4 1500 Morelli | 8 | 20:34:56 | |
9 | T+3.5 | 149 | Lincoln | Lincoln Capri | 8 | 20:40:19 | |
10 | T+3.5 | 103 | Lincoln | Lincoln Capri | 8 | 20:42:07 | |
11 | T+3.5 | 127 | Barry Motor Sales | Cadillac Series 62 | 8 | 20:43:14 | |
12 | S1.5 | 58 | Dist. VW Central, S.A. | Porsche 550 Spyder | 8 | 20:46:23 | |
13 | S+1.5 | 9 | Jean Trévoux | Packard Motto Special | 8 | 20:48:31 | |
14 | T+3.5 | 110 | Adolph Otterstein | Cadillac Series 62 | 8 | 21:15:13 | |
15 | TE1.9 | 251 | Alfa Romeo Finmeccanica | Alfa Romeo 1900 TI | 8 | 21:50:42 | |
16 | T+3.5 | 111 | Coca-Cola Mexico | Buick Century | 8 | 21:51:17 | |
17 | T+3.5 | 113 | Coca-Cola Mexico | Buick Century | 8 | 21:59:34 | |
18 | TE1.9 | 256 | Alfa Romeo Finmeccanica | Alfa Romeo 1900 TI | 8 | 22:06:25 | |
19 | TE1.9 | 267 | Alfa Romeo Finmeccanica | Alfa Romeo 1900 TI | 8 | 22:06:50 | |
20 | TE1.9 | 255 | Alfa Romeo Finmeccanica | Alfa Romeo 1900 TI | 8 | 22:19:04 | |
21 | T+3.5 | 119 | Pacheco y Cia | Packard Clipper | 8 | 22:23:34 | |
22 | T+3.5 | 115 | Coca-Cola Mexico | Buick Century | 8 | 22:30:39 | |
23 | TS | 226 | Tommy Drisdale | Dodge V-8 | 8 | 22:35:53 | |
24 | TS | 217 | Dickshire | Dodge V-8 | 8 | 22:50:44 | |
25 | T+3.5 | 133 | Abraham Yunes | Packard | 8 | 22:51:20 | |
26 | T+3.5 | 124 | Baja California | Lincoln Capri | 8 | 22:52:16 | |
27 | TS | 231 | Ray C. Elliot | Dodge V-8 | 8 | 22:52:16 | |
28 | S1.5 | 51 | Calzado Canadá S.A. | Porsche 550 Spyder | 8 | 22:57:31 | |
29 | TS | 211 | Álvarez Tostado | Dodge V-8 | 8 | 23:00:18 | |
30 | TE1.9 | 252 | Atoyac | Alfa Romeo 1900 TI | 8 | 23:00:57 | |
31 | TS | 238 | Scott F. Yantis | Studebaker Commander | 8 | 23:02:04 | |
32 | TS | 208 | Dehler | Dodge V-8 | 8 | 23:08:40 | |
33 | TS | 209 | Oscar Cabalen | Ford V-8 | 8 | 23:08:55 | |
34 | TS | 331 | Floyd Clymer | Ford 6 | 8 | 23:15:51 | |
35 | TS | 237 | Ferreteria del Sol | Dodge | 8 | 23:18:45 | |
36 | TS | 201 | Refrescos Jarrito | Ford | 8 | 23:19:06 | |
37 | T+3.5 | 117 | Tony de Rosa | Lincoln Capri | 8 | 23:27:31 | |
38 | TS | 219 | Malcolm Eckart | Hudson Wasp | 8 | 23:28:09 | |
39 | TS | 218 | Puebla | Dodge Royal | 8 | 23:37:47 | |
40 | TS | 220 | Manuel Luz Meneses | Studebaker Commander | 8 | 23:47:42 | |
41 | TS | 232 | Félix Alberto Peduzzi | Ford | 8 | 23:56:10 | |
42 | TS | 326 | Raimundo Caparrós | Chevrolet Bel Air | 8 | 24:01:33 | |
43 | TS | 243 | Osvaldo José Mantega | Chevrolet Bel Air | 8 | 24:07:51 | |
44 | TS | 213 | Abelardo Matamoros | Studebaker Commander | 8 | 24:12:47 | |
45 | TS | 320 | Vincente Tirabasso | Chevrolet Bel Air | 8 | 24:13:16 | |
46 | TS | 216 | Jorge Descote | Chevrolet Bel Air | 8 | 24:13:17 | |
47 | TS | 340 | Tadeo Taddia | Chevrolet Bel Air | 8 | 24:16:41 | |
48 | TS | 342 | Baltazar Alaimo | Chevrolet Bel Air | 8 | 24:18:18 | |
49 | TS | 229 | Marcos Ciani | Chevrolet Bel Air | 8 | 24:20:28 | |
50 | TS | 227 | Enrique Paredes | Ford | 8 | 24:22:58 | |
51 | TS | 245 | Raúl Jaras | Chevrolet Bel Air | 8 | 24:28:47 | |
52 | TS | 205 | Union de Choferes | Studebaker Commander | 8 | 24:32:28 | |
53 | TS | 330 | Robert C. Lilienthal | Ford | 8 | 24:37:27 | |
54 | T+3.5 | 130 | Guillermo Suhr Contreras | Oldsmobile Super 88 | 8 | 24:42:00 | |
55 | TS | 221 | Rafael Larocca | Chevrolet Bel Air | 8 | 24:43:48 | |
56 | TS | 301 | Jorge Zorzi Olazábel | Chevrolet Bel Air | 8 | 24:49:46 | |
57 | TS | 310 | Ernesto Beronio | Ford | 8 | 24:54:46 | |
58 | TS | 247 | Hernán Videla | Chevrolet Bel Air | 8 | 24:58:20 | |
59 | TS | 240 | Salvador Torisse | Chevrolet Bel Air | 8 | 25:03:34 | |
60 | TS | 303 | Ángel de la Rosa | Chevrolet Bel Air | 8 | 25:11:40 | |
61 | T+3.5 | 107 | Manuel Acosta Muñoz | Buick Century | 8 | 25:15:09 | |
62 | TS | 241 | Pablo Gulle | Chevrolet Bel Air | 8 | 25:33:21 | |
63 | TS | 233 | Andrés Ferreno Barreiro | Ford | 8 | 25:43:39 | |
64 | TS | 314 | Daniel Musso | Ford | 8 | 25:52:59 | |
65 | TS | 321 | Melvin H. Stickney | Ford | 8 | 25:53:38 | |
66 | TS | 325 | Luis Egidio Parnisari | Ford V-8 | 8 | 26:01:04 | |
67 | S1.5 | 59 | Otto Becker Estrada | Porsche 356 1500 Super | 8 | 26:07:59 | |
68 | TS | 323 | Joaquin Salas Ferrer | Ford | 8 | 26:13:38 | |
69 | TS | 305 | Alberto Loguló | Ford | 8 | 26:16:22 | |
70 | S1.5 | 53 | Ernst-Joachin Hirz | Porsche 356 1500 Super | 8 | 26:22:24 | |
71 | TS | 332 | Carlos Pfeffer | Ford | 8 | 26:31:25 | |
72 | TS | 334 | César Óscar Vidales | Ford | 8 | 26:40:32 | |
73 | TS | 312 | Óscar Cremer | Ford | 8 | 26:56:19 | |
74 | TE1.9 | 253 | Carl Borgward | Borgward Isabella | 8 | 27:02:36 | |
75 | TS | 316 | Pedro Petinari | Ford | 8 | 28:15:48 | |
76 | TS | 242 | Antonio Pingeon | Ford | 8 | 28:18:23 | |
77 | TS | 313 | Americo Guzzini | Ford Crestline Custom 2 Door Coupe | 8 | 29:02:01 | |
78 | TE1.9 | 261 | Alfonso de Hohenlohe | Volkswagen 1200 De Luxe | 8 | 30:14:12 | |
79 | TE1.9 | 263 | Alfonso de Hohenlohe | Volkswagen 1200 De Luxe | 8 | 30:15:54 | |
80 | TE1.9 | 262 | Alfonso de Hohenlohe | Volkswagen 1200 De Luxe | 8 | 30:17:56 | |
81 | TS | 246 | Bartollo Abello | Ford | 8 | 31:01:04 | |
82 | TE1.9 | 270 | Alfonso de la Peña Cardona | Volkswagen 1200 De Luxe | 8 | 31:01:43 | |
83 | TE1.9 | 271 | Alfonso de Hohenlohe | Volkswagen 1200 De Luxe | 8 | 31:04:41 | |
84 | TE1.9 | 272 | Ara Arakelian | Volkswagen 1200 De Luxe | 8 | 31:11:07 | |
85 | TE1.9 | 269 | Juan de Aguinaco | Volkswagen 1200 De Luxe | 8 | 31:15:59 | |
86 DISQ |
S1.5 | 100 | Jacqueline Evans de López | Porsche 356 SL | 8 | Over time limit | |
87 DNF |
T+3.5 | 106 | Philips Radio Mexico | Lincoln Capri | 7 | DNF | |
88 DNF |
T+3.5 | 112 | Coca-Cola Mexico | Buick Century | 7 | Accident | |
89 DNF |
T+3.5 | 122 | Pat Zoccano | Buick | 6 | DNF | |
90 DNF |
TS | 212 | Dan Morgan | Ford | 6 | Accident | |
91 DNF |
T+3.5 | 116 | Super Diesel | Buick Riviera | 5 | DNF | |
92 DNF |
TS | 203 | Leonel M. Garza | Chevrolet Bel Air | 5 | DNF | |
93 DNF |
TS | 210 | Hollywood Deeptone | Ford | 5 | DNF | |
94 DNF |
TS | 215 | Productos Automotrices | Studebaker Champion | 5 | Accident | |
95 DNF |
TE1.9 | 268 | Alfa Romeo Finmeccanica | Alfa Romeo 1900 TI | 5 | Accident damage | |
96 DNF |
TS | 315 | Victorio Menghi | Chevrolet Bel Air | 5 | Fatal accident (Zabado) | |
97 DNF |
TS | 319 | Santos Martín | Ford | 5 | DNF | |
98 DNF |
TS | 328 | Carlos Battilana Olazábal | Ford | 5 | DNF | |
99 DNF |
S+1.5 | 13 | Javier Velázquez | Jaguar C-Type | 4 | Oil leak | |
100 DNF |
S+1.5 | 16 | Óscar Fano Bush | Jaguar XK120 | 4 | Mechanical | |
101 DNF |
TS | 207 | Lineas Union del Sur | Ford | 4 | Mechanical | |
102 DNF |
TS | 222 | Bujias MexiCanas | Dodge Royal | 4 | Accident | |
103 DNF |
TS | 230 | Plinio Larocca | Ford | 4 | Mechanical | |
104 DNF |
TS | 250 | Patricio Achura | Ford | 4 | Accident | |
105 DNF |
S+1.5 | 10 | Allen Guiberson | Pegaso Z-102 BS Touring | 3 | Accident | |
106 DNF |
S+1.5 | 32 | Cabero | Cabero Special Ford | 3 | Accident | |
107 DNF |
S1.5 | 60 | Carl Borgward | Borgward Rennsport 55 | 3 | Accident | |
108 DNF |
T+3.5 | 105 | Gas Atlas | Lincoln Capri | 3 | Wheel | |
109 DNF |
TS | 204 | Mickey Thompson | Ford | 3 | Accident | |
110 DISQ |
TS | 225 | Frank Davis | Dodge | 3 | Accident | |
111 DNF |
TS | 234 | Eduardo d'Alessandro | Chevrolet Bel Air | 3 | Over time limit | |
112 DNF |
TS | 249 | Eugenio Guerrero | Dodge | 3 | Mechanical | |
113 DNF |
TE1.9 | 257 | Alfa Romeo Finmeccanica | Alfa Romeo 1900 TI | 3 | DNF | |
114 DNF |
TS | 311 | Bartolomé Ortiz | Ford | 3 | Engine | |
115 DNF |
TS | 341 | Eugenio Modica | Chevrolet Bel Air | 3 | Accident | |
116 DNF |
S1.5 | 52 | Escuderia Espaňa | Osca MT4 1500 | 2 | Engine | |
117 DNF |
T+3.5 | 101 | Ángel Acar | Lincoln Capri | 2 | DNF | |
118 DNF |
TE1.9 | 265 | David Cerezo | Alfa Romeo 1900T | 2 | Accident | |
119 DNF |
TS | 318 | Antonio Gómez | Ford | 2 | DNF | |
120 DNF |
S+1.5 | 8 | Donald Healey | Austin-Healey 100S | 1 | Accident | |
121 DNF |
S1.5 | 61 | Carl Borgward | Borgward Rennsport 55 | 1 | Accident | |
122 DNF |
S1.5 | 62 | Manfredo Lippmann | Osca MT4 2AD 1500 Morelli Super | 1 | Mechanical | |
123 DNF |
T+3.5 | 108 | Lincoln | Lincoln Capri | 1 | Accident | |
124 DNF |
T+3.5 | 114 | Coca-Cola Mexico | Buick Century | 1 | DNF | |
125 DNF |
T+3.5 | 123 | Luis Rafael Garzón | Lincoln Capri | 1 | Accident | |
126 DNF |
TS | 206 | Pedro Ovies Sánchez | Ford | 1 | DNF | |
127 DNF |
TS | 228 | Pepe Russo | Ford | 1 | DNF | |
128 DNF |
TE1.9 | 258 | Pedro J. Llano | Alfa Romeo 1900T | 1 | DNF | |
129 DNF |
TE1.9 | 260 | Guillermo Airaldi | Alfa Romeo 1900T | 1 | DNF | |
130 DNF |
S+1.5 | 1 | John Edgar | Ferrari 375 Plus | 0 | Fatal accident (Robinson) | |
131 DNF |
S+1.5 | 2 | Scuderia Espana | Ferrari 750 Monza Scaglietti | 0 | Oil pipe | |
132 DISQ |
S+1.5 | 3 | Dominicana | Ferrari 500 Mondial Scaglietti | 0 | Over time limit | |
133 DISQ |
S+1.5 | 4 | Erwin Goldschmidt | Ferrari 375 MM | 0 | Over time limit | |
134 DNF |
S+1.5 | 6 | Jack Ensley | Kurtis-Nash 500S | 0 | Engine | |
135 DNF |
S+1.5 | 7 | Donald Healey | Austin-Healey 100S | 0 | Ignition | |
136 DNF |
S+1.5 | 12 | Bill von Esser | Chevrolet Corvette | 0 | Engine | |
137 DISQ |
S+1.5 | 14 | Hotel del Prado | Ferrari 750 Monza Scaglietti | 0 | Over time limit | |
138 DISQ |
S+1.5 | 17 | Duane Carter | Kurtis-Oldsmobile 500S | 0 | Over time limit | |
139 DNF |
S1.5 | 99 | Cruz Blanca | Cassidy Special MG | 0 | Mechanical | |
140 DNF |
T+3.5 | 102 | Lincoln | Lincoln Capri | 0 | Engine | |
141 DNF |
T+3.5 | 104 | Lincoln | Lincoln Capri | 0 | Engine | |
142 DNF |
T+3.5 | 109 | Lincoln | Lincoln Capri | 0 | Accident | |
143 DNF |
T+3.5 | 118 | Lincoln | Lincoln Capri | 0 | Engine | |
144 DNF |
T+3.5 | 120 | Ronald R. Ferguson | Lincoln Capri | 0 | Mechanical | |
145 DNF |
T+3.5 | 128 | Ernest C. Hall | Buick | 0 | Mechanical | |
146 DNF |
T+3.5 | 167 | Converse Motors | Chrysler | 0 | Mechanical | |
147 DNF |
TS | 202 | Refrescos Jarrito | Ford 6 | 0 | Accident | |
148 DNF |
TE1.9 | 254 | Anaconda Nacional | Alfe Romeo 1900 T | 0 | Mechanical | |
149 DNF |
TS | 302 | Jean-Manuel Bordeu | Chevrolet Bel Air | 0 | Mechanical | |
150 DNF |
TS | 324 | Humberto Maneglia | Dodge Royal | 0 | Mechanical |
Class Winners
Class | Winners | ||
---|---|---|---|
Sport deste 1500 cc | 19 | Ferrari 375 Plus Pinin Farina | Maglioli |
Sport hasta 1500 cc | 55 | Porsche 550 Spyder | Herrmann |
Tourismo deste 3500 cc | 194 | Lincoln Capri | Crawford / Iglesias |
Tourismo Especial | 226 | Dodge V-8 | Drisdale / Krause, Jr. |
Tourismo Europeo | 251 | Alfa Romeo 1900 TI | Sanesi / Cagna |
Standings after the race
Pos | Championship | Points |
---|---|---|
1 | 32 (38) | |
2 | 20 | |
3 | 10 | |
4 | 8 | |
5 | 7 | |
Note:
- Only the top five positions are included in this set of standings.
- Championship points were awarded for the first six places in each race in the order of 8-6-4-3-2-1.
- Manufacturers were awarded points only for their highest finishing car with no points awarded for positions filled by additional cars.
- Only the best 4 results out of the 6 races could be retained by each manufacturer. Total points earned are listed within brackets in the above table.
References
- Krejci, Martin. "World Sportscar Championship 1954 – Carrera Panamericana". World Sports Racing Prototypes. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- "Carrera Panamericana 1954 – Race Results". Racing Sports Cars. Archived from the original on 8 December 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- "50th Anniversary of the Carrera Panamericana". Classics.com. 6 May 2000. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- http://www.conceptcarz.com/articles/article.aspx?articleID=3546
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2014-12-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/summerofspeed/article3774171.ece
- http://www.panamrace.com/overview.html
- http://www.racingsportscars.com/race/Carrera_Panamericana-1954-11-23.html
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2014-12-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-12-07. Retrieved 2014-12-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- http://www.racingsportscars.com/results/Carrera_Panamericana-1954-11-23.html
- http://www.teamdan.com/archive/wsc/1954/54carrer.htm%5B%5D
Further reading
- John Pickworth. Carrera Panamericana. John Morton Pickworth. ISBN 978-8492726523.
- Daryl E. Murphy. Carrera Panamericana: History of the Mexican Prad Race, 1950-54. iUniverse, Inc. ISBN 978-0595483242
- Johnny Tipler. La Carrera Panamericana: The World’s Greatest Road Race. Authors Online Ltd. ISBN 978-0755202355
World Sportscar Championship | ||
---|---|---|
Previous race: RAC Tourist Trophy |
1954 season | Next race: 1000km Buenos Aires (1955) |