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 3070km (1,910miles).[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 173.69km/h.[2]
For 1954, the Touring classes were divided into three classes, over 3500abbr=onNaNabbr=on, between 3499and, and under 1900abbr=onNaNabbr=on. The Sports classes were divided as before, over and under 1500cc. 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]
The race was held in eight stages over a total distance of 3070km (1,910miles). The race was won overall by Umberto Maglioli in a Ferrari 375 Plus. Maglioli finished the race in, his average speed of NaNkm/h reflected the level of professionalism and technology that led the field: the inaugural 1950 event had been won in an average speed of 111km/h- 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, closely followed by Jaroslav Juhan in his Porsche 550 Spyder, 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 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, but had achieved 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]
Class winners are marked in bold.
Pos | Class | No. | Entrant | Driver(s) | Car | Stages | Time | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | S+1.5 | 19 | Erwin Goldschmidt | Umberto Maglioli | Ferrari 375 Plus | 8 | 17:40:26 | |
2 | S+1.5 | 20 | Allen Guiberson | 8 | 18:04:50 | |||
3 | S1.5 | 55 | Dist. VW Central, S.A. | Hans Herrmann | Porsche 550 Spyder | 8 | 19:32:33 | |
4 | S1.5 | 56 | Jaroslav Juhan | 8 | 19:33:09 | |||
5 | S+1.5 | 22 | Prado Américas | 8 | 19:45:06 | |||
6 | S+1.5 | 24 | John Shakespeare | 8 | 20:10:28 | |||
7 | S+1.5 | 11 | Akton Miller | 8 | 20:21:09 | |||
8 | S1.5 | 54 | Monte Carlo Auto Sport | 8 | 20:34:56 | |||
9 | T+3.5 | 149 | Lincoln | Ray Crawford Enrique Iglesias | Lincoln Capri | 8 | 20:40:19 | |
10 | T+3.5 | 103 | 8 | 20:42:07 | ||||
11 | T+3.5 | 127 | Barry Motor Sales | 8 | 20:43:14 | |||
12 | S1.5 | 58 | Dist. VW Central, S.A. | 8 | 20:46:23 | |||
13 | S+1.5 | 9 | Jean Trévoux | Jean Trévoux Armando González | Packard Motto Special | 8 | 20:48:31 | |
14 | T+3.5 | 110 | Adolph Otterstein | 8 | 21:15:13 | |||
15 | TE1.9 | 251 | Alfa Romeo Finmeccanica | Consalvo Sanesi Giuseppe Cagna | Alfa Romeo 1900 TI | 8 | 21:50:42 | |
16 | T+3.5 | 111 | Coca-Cola Mexico | 8 | 21:51:17 | |||
17 | T+3.5 | 113 | Coca-Cola Mexico | 8 | 21:59:34 | |||
18 | TE1.9 | 256 | Alfa Romeo Finmeccanica | 8 | 22:06:25 | |||
19 | TE1.9 | 267 | Alfa Romeo Finmeccanica | 8 | 22:06:50 | |||
20 | TE1.9 | 255 | Alfa Romeo Finmeccanica | 8 | 22:19:04 | |||
21 | T+3.5 | 119 | Pacheco y Cia | 8 | 22:23:34 | |||
22 | T+3.5 | 115 | Coca-Cola Mexico | 8 | 22:30:39 | |||
23 | TS | 226 | Tommy Drisdale | Tommy Drisdale Walter Krause, Jr. | Dodge V-8 | 8 | 22:35:53 | |
24 | TS | 217 | Dickshire | 8 | 22:50:44 | |||
25 | T+3.5 | 133 | Abraham Yunes | 8 | 22:51:20 | |||
26 | T+3.5 | 124 | Baja California | 8 | 22:52:16 | |||
27 | TS | 231 | Ray C. Elliot | 8 | 22:52:16 | |||
28 | S1.5 | 51 | Calzado Canadá S.A. | 8 | 22:57:31 | |||
29 | TS | 211 | Álvarez Tostado | 8 | 23:00:18 | |||
30 | TE1.9 | 252 | Atoyac | 8 | 23:00:57 | |||
31 | TS | 238 | Scott F. Yantis | 8 | 23:02:04 | |||
32 | TS | 208 | Dehler | 8 | 23:08:40 | |||
33 | TS | 209 | Oscar Cabalen | 8 | 23:08:55 | |||
34 | TS | 331 | Floyd Clymer | 8 | 23:15:51 | |||
35 | TS | 237 | Ferreteria del Sol | 8 | 23:18:45 | |||
36 | TS | 201 | 8 | 23:19:06 | ||||
37 | T+3.5 | 117 | Tony de Rosa | 8 | 23:27:31 | |||
38 | TS | 219 | Malcolm Eckart | 8 | 23:28:09 | |||
39 | TS | 218 | Puebla | 8 | 23:37:47 | |||
40 | TS | 220 | Manuel Luz Meneses | 8 | 23:47:42 | |||
41 | TS | 232 | Félix Alberto Peduzzi | 8 | 23:56:10 | |||
42 | TS | 326 | Raimundo Caparrós | 8 | 24:01:33 | |||
43 | TS | 243 | Osvaldo José Mantega | 8 | 24:07:51 | |||
44 | TS | 213 | Abelardo Matamoros | 8 | 24:12:47 | |||
45 | TS | 320 | Vincente Tirabasso | 8 | 24:13:16 | |||
46 | TS | 216 | Jorge Descote | 8 | 24:13:17 | |||
47 | TS | 340 | Tadeo Taddia | 8 | 24:16:41 | |||
48 | TS | 342 | Baltazar Alaimo | 8 | 24:18:18 | |||
49 | TS | 229 | Marcos Ciani | 8 | 24:20:28 | |||
50 | TS | 227 | Enrique Paredes | 8 | 24:22:58 | |||
51 | TS | 245 | Raúl Jaras | 8 | 24:28:47 | |||
52 | TS | 205 | Union de Choferes | 8 | 24:32:28 | |||
53 | TS | 330 | Robert C. Lilienthal | 8 | 24:37:27 | |||
54 | T+3.5 | 130 | Guillermo Suhr Contreras | 8 | 24:42:00 | |||
55 | TS | 221 | Rafael Larocca | 8 | 24:43:48 | |||
56 | TS | 301 | Jorge Zorzi Olazábel | 8 | 24:49:46 | |||
57 | TS | 310 | Ernesto Beronio | 8 | 24:54:46 | |||
58 | TS | 247 | Hernán Videla | 8 | 24:58:20 | |||
59 | TS | 240 | Salvador Torisse | 8 | 25:03:34 | |||
60 | TS | 303 | Ángel de la Rosa | 8 | 25:11:40 | |||
61 | T+3.5 | 107 | Manuel Acosta Muñoz | 8 | 25:15:09 | |||
62 | TS | 241 | Pablo Gulle | 8 | 25:33:21 | |||
63 | TS | 233 | Andrés Ferreno Barreiro | 8 | 25:43:39 | |||
64 | TS | 314 | Daniel Musso | 8 | 25:52:59 | |||
65 | TS | 321 | Melvin H. Stickney | 8 | 25:53:38 | |||
66 | TS | 325 | Luis Egidio Parnisari | 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 | 8 | 26:13:38 | |||
69 | TS | 305 | Alberto Loguló | 8 | 26:16:22 | |||
70 | S1.5 | 53 | Ernst-Joachin Hirz | Porsche 356 1500 Super | 8 | 26:22:24 | ||
71 | TS | 332 | Carlos Pfeffer | 8 | 26:31:25 | |||
72 | TS | 334 | César Óscar Vidales | 8 | 26:40:32 | |||
73 | TS | 312 | Óscar Cremer | 8 | 26:56:19 | |||
74 | TE1.9 | 253 | Carl Borgward | 8 | 27:02:36 | |||
75 | TS | 316 | Pedro Petinari | 8 | 28:15:48 | |||
76 | TS | 242 | Antonio Pingeon | 8 | 28:18:23 | |||
77 | TS | 313 | Americo Guzzini | 8 | 29:02:01 | |||
78 | TE1.9 | 261 | Alfonso de Hohenlohe | 8 | 30:14:12 | |||
79 | TE1.9 | 263 | Alfonso de Hohenlohe | 8 | 30:15:54 | |||
80 | TE1.9 | 262 | Alfonso de Hohenlohe | 8 | 30:17:56 | |||
81 | TS | 246 | Bartollo Abello | 8 | 31:01:04 | |||
82 | TE1.9 | 270 | Alfonso de la Peña Cardona | 8 | 31:01:43 | |||
83 | TE1.9 | 271 | Alfonso de Hohenlohe | 8 | 31:04:41 | |||
84 | TE1.9 | 272 | Ara Arakelian | 8 | 31:11:07 | |||
85 | TE1.9 | 269 | Juan de Aguinaco | 8 | 31:15:59 | |||
86 DISQ | S1.5 | 100 | Jacqueline Evans de López | 8 | Over time limit | |||
87 DNF | T+3.5 | 106 | Philips Radio Mexico | 7 | DNF | |||
88 DNF | T+3.5 | 112 | Coca-Cola Mexico | 7 | Accident | |||
89 DNF | T+3.5 | 122 | Pat Zoccano | 6 | DNF | |||
90 DNF | TS | 212 | Dan Morgan | 6 | Accident | |||
91 DNF | T+3.5 | 116 | Super Diesel | 5 | DNF | |||
92 DNF | TS | 203 | Leonel M. Garza | 5 | DNF | |||
93 DNF | TS | 210 | Hollywood Deeptone | 5 | DNF | |||
94 DNF | TS | 215 | Productos Automotrices | 5 | Accident | |||
95 DNF | TE1.9 | 268 | Alfa Romeo Finmeccanica | 5 | Accident damage | |||
96 DNF | TS | 315 | Victorio Menghi | 5 | Fatal accident (Zabado) | |||
97 DNF | TS | 319 | Santos Martín | 5 | DNF | |||
98 DNF | TS | 328 | Carlos Battilana Olazábal | 5 | DNF | |||
99 DNF | S+1.5 | 13 | Javier Velázquez | 4 | Oil leak | |||
100 DNF | S+1.5 | 16 | Óscar Fano Bush | 4 | Mechanical | |||
101 DNF | TS | 207 | Lineas Union del Sur | 4 | Mechanical | |||
102 DNF | TS | 222 | Bujias MexiCanas | 4 | Accident | |||
103 DNF | TS | 230 | Plinio Larocca | 4 | Mechanical | |||
104 DNF | TS | 250 | Patricio Achura | 4 | Accident | |||
105 DNF | S+1.5 | 10 | Allen Guiberson | 3 | Accident | |||
106 DNF | S+1.5 | 32 | Cabero | 3 | Accident | |||
107 DNF | S1.5 | 60 | Carl Borgward | 3 | Accident | |||
108 DNF | T+3.5 | 105 | Gas Atlas | 3 | Wheel | |||
109 DNF | TS | 204 | Mickey Thompson | 3 | Accident | |||
110 DISQ | TS | 225 | Frank Davis | 3 | Accident | |||
111 DNF | TS | 234 | Eduardo d'Alessandro | 3 | Over time limit | |||
112 DNF | TS | 249 | Eugenio Guerrero | 3 | Mechanical | |||
113 DNF | TE1.9 | 257 | Alfa Romeo Finmeccanica | 3 | DNF | |||
114 DNF | TS | 311 | Bartolomé Ortiz | 3 | Engine | |||
115 DNF | TS | 341 | Eugenio Modica | 3 | Accident | |||
116 DNF | S1.5 | 52 | Escuderia Espaňa | 2 | Engine | |||
117 DNF | T+3.5 | 101 | Ángel Acar | 2 | DNF | |||
118 DNF | TE1.9 | 265 | David Cerezo | Alfa Romeo 1900T | 2 | Accident | ||
119 DNF | TS | 318 | Antonio Gómez | 2 | DNF | |||
120 DNF | S+1.5 | 8 | Donald Healey | Austin-Healey 100S | 1 | Accident | ||
121 DNF | S1.5 | 61 | Carl Borgward | 1 | Accident | |||
122 DNF | S1.5 | 62 | Manfredo Lippmann | 1 | Mechanical | |||
123 DNF | T+3.5 | 108 | 1 | Accident | ||||
124 DNF | T+3.5 | 114 | Coca-Cola Mexico | 1 | DNF | |||
125 DNF | T+3.5 | 123 | Luis Rafael Garzón | 1 | Accident | |||
126 DNF | TS | 206 | Pedro Ovies Sánchez | 1 | DNF | |||
127 DNF | TS | 228 | Pepe Russo | 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 | 0 | Fatal accident (Robinson) | |||
131 DNF | S+1.5 | 2 | Scuderia Espana | 0 | Oil pipe | |||
132 DISQ | S+1.5 | 3 | Dominicana | 0 | Over time limit | |||
133 DISQ | S+1.5 | 4 | Erwin Goldschmidt | 0 | Over time limit | |||
134 DNF | S+1.5 | 6 | Jack Ensley | Kurtis-Nash 500M | 0 | Engine | ||
135 DNF | S+1.5 | 7 | Donald Healey | Austin-Healey 100S | 0 | Ignition | ||
136 DNF | S+1.5 | 12 | Bill von Esser | 0 | Engine | |||
137 DISQ | S+1.5 | 14 | Hotel del Prado | 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 | 0 | Mechanical | |||
140 DNF | T+3.5 | 102 | 0 | Engine | ||||
141 DNF | T+3.5 | 104 | 0 | Engine | ||||
142 DNF | T+3.5 | 109 | 0 | Accident | ||||
143 DNF | T+3.5 | 118 | 0 | Engine | ||||
144 DNF | T+3.5 | 120 | Ronald R. Ferguson | 0 | Mechanical | |||
145 DNF | T+3.5 | 128 | Ernest C. Hall | 0 | Mechanical | |||
146 DNF | T+3.5 | 167 | Converse Motors | 0 | Mechanical | |||
147 DNF | TS | 202 | 0 | Accident | ||||
148 DNF | TE1.9 | 254 | Anaconda Nacional | 0 | Mechanical | |||
149 DNF | TS | 302 | Jean-Manuel Bordeu | 0 | Mechanical | |||
150 DNF | TS | 324 | Humberto Maneglia | 0 | Mechanical |
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 |
Pos | Championship | Points |
---|---|---|
1 | Ferrari | 32 (38) |
2 | Lancia | 20 |
3 | Jaguar | 10 |
4 | O.S.C.A. | 8 |
5 | Maserati | 7 |