NTCC-built Shelby to race in Mexico
Carroll Shelby is a name well-known around the world and especially in Pittsburg as the racing legend hailed from Camp County.
This year, the Shelby name will be prominent in Pittsburg and across the world once again thanks to the work of individuals who want to carry on his racing legacy. A Shelby automotive Show and Shine is set for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 110 Fulton Street during the Pioneer Days festival. Early estimates put the number of cars participating in the Show and Shine and parade at well over 100.
The event is sponsored by the Northeast Texas Community College Shelby Automotive Technology Program Alumni Group and the Shelby Cobra Association of Texas and donations will be accepted to help fund the automotive technology program. This year’s Pioneer Days festival will be dedicated to the racing legend, as well.
The NTCC automotive technology program built a 1965 Shelby Pan Americana Mustang that will race the La Carrera Pan Americana in Mexico Oct. 16-22. Rob Miller, a lawyer in Dallas, provided the car and bought parts for the students to complete the car.
Mr. Miller recently took the car out for a test run on Saturday, Aug. 15, with Rico Willis, Pittsburg City Council member and NTCC director of student activities, as guest navigator. Mr. Willis was all smiles waiting for the car to pick him up Saturday.
“I always get excited about fast cars,” he said. “It’s an adrenaline rush.”
Mr. Miller was originally asked to come tour the automotive program after meeting NTCC president Brad Johnson at a dinner. When he saw the work the students were performing, Mr. Miller decided to have them build a Shelby Mustang.
“I helped a little bit. I found the car and I bought all the parts and I said ‘Thatta boy’ a lot of times,” Mr. Miller said, laughing. “They started building it last year and now we’ve been out testing it on the track.”
Wilbert Grinsven, a friend of Mr. Miller’s, hails from The Netherlands and told his friend that he wanted to race the La Carrera Panamericana in October. Mr. Miller agreed, but only if they could race together in the Mustang.
The La Carrera Panamericana is a 2,000 mile race from the southern tip of Mexico near Guatemala up into the mountains near Mexico City. The race takes seven days to complete and some sections will have the Mustang topping out at 140 miles per hour on closed Mexican highways. Both Mr. Grinsven and Mr. Miller will be in the car during the race and will switch out drivers periodically. The longest race day is nine hours and the shortest is six hours.
Certain sections of the race will be speed sections, where the highways are closed and racers can accelerate, then other sections are known as transit areas. The race will begin at sea level and top out at 10,000 feet.
“A lot of these mountain roads are really windey,” Mr. Miller said. “This race started in the 1950s because Mexico wanted to show off their interstate highway system. Carroll Shelby actually raced this race.”
Now that the car has been on the open road, Mr. Miller said he couldn’t be more pleased with its handling and turning capability.
“It drives amazing. It just keeps getting better,” he said. “When you accelerate through turns, the back of the car just sticks to the ground. It drives like a dream. It’s a really fun, fun car to drive.”
One of the students who worked on the car, Bridget Arevalos, said it’s been quite an experience to see the car come together from start to finish.
“It’s pretty amazing,” she said. “I’m amazed from point A to point B how it turned out.”
Raul Herrera also spent a lot of time with the car working on the seats and with the drive shaft.
“It feels good to see it on the road because a lot of work was put into it,” he said. “Now that it’s finished, I can’t wait to see what happens at the race.”
Folks who want to know where the car is during the race have the ability to do just that thanks to a Spot GPS locater available to view at www.trailer-alarms.com.
By Tori Lyle, news@campcountynow.com -- To continue reading this article, purchase the print edition of The Pittsburg Gazette or go to our online e-edition at:http://www.etypeservices.com/
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