Entry process 

To enter the Pan Am race for 2010 competitors should submit the following documents and payments.  Please print out this page as a checklist and guide.
1. _____ the official La Carrera Panamericana entry form (on this web site).
2. _____ digital pictures of the car (front- and rear-quarter views)
3. _____ digital pictures (small face shots) of the driver and co-driver
4. _____ a check for the entry fee or deposit payable to "La Carrera USA."

Later in the year, the entry fee will increase by another $500.  Competitors are encouraged to make an initial, non-refundable deposit of $500 (see below) to reserve a slot at any time.

If you are building a new car for the race, please send a diagram of the roll cage to the Carrera Office or Coordinator to see if it complies with the rules.

Documents, digital photos, and payments should be sent payable to:

La Carrera USA
677 Highland Ave.
Half Moon Bay, Ca 94019
gbledso@aol.com

Please bring a copy of all documents and canceled checks to Mexico.

The entry fee or deposit may also be sent by personal check, wire, or bank transfer.  Please notify the North American Coordinator if you want to transfer funds.  Payment can also be made via www.Paypal.com and major credit cards for an additional processing fee.

You may also enter on line at www.lacarrerapanamericana.com.mx.  To do this, however, you must have all your information ready, including your blood types and Rh factors, car info, including digital photos of the car and the crew.  If you do not have this info ready, your application will not be accepted.

 
Deposits.  A deposit of $500 will guarantee one of the 40 slots provided by rules to North America (Canada and the U.S.).  This deposit is non-refundable for any and all reasons, unless your entry is refused by the central race organization.  Checks should be payable to “La Carrera USA.”

The USA and Canada are limited by the rules to forty entries. Do not hesitate in sending in your entry early, if you believe there is a good chance that you will be participating this year. 

Early entries are assigned to the “headquarters” hotels along the route and have first option on the luxury hotels.  This is another incentive for entering early.

Mexican Racing License.  All persons who ride in the racecar during competition must purchase a Mexican rally license for $235 (2009 cost).   Several individuals may sign up as drivers or navigators.  The license is the same for both.  It is not necessary to have a Canadian, U.S., or European racing license, only a valid driver's license.  Racing experience or training is highly recommended, however.

The Federation of Mexican Auto Sports (FMAD) racing license application is available at www.femadac.org.mx.  When you get to their home page, click on the following: "Tramites," Licencia deportiva, formatos PDF, and then, “foreign competitors.” If you cannot print out the form, please e-mail your request to the Coordinator at gbledso@aol.com. 

To avoid waiting in line and delaying your registration, arrange to secure your license before you leave for Mexico.  It will be ready to pick up at the starting city.  The license also carries a modest level of medical insurance, which may be upgraded.

Importing Your Vehicles.  There are two ways to bring your vehicles into Mexico.  It is solely your responsibility to get your vehicles into Mexico and to the starting line.

1. FMAD Import Permit.   If you are importing a car into Mexico by using the services of a Mexican customs broker you must fill out this form and the racing license application and send them to FMAD as well. That form is also available on their web site.  FMAD charges around $150 USD for the import permit for each vehicle.  You will also pay a substantial fee to the customs broker, which is negotiable. You must select this option if the vehicles have no titles.  A vehicle title is necessary to use option #2 below.

2. Tourist Permit.  If you drive or tow your racecar into Mexico, as most U.S. competitors do, and have a title for it and the tow vehicle, you may enter as a tourist and pay $37.00 USD for a permit at the border or certain Mexican consulates.  However, one person may only bring one vehicle (and a trailer) into Mexico at any one time.  The second vehicle must be in someone else’s name.  You may obtain your permit via the Internet www.banjercito.com.mx for around $60 USD.   A trailer is included on the permit with the truck.

At no additional cost, you may join the Coyote Convoy for the trip from Laredo, Texas down to the starting city.  The Convoy will leave Laredo on October 16 this year.  Details about the Copnvoy will be sent to all those registered for the race.

Where to Find the Pan Am forms?  You may print the entry form off this web site.  Upon request, a complete entry package will be sent to you by email or USPS.

Insurance.    You must purchase Mexican third-party liability insurance on your tow vehicle and present evidence of policy at registration in the starting city.

Air ambulance, medical insurance, and liability insurance are also available from other sources.

What is included in the Entry Fee?
--administrative and logistical costs of a week-long, 2000 mile race
--one first-class hotel room per entry (two double beds) for eight nights
--receptions, orientations, and drivers' meetings
--route book and decals for the racecar and service vehicle
--souvenirs, including a jacket
--limited liability insurance while racing
--support and advice before you leave, including a monthly newsletter

Need Extra Hotel Rooms?   The entry fee automatically provides one double hotel room (two beds) for the driver and co-driver for the eight nights (October 21--28) of the race.

Extra rooms for your support crew and friends may be arranged.  It is imperative that competitors and crew decided when--what day--they intend to arrive in the starting city.
If additional rooms are needed, make this request via the Internet or telephone to the Carrera Office (1-310-860-6959) or moni@lacarrerapanamericana.com.mx.   All rooms must be paid when the reservation is made.  Every effort is made to assign the racecar driver(s) and their support crew ("servicio") to the same hotels.  A premium will be charged for the optional luxury hotels like the Quinta Real in Zacatecas.

Information about the luxury option will be available in February, but if you want this option, notify the Carrera Office as soon as possible, since these rooms fill up quickly.
.
There is no refund on payments for hotel hotels and they cannot be transferred to others. 

Early Arrival Plans?  If you plan to arrive at the start of the race before the night of October 21 and need a hotel room(s), you should make a request by email to the Carrera Office.  (See contact info above.)   Most competitors should arrive by October 19 to allow sufficient time for registration, inspection, and pre-qualification.  If they arrive on October 19, for example, they will need two additional nights of hotel rooms, before the “Carrera” room starts on October 21.  (All dates herein are tentative.)

Please indicate clearly any need for additional rooms in a separate form or note included with your Entry Form.  Additional rooms usually cost around $150 per night. 

Please do not call the hotels to make or change your Carrera reservation before the race, as it only confuses them and may result in your main reservation being canceled by accident. Changes should be made only through the Carrera Office in Mexico City.  Email this office by sending a message to moni@lacarrerapanamericana.com.mx.

Crew Members.  Support crew (mechanics and truck drivers) may be charged a nominal fee for an I.D. card and entrance to certain activities.  They may also purchase a special FMAD license for crew members, which includes medical and AD & D insurance.  This license is not required by FMAD or the event Organizers.

Refunds.   Deposits for entries and hotel payments are not refundable.   Entry payments may be refunded in part, if a competitor withdraws before specified dates.

If the event is stopped or interrupted by an act of God, war, etc., the Organizers will seek to refund as much of the paid and collected funds as possible.  This is the limit of the Organizers’ responsibility.  Weather or other problems have sometimes caused a last-minute change in the route of the event, also.

Questions?  If you have questions about the entry process, please e-mail the North American Coordinator at gbledso@aol.com.  Please remember that the Spanish version of the “Reglamento” (rules) of La Carrera Panamericana is the final authority and it may be not posted on the Mexican web site until the spring.  All policies, procedures, and costs stated above are tentative until then.  However, by entering the race, you and your crew are agreeing to abide by the rules, whenever the final version is published.

Updates.  You should check this web site and the Mexican web site regularly for announcements.  Normally, any changes in the schedule, dates, and key rules (like tires) are announced on the official web site. You should also sign up for CARRERA NEWS, a monthly email newsletter chock full of info and insights into this adventure. See the home page on this web site to sign up.

Warning! 
Please understand that La Carrera Panamericana involves serious auto racing, an inherently dangerous sport, over an extended period of time, and at high altitude.  Please take every precaution to make your car safe and to drive it safely.  Competitors assume all liability for their safety, and will be required to sign a waiver to this effect.

The Organizers reserve the right to modify these procedures and rules at any time, and to reject any entry.  Because he is normally a competitor, the North American Coordinator is not involved in determining policy, interpreting the rules, or rendering a final decision on any matter.

All fees and costs are based on the current exchange rate of the USD to the Mexican peso and will be adjusted accordingly.
 
Please read the FAQ on this web site.  It is full of information and advice.

See you in Mexico!

Gerie Bledsoe
North American Coordinator
gbledso@aol.com
650-726-9890