Day 7 Zacatecas - Nuevo Laredo (Thursday)

I know Bill mentioned that we had the driver's meeting and spent the night at the bullring hotel (Quinta Real) in Zacatecas. The center of the bullring was set up similar to a grand wedding, very elegant and with delicious food. Before the official meeting began, Bill and I took some time to walk around the hotel. Quinta Real has taken care to set up period furniture and artwork throughout the hotel. Modern sculptures and paintings blend seemlessly with antique furniture and truely unique architecture.

The city's 16th century aqueduct sits next to the hotel. It greatly adds to the City's charm. I do foresee spending some romantic evening here some day.

I don't know if I've mentioned this about some of the other cities, but Zacatecas, like several other cities in Mexico is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mexico has a total of 27 World Heritage Sites among them are cities like Zacatecas, Puebla, Oaxaca, Morelia...sound familiar, also the many well known archeological site and even the beautiful and dramatic agave landscapes of my native Tequila.

Just to give you a little background, Zacatecas was founded in 1546 and was a mining city rich in silver. The Cathedral was was built in the 1700's and is a beautiful example of Spanish baroque architecture, more specifically known as Chrrigueresque Architecture. The fascade is made of elaborate cantera carvings.

So like with every other city, we felt the hours we spent there were no where nearly enough to true appreciate their beauty. But this is not a tour, it's a race, right? So onward... this is the last leg of the race and definitely the longest. This tends to be the most trying day for most of the vehicles. Engines blow, clutches fail and the long days on the road simply wear on the both the cars and the drivers. After the morning speed run over La Bufa, we far goodbye to Zacatecas and continue north through its barren landscapes.

The long drive gave us time to pull out the camera and photograph some of our fellow competitors. Below are Oliver and Toni (German Porsche team) on their way to Nuevo Laredo. They were a very successful team placing 1st in class for the entire race.

Nuevo Laredo is in the horizon and we are already celebrating. We can't explain the relief that is felt when you know that the finish line is right around the corner. It's been 7 long and tiring days. We drive into the City and realize that the instructions that were provided in our race route don't apply any longer. This may have been explained in last night's meeting but Bill had asked if I wanted to get checked into our room and I never really realized how many seconds after I sat down on the bed it took for me to fall asleep...race suit and shoes on, remote control in hand. We circled around the City guided by a patrol car. Sirens going, ignoring all traffic lights, for those few kilometers the world seems to stop to take a look at us. It's wonderful.

We pull into the crowd of cheering people. With beers in hand, we are greeted at the finish arch by the Corona girls. They place the final medal of the race Nuevo Laredo. Yes, I think at some point in their life, this is probably every man's dream.

After congratulating our fellow drivers, Bill celebrated the arrival to the finish line with the "Modelo" girls.

We must report that our fellow team of the Porsche 356 Coupe had engine problems and were unable to finish the race. It was a valiant effort but the Great Mexican Road Race got the best of the 356.