Back to News
Renée Brinkerhoff and Roberto Mendoza have claimed a superb win in the Sport Menor category of the 2017 La Carrera Panamericana driving their Porsche 356 coupe.
Tuthill Porsche mechanic, Simon Redhead, maintained the 356 with its builder, Jim Ansite, for the entire seven-day event with 46 stages covering 3,200 kilometres through Mexico. The duo delivered a reliable car, which Renée and Robert then used to great effect, taking the class lead before the half-way point and holding that lead to the finish.
Sport Menor calls to mind the earliest days of La Carrera. Cars must be production machines from 1940-1954, with original bodywork of the same material, and with the original or bored-out engine up to two litres in capacity. Fully independent rear suspension is permitted. Porsche 356s are also allowed to run with relocated rear suspension arms to run a 5-speed transmission.
Winning at the legendary Carrera Panamericana is a great start to Renée’s two-year plan to race her beautiful 356 on all seven continents. We were delighted to work closely with Renée in the run up to Carrera and help with car setup. Her determined drive to victory is a just reward for the effort that has gone in to this marathon event.
Race two on the 356 racing world tour is the legendary Targa Tasmania, which takes place from April 16-21, 2018. Billed as “the ultimate Tarmac rally”, this famous six-day event covers 2,000 kilometres over almost forty competitive stages and is a real test of driver skill and vehicle reliability.
Based on the original Targa Florio, with dashes of Tour de Corse, Mille Miglia and the Coupe des Alpes, the ‘Tassie’ is well known for mega high speeds, so will be quite a different challenge for the little 356. No doubt the whole team is up for the test, so here’s to another great rally in prospect!
