NOTE: Refresh this page each time you visit it to ensure you see the latest updates

The latest update as of November 5, 2011

Sand Drags in Todos Santos!

When we arrived in town early this afternoon, one of the first signs we passed after the huge overhead "Bienvenidos a Todos Santos" (Welcome to T.D.) was a brightly coloured and lettered banner proclaiming BCS Sand Drags November 6th. Hmm.... that's tomorrow and the location must be near here. Interesting.....

Not thinking too much more about it during the afternoon while I was dipping in the pool and broiling on the chaise lounges in the sun, I wasn't really prepared for the scene that had taken over the center of Todos Santos when I went downtown for dinner in the early evening. The town square was packed with young people, racers, and fans; all under the watchful eyes of the "Policia Municipale" with reinforcements down from La Paz (about 40 kms north).

Parked around the square on trailers were a wild and weird variety of sand racers (mostly older model coupes and sedans with very large paddle tires and standard drag racing equipment - hood scoops, open headers, and such like - with the cars fired up and running on their trailers as entertainment for the Saturday night audience. Quite a sight and sound spectacular, with the back country edge that this part of the world brings to such an event.

Best of all was that I had a ringside seat to the action, in the La Casita restaurant right across the street from the square while enjoying an awesome dinner of crabcakes and mango shrimp, washed down with a margarita on the rocks. As the crescendo of unmuffled horsepower played itself out, the police did lap after lap around the area in their pickup trucks, while half a dozen officers on foot manned the only traffic light controlled intersection in town.

All that was missing from the scene was the fireworks that accompany most festivals and other celebrations in Mexico, but as the night wore on I'm sure there were some fired off. Feeling just a little uneasy in a rental car, and being an obvious gringo, I left the area as soon as dinner was over, but as I write this update am searching for directions to the site of tomorrow's race. Failing that, I'll just drive into town and start following the nearest hot rods to wherever the race is being held. Surely most of the folks driving hot cars will be going there tomorrow afternoon.

It should be great and I'll be there to soak it all up instead of lounging at the pool or the beach. Too bad I didn't have my big camera with me and a media pass, but I'll do the best I can with my little pocket model. Stay tuned for updates tomorrow night. They should be interesting.