[DeTomaso] Jim Demick Gumball report

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

Hi guys,

Word from Jim Demick....

Mike

=====

 
 Fellow Gumball Watchers,
  
 I received a call from Robert and Justin about 5:15pm yesterday and they 
told me that they were nearing Winslow, Arizona.  They had just passed a line 
of 5 Gumball Rally cars stopped by police on the side of the road.  One of 
the rally cars was being flat bedded away....I doubt it was a mechanical 
problem :o)
  
 Robert informed me that they were about 5 hours away from Santa Fe and 
that the police were thick.  Somebody had tipped them off....could it possibly 
have been the media coverage on every news station within 1000 miles?
  
 I decided since I wanted to avoid the extra patrols, I would head up to 
Santa Fe a bit earlier.  Its about 80 miles from my house to Santa Fe and as I 
headed north through Albuquerque about 6:00pm, suddenly, a late model 
silver 996 Porsche Twin turbo slowly passed me on my left.  I was doing about 70 
and he wasn't going much more than 72.  I wondered if he was a Gumballer.  
My suspicions were confirmed when I noticed that nearly every body panel was 
plastered with sponsor logos...and then the tell-tale sign...a Gumball 3000 
banner in the back window!  I had me a Gumball....it would be a very 
interesting drive..err..flight to Santa Fe.
  
 Traffic was heavy and we motored along and I decided to pass the Porsche.  
A few seconds later the Porsche passed me again.  We hadn't exceeded 
80mph....yet.  Very shortly thereafter, I became a participant in the Gumball 3000 
:o)  Some very politically incorrect speeds happened that would 
make mothers cluck for their children, burly men wince and plaster really big grins on 
the faces of Pantera enthusiasts.  Suffice to say, that a 38 year old 
Pantera can handle it's own with the worlds best exotic cars.
  
 Santa Fe was a total mad house as we made our way from the hotel to the 
parking area for the participants.  there had to have been somewhere between 
3000-5000 people there just to see the rally arrive.  Since I wasn't an 
official Gumballer, I found public parking and went to find the Porsche owner.  I 
spotted him near his car and told him that I really enjoyed my trip to 
Santa Fe with him...he said, "OH!  That's was you in the Pantera?  It was a 
blast, wasn't it?"  I just smiled.  The Porsche was the first Gumball car to 
arrive in Santa Fe.  He had a Pantera to thank for his quicker arrival :o)
  
 The crowds were in total party mode.  I have never seen crowds that large 
for a car event of any kind in New Mexico.  The other Gumball cars arrived 
fairly dispersed as far as time went...by 8:00pm, out of 135 cars only 15 or 
so had arrived.  By 9:00 there were probably 30 or so, by 10:00pm 
maybe 80. The crowds had swelled to such an extent (and somewhat unruly...imagine 
that!) the Santa Fe police department, the Santa Fe Sheriffs department AND the 
New Mexico state police we all called in to clear people out and restore 
order.  There were almost as many police as spectators! 
  
 What I found totally hilarious was when the Lamborghini's, Ferrari's 
and such would rev their engines to the enjoyment of the crowd...I swear two 
people could carry on a normal conversation while standing at the rear bumper of 
the cars while the owner smashed the gas pedal!  Then at about 10:30pm came 
an unmistakable sound.  I was a block and a half away and I knew that 
Robert and Justin had arrived.  That unmistakable sound of a Pantera resonated 
off the buildings. 
  
 I quickly walked toward the sound and found Robert and Justin and 
introduced myself.  You could not meet a nicer couple of guys!  Robert said that the 
problems with reverse had miraculously healed itself and I said then, let's 
leave it alone.  I had brought tools to do whatever repairs needed but was 
also nervous that messing with something at that time of night could cause 
problems that might not be seen until the next day.  I told Robert that what 
he described as his problem with reverse sounded like a possible small 
amount of air in the hydraulic system.  He may have been able to push an air 
bubble to the top of the slave cylinder where it might stay out of the way.  
Robert said the Pantera was running like a freight train and he and Justin were 
really proud to be flying the Pantera banner in the Gumball 3000.  It had a 
large crowd around it when it arrived, that was for sure.
  
 Car were to have expected to be rolling in until at least midnight but I 
needed to head back home.  Satisfied that Robert's Pantera was in great 
shape, I said goodbye, wished him and Justin a great trip and headed back home.  
It was a great day.
  
 If you get the chance to meet the rally at one of it's stops, you won't be 
disappointed.  Robert and Justin are doing us proud! 
  
 Jim Demick
Panteras of New Mexico



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