Acapulco/Bill Muncey

[Mrs blueskyracer]

The Liam Neeson movie....not yet. I heard it is pretty good though,. Why

Don't watch it until you come home!

[Black Sheep]

Dave?

[Black Sheep]

Dave??

[Black Sheep]

Dave!?!?!?

[Black Sheep]

Can I have your Tohotsu? I wanna race Vanover with it. He loves him some Toe-Hot-Sue's! Right Erick?

[stevegray]

u suck

Did'nt anyone ever tell you not to drink the water down there? you shoulda listened cause it sounds like you are losing it!

[daveracerdsh]

Losing it

Losing it...na. I lost it years ago. I mean...i race stock outboards....and actually the water here seems to be ok.

[raceright]

Don't watch it until you come home!

Good advice lololol just one more reason I never leave the USA (for now)

[master oil racing]

Looking at some video of the accident and a few shots of the pits, plus what I remember from when it happened, I believe Bill Muncey was killed on Laguna de Coyuca. It is a little ways northwest of Acapulco along a Pacific highway. It is freshwater and is separated from the Pacifice ocean by a narrow strip of land.

I did an exhibition race there in 1980 with a few other friends and Bill Muncey was killed in 1981. We raced in the southernmost part of the lagoon. Our bottom turn would have been closest to Muncey's first turn.

The thing I always wondered about concerning the accident was that of all our alky motors, mine was the only one that ran okay. Everybody else was down about 20 per cent in power and had a hard time to keep the motors lit. Back off too much and the plugs would foul. I was the only one who had CD ignition, so I didn't have any trouble. We were at virtually sea level, but none of us had ever raced that far south. The other guys tried lots of setups and props to make their motors run but nothing worked. I ended up winning, but I had to back way off during the heats playing cat and mouse to make the races look competitive. There were only four of us and we should all have been running over a hundred down the straightaways to give the spectators a show (we were running alky OD's), but the other three racers were good to even get to the mid 80's. They were not getting much lift either. The boats wouldn't fly.

I always wondered if the air was so thin, even though we were at sea level, that when Muncey backed off to set up for the turn, the back dropped more quickly than normal causing the blowever. Kind of like a blowout in a tunnel.

[daveracerdsh]

Muncey

Wow...I had no idea that they raced outboards here. I am done with all my work...and have the whole day Sunday to explore. Hopefully can find a bus to take me up to former race site. And for those of you that know me...no...I am NOT going to rent a car....that would set Mexican/American relations back at least 20 years.....I have been here almost a week, and during that time I have got to know some of the local people around here. The local food is just fantastic and very very cheap. There is a large market right below my condo complex, full of the usual trinket shops etc. In the very back there is a collection of small "Fondas" ...which are little eateries with 2 or 3 tables. You can get a complete meal, like I said in an earlier post, including a drink...coke, beer, you name it, for under 50 pesos....something around 4.50 american. Trust me, it is nothing like you get in the Mexican places in the U.S....much much better. One of the waiters I have befriended is around 21 with a wife and a 2 month old girl. He works up to 16 hours a day, 7 days a week...no vacation, no overtime, nothing. His english is very good....says there is just nothing else available for him. During the week the clubs and bars on the Condesa, or main drag, are just deserted....on the "Playa" or main beach, I counted 20 people on thursday....this would be a 1/2 mile stretch of beach. The economy relies on Mexicans coming down for the weekend from Mexico City....it was pretty busy out last night, Friday...and actually pretty fun. Like I said earlier, you can walk up to a bar on the street and get a beer or cocktail to go. Pretty cool. Around the corner from my casa is a small branch station of the Federalas, or Mexican Police. I have got to know one of them, as i sorta saved his little puppy from getting run over by a car. (true story) His english is quite good, and he explained to me why the heavy police presence...the drug wars have done **** near fatal damage to the American and Canadian tourist trade, and the Mexican government is simply desperate to get the tourists back. the show of force is a way to let people know, such as myself, that they are serious about not letting anything happen to people here....There is desperate poverty around....but the strange thing is, unlike the United states, there are no "street people" that I can see....no beggars. I have only seen 2 very old women sitting on the curb begging for money...nothing like you see in the U.S. The daily struggle people have to go thru here just to make enough money to make ends meet sure does put things in a different perspective for me....Most of us are a whole look luckier then we know. Oh yah...thank you to all of the people that have been concerned about me being here....I leave Monday morning and it looks like I will make it home in one piece. Dave (aka US 9)

[bill van steenwyk]

Drug wars may be the problem now.....

......and I have no doubt that is a large contributor to the lack of tourists, at least foreign type, BUT... the problem started as I related in an earlier post when the two travel agents from the USA were killed there while attending a convention put on by their own organization. The robbing, rape, and murder were done by local law enforcement who were on the wrong side who only wore the badge for the advantage it gave them with innocents who thought no one would ever hurt them.

This caused a tremendous backlash among the travel agents in the US who were booking conventions in Mexico and they just stopped booking on the west coast, i.e. Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, etc, and started sending tourists to the newer tourist mecca's on the eastern side such as Cancun, etc. , where there were assurances they would be safe. But even there, you do not want to wander off very far from your resort.

That is one thing Americans do not seem to understand these days. They are not universally loved everywhere they go, and a lot of places there are bad folks wanting to cut their heads off for pocket change, or even for religious reasons, and they do not think that there is any reason that someone would want to do that till it happens. That is why I would pay attention to folks that live down that way, especially those that live close to the border like Wayne Baldwin and Stan Henderson.

It is possible that your "Federale" does not even know if this, as it happened about 25 years ago, and he may not have been around then.

Long story short, they have no one to blame but themselves as the Mexican government is as corrupt as they come, national and local, and anyone who has traveled or done business there knows it.

[daveracerdsh]

Sobering

That is very sobering Bill....I think I heard about that happening a while back....so very sad. I am sure I am not getting the whole picture as to why there are no foreign tourists here. The condo complex I am at like I said has about 60 units....not fancy, but ok looking. Aside from myself, there are 2 older couples here from Canada.....and they have no desire whatsoever to chat with me....sorta strange, but ok. It is very sad to see the complex owner open up the bar next to the pool and have nobody come up and buy anything...she has wonderfull homemade snacks etc available...just no people. I have heard that the Mexican government is corrupt.....sure makes me appreciate what we have back in the states....as imperfect as it may be. 9 US

[jpro60]

But even there, you do not want to wander off very far from your resort.

That is one thing Americans do not seem to understand these days. They are not universally loved everywhere they go, and a lot of places there are bad folks wanting to...

Bill, I've been to Cancun twice in the last 3 or 4 years. Both times I stayed in a hostel that was in the "downtown" area with the locals, nowhere near the resort area of town. I walked and took the bus everywhere, including at night. I never had any sort of issues. In fact I was glad to not be with all the gringos holed up in their resorts. I very much enjoyed the locals and getting a glimpse at there culture. Being there during Easter time once was awesome to experience in such an overwhelmingly catholic culture.

In the past few years I've been to 5 foreign countries. Every one of them I stayed in hostels, used public transport, etc. I'm not saying that bad things don't happen, but they are undeniably rare occurrences. You're right I don't go around wearing an american flag t-shirt or anything. But if you have some smarts, pay attention to where you are, don't get blacked out drunk, etc. you'll be fine.

I should also note that in all those travels and staying in hostels I've met dozens of travelers who have done months long trips in South America, Central America, Asia, etc. I've heard some great stories, and a few about people putting themselves in stupid situations, but never did I hear any horror stories. Trust me that I would have too as travelers look out for each other and if there was somewhere to avoid I would have heard about it.

[daveracerdsh]

depue

I felt more at risk when I was drunk walking around with a cocktail in depue last summer..but that's another story.

[master oil racing]

I was going to copy a google map and write where the pits were that the alkys pitted, where the pleasure boat and flatbottoms pitted, and where I think the unlimited pits were. Since you will be looking around tommorrow, I won't have time. But, if you can get someone to take you up the coast to Laguna de Coyuca you will see that lagoon. I think the Unlimiteds were on the eastern side of the road that parallels the Pacific and the western shore of the lagoon. We were pitted on the west bank of the lagoon south of where I think the Unlimiteds were. The OPC and flats were around the corner at the southeast part of the lagoon where there was a boat ramp.

We had come off the recent UIM OD World Championships held at Laredo,Texas. We had sent invitations for Mexican drivers to attend and invited Federacion Mexicano Motonauticos officials to attend. One was there and was impressed with the races, hence the invitation for us to attended the third Copa de Acapulco.

The federales carried weapons then also, as they always have, but they were not so exposed. I have not been to Mexico in many years and have not seen what you have Dave. But they have always been vigilant.

While in the pits rigging up in 1980, one of Artie Lund's pit crew took his T shirt off and hung it on the side of the trailer. The pits were a sandy beach, shaded by palm trees. They were roped off, but spectators could enter freely. About 20 or thirty minutes later, Artie's crewmember said "Hey...somebody stole my T shirt." He looked around, but then went back to work and gave it up for lost. We were all in the middle of rigging up for testing before the races began, so we did not notice at first that there were no more spectators inside the roped area. There was no commotion, no orders, just everyone moved out. Then after a short while one of the pit crew noticed a federale with a machine gun standing on guard just at the perimiter of the rope on the south. He spread the word, and we all started to look around. Without a word being said, the Federales had entered our pits and they emptied. Two or three Federales remained posted around the perimeter with their weapons, but the spectators were still there filling in all the gaps around the Federales, just not inside the roped off area. There were a half dozen Mexicans still inside the pits working with us that the Federales knew without asking that we had befriended. It was just the way it was.

Corruption has been a part of the government for centuries, but since the drug cartels have taken over, it has become too dangerous to go there.