KEIGHLEY and District Motor Club member Iain Dobson finished second in class after competing in the Pan Am motor race in Mexico for the first time.

La Carrera Panamericana, or Pan Am for short, is one of the world’s most famous rally courses.

The 2,000-mile trip through Mexico saw Dobson and co-driver Jeff Thresher compete in their white Ford Escort RS against more than 85 other vintage racers.

Dobson, who was born and raised in Ben Rhydding, drove their Ford to third in the A Plus class on the second day. They went on to achieve two second-place and three third-place stage finishes on their way to an impressive 16th in the overall rankings and second in their class.

Yet it could have been an even better outcome but for a final-stage hiccup.

Dobson said: “On the final day we were up to 12th overall and were leading our class when on a short road section connecting two high speed special stages, the car just stopped.

“After 15 minutes and a call to a friend in the pub in the UK for advice, we swapped the offending part and were able to rejoin the race.

“Heartbreak became mere disappointment when we realized that we had only slipped to second in class and we would finish 16th overall.”

The competition was close with only four seconds between the top four in their class mid-way through the Mexican race.

Amid all the competitiveness, the pair still managed to have a great time with the fellow enthusiasts seeing some incredible vintage cars.

Dobson said: “We were amazed at how competitive the event was and how multi-national it was, with more than 85 teams from all around the world competing.

“The plan was to get used to the car, be consistent and to not push things until they broke. And that strategy worked.”

Dobson left Yorkshire in 2000 to work in America, initially to help set up a rally driving school in Florida before starting work for current employer Automotive Events.

He maintains strong links with Keighley and District Motor Club, with whom he was a founder member back in 1984.

The 53-year-old said: “The rallying experience and contacts I have maintained there have been invaluable throughout my working life.”

It also gave him the confidence to buck the trend and go with an unusual choice of vehicle for the Pan Am race.

He said: “La Carrera does not normally attract that mainstay of British historic rallying, the Ford Escort. Usual vehicles included 550 hp+ V8-powered ‘American Iron’ and the full range of Porsche 911s.

“When thinking about the event though, we realized there was an opportunity to put together a 1970 vintage rally Escort and to exploit the power of the Ford Cosworth BDA engine along with the knowledge I had from rallying back in Yorkshire with the boys from Keighley District Motor Club.

“I was able to use work contacts to source a donor vehicle from South Africa – for the princely sum of £750!

“Most of the parts were brought together in the UK before before assembling the car in Ohio, USA, where I work.”

Dobson would love to compete again at an event in which the locations and people left a lasting impression on him and co-driver Thresher, who is a work colleague.

He said: “After four years of planning and car building, La Carrera Panamericana exceeded every expectation we had for it.

“Not only is it the most challenging event I have ever done, it also gave us a look at some of the most remote and unspoiled cities and regions of Mexico.

“Seven days of rallying from Chiapas on the Guatemalan border up through almost unknown but staggeringly beautiful colonial towns like Oaxaca and Guanajuato is not something to easily forget.

“Even more impressive than the geography were the people. We never once felt any hostility from locals or were concerned for our safety – quite the contrary! The crowds were vast and lined the route for mile after mile cheering us on.

“Overnight halts were a riot of colour and sound with locals wanting pictures and autographs from all the ‘heroes of La Carrera’.”