Juan Carlos Sarmiento Jiménez is a rally driver and competitor in other motorsport events. He was born in the city of Oaxaca, Mexico, and has been a two-time champion of the Carrera Panamericana.

Beginnings

Sarmiento began participating in motorsports in 1996 when he took part in quarter-mile drag racing competitions at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, where he secured second place at the national level. In the following years, he continued to compete in this type of event as well as in slalom racing, achieving two first-place finishes in this discipline. The first was at the IV Renault Cup, organized in 2000 at the Autodromo de Pachuca, in the city of the same name in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. The second was at the Porsche World Show in 2002, held at the Pegaso Circuit in the Mexican city of Toluca. During this period, he also began competing in rally events, the Carrera Panamericana, and the Mexican Vintage Championship.

Panamericana Career

First Stage: The “Volcho” Era (1997-2002)

His first participation in a rally was in the 1997 Carrera Panamericana, where he finished seventh in the Senior Touring category. From then on, he became a consistent competitor for the next eight years. In 1998, he achieved sixth place in the same category, in 1999 he reached fifth place, and in 2000 he once again finished fifth in the Turismo Mayor category. However, he also ranked among the top ten overall, securing ninth place. In 2001, he maintained his position in Turismo Mayor and finished tenth overall. In 2002, he achieved his best results to date, finishing third in the Senior Touring category and sixth overall.

Until that point, Sarmiento had competed with a 1954 VW sedan equipped with a 2000 cc engine, built by tuner Gilberto (“Beto Jünker”) Gallardo. He stood out during those years as the only small car in a high-displacement category. This vehicle was considered the fastest four-cylinder car in the Carrera Panamericana from 2000 to 2002.

Second Stage: The Studebaker Era (2003-2005)

In 2003, Sarmiento switched to a new competition vehicle, a 1953 Studebaker Champion, which provided 500 horsepower to enhance his racing performance—and it proved effective. In that year’s edition, he finished second in the Senior Touring category and second overall.

This was his best result in the competition, but the pinnacle of his career came in 2004 when he was crowned champion of the race. He repeated this success in 2005, winning back-to-back championships despite being in critical health in the months leading up to the competition.

Third Stage: Race Assistant

After his second victory, he was forced to retire from racing due to medical advice. However, after a year of recovery, he returned to the event—not as a driver, but as the lead car pilot from 2007 to 2010.

During the 2011 and 2012 editions of the Carrera Panamericana, Sarmiento was part of the competition’s medical and safety services.

Rallying Career

His experience as a rally driver extended from the Carrera Panamericana to the Mexican Rally Championship. He also competed in local events and long-distance special stages, such as the Rally Desafío de la Frontera, held at the Mexico–United States border in 2004, where he delivered an outstanding performance. He finished in third place overall. He had previously participated in another rally of this type, from Las Vegas, USA, to Cancun, Mexico, in 2000, where he secured fourth place overall.

Despite retiring from high-level competition, Juan Carlos Sarmiento continued to race in rallies, including the 2007 Rally Sierra Juárez (part of the Mexican Rally Championship), which he had to abandon due to an accident.

He also participated in Rally México in its 2008, 2011, and 2012 editions, as well as in the NACAM Rally Championship (the FIA rally championship for North and Central America) in 2009, 2010, and 2011.