Day 8 & 9 Championship Days

The race can be won or lost on the last two days. You need to first make the 2100 mile journey to finish, but to win, you need to perform flawlessly these two days.

Day 8 is by far the hardest day of the rally. You are exhausted, and excited because you know it is the end. The other stress factor is you are not allowed to throw out any legs. It is full of maneuvers that consist of speed changes, timed speed sections, stops, stops at signals and turns. You try to complete each direction perfectly, and then hope for a little luck.

When traffic or other racers are in your way you are allowed to take time delays in ten second increments. This sounds easy, but it is one of the most difficult maneuvers to complete. Things are typically coming fast, and you are required to stop or cut speed and time the event. You want to finish with some denominator of ten.

This year we were not so lucky, and had more time delays than ever. Sometimes we would do it perfectly, and other times we just weren’t sure. This is where the luck comes into play, you can be driving down a farm road and have a combine in front of you. You have three options: you can stop and wait until you think he is far enough down the road, you can drop to half speed and lose five seconds every ten seconds, or you can hope it is clear, and try to pass him. The important thing is to make a decision and stick with it.

We ran into several trucks, racers and at one point a traffic signal that was full of cars. There is no way to stop and go to the correct speed with traffic. You could possibly stop and then proceed at half speed, but then you have to pray you make the signal. We waited for 13 minutes for the intersection to clear, and then decided to go for it. We made it through, but it was not a straight shot and that is when your timing is incalculable. The best way to remain in control is to be able to control your timing.

Rallying from North to South Carolina

We started Saturday morning in Beckley, West Virginia the morning air was cool. Beckley is located at 2200 feet in the Blue Ridge Mountains We were heading South through the mountains. We climbed winding pine forested roads and then came back down those same winding roads. It would be easy if you didn’t have to hold 30 mph going uphill and 25 mph going down hill. I road our brakes the 30 or so minutes we spent going down hill. The down hill makes you nervous about losing your brakes in these old cars.

We continued to Galax, Virginia where we had lunch. Galax is small town in the Southwestern part of Virginia. Galax has an X-Cup Team in The Great Race. Each year their team is made up of teenagers who are in a local mechanics program. The Galax Team drives an early Model A.

After lunch we were in North Carolina in the farm land. We looped around the area with rolling hills and winding roads. It becomes a little crazy when there are ninety something old cars looping around in different circles. You will turn a corner and have a car 15 seconds ahead of you. Then you will turn another corner and have a different car behind you. It is designed to confuse you, but as long as you don’t miss a turn or a sign, you should be ok.

After a long afternoon of rallying, we ended the evening in Mooresville, North Carolina. Mooresville is famous for its NASCAR racers and love of racing. Again, we had a huge crowd to greet us. Only when we arrived here did it dawn on me that people have been cooped up in their homes for the past 15 months and are thrilled to be out again. Every town was so grateful for our presence, and we were equally appreciative.

Day 9 The Finally

We started our morning and the air was thick in Mooresville. We put Rain-X on our windshield and headed toward South Carolina. We prayed for no rain as it affects the performance of the tires. We had a few sprinkles, but nothing significant.

The final day is a short day of rallying, but just as important as Day 8. In tennis we say “these go”. Today is the day that you hold your position or lose the race. We know first hand how quickly you can go from winning to somewhere in the middle. One wrong turn, and you are out.

We ran cleanly, but were not in contention. We enjoyed the short day of driving and honing in our skills.

We finished at BMW of America. They have a little museum with mostly Z series cars. We ate lunch with friends and headed to Main Street in Greenville, South Carolina.

Girl Power

In previous posts, we have mentioned Olivia and Genna Gentry. They are young ladies out of Newnan, Georgia. Their family is like the Andretti family in cart racing or the Manning family in football. They are a rally family.

The girls’ mother Beth raced for several years with her father. The girls came to the Great Race every year and sold programs. When Olivia turned 16, the two sisters became a team. Their Rookie year, they won their division. Their second year they won sportsman division. This is their fourth year, and Olivia the 20 year old driver and Genna the 18 year old Navigator won the rally.

They finished with a total time of 51 seconds for the 9 day event. They were 10 seconds from the overall second place team, their mom, Beth Gentry, and cousin, Jody Knowles.

The girls are great champions, they are planning on using some of their winnings to start a program for young girls to participate in rallying. Along with the two Gentry girls, our friend Mallory Henderson who started racing in the X-Cup Program with her dad will drive for the girl’s team.

We finished another year without a breakdown, we were happy to finish in the top 20. We are looking forward to the sights and scenery of 2022, from Rhode Island and North Dakota.