MissHathawaysGreatRace

This morning was another beautiful morning. We headed toward Sun Prairie, WI via farm roads and back country. The morning was beautiful and we enjoyed tree lined roads, rolling hills, and green pastures as we drove into Wisconsin.

We ended the morning for a lunch stop at The Angell Park Speedway. The Midget Car Hall of Fame is located at this track.

For most midget car racing has little meaning. However, for me I know it is why racing is in my blood. My grandfather was Matthew Heid. He was a midget car racer, and sadly was killed racing when my mom was a young girl. Visiting the Hall of Fame reminded me why I love racing and competition.

After lunch we transit to our next starting point each day. The picture above was taken after leaving lunch at the track. Shanna is an awesome navigator and Neil a great driver. They have finished in the top ten the last couple of years.

We finished the day a little earlier than usual. We ended the day in Wisconsin Dells, the mecca for indoor water parks. We stayed at a resort called Chula Vista Resort. The place was huge with indoor and outdoor water slides. It was located on a beautiful tree lined river. There was a walking path behind the hotel along the River, and an old log cabin tucked in the trees very close to our room.

Thank you to McCollister’s for the care package. It came at the perfect time. We went from 100 degrees down to high 50s.

Thank you to Mustang Country, Jane finished another day. The race prep on Jane has been perfect.

Thank you to all of our family, friends and supporters. We continue to stay in the top 10!

It was another warm morning, and we drove from our hotel to the starting point in Perrysburg, OH. It was a short jaunt up the road, and as we were driving, we drove through an outdoor shopping area called Levi Commons. The area was newly developed, and flanked by industrial businesses. They had an array of shops, and restaurants. The growth seemed to be on going.

After receiving our directions for the day, we headed toward South Bend, Indiana. We typically start the day on a Highway so we can calibrate our speedometers. They are specific to rallying, and we can hold each mile per hour exactly. We calibrate them each day because the rally master can change the speed and it would change our times on each leg.

We were heading toward South Bend to the Studebaker Museum for lunch. Again, we drove through fields with corn and soy, we also saw a few solar farms. The red barns with their silos covered in vines make you smile when you are city dwellers. There is just something so beautiful about the countryside and its manicured fields and pretty farm houses.

The red barns are symbolic or a tradition in modern times. The red barns were originally red because farms always had a lot of rust, and they could use the rust as protection from fungus and mosses that grew on the barns, it was like a sealant.

We went through more Amish country, and passed a man with his horse and buggy. It is always interesting to see them living in the 21st century in a 19th century lifestyle. Aside from the man in his buggy, we also saw a man farming his land with horse drawn farm implements.

We made it to the Studebaker Museum in South Bend for lunch. We rolled in grabbed a quick bite of local flavor. They served polish sausage and red cabbage. They were both delicious.

We sat at lunch with some friends and fellow racers. They told us the trials and tribulations of their morning. Fortunately, they were not hurt, but the front bumper of their 1932 Ford pickup truck looks more like a pretzel than a fender. They were making a turn and didn’t see the cross traffic. They whipped around to avoid hitting the other car and it caught the fender. It reminds us each day how lucky we are and why safety first is so important.

After lunch we headed back out into the country and rallied some more. We were driving toward Plainfield, Illinois as we circled around farms.

We finished the evening with rush hour traffic through the suburbs of Chicago. It is not fun being in an old car in traffic , but we try to bunch together so we are seen.

The car above is a chain driven car. It is by far the loudest and one of the most interesting cars in the race. We call it Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, some call it Snap Crackle Pop. It throws smoke and oil, and back fires everywhere it goes.

We made it to Plainfield and the streets were full of on lookers. One of the onlookers said they don’t have a lot going on, so everyone comes out for events.

Thank you to McCollister’s we appreciate all of your support! We look forward to making you proud.

Thank you Mustang Country! We finished another day with no issues!!! The race prep couldn’t be better!!!

Thank you again to all of our family, friends and supporters your support is most appreciated. We are still in the top 10. Our raw scores have been better than we could hope for.

For all those competitors who wished for warm weather, their wish was granted. We woke up this morning to the nice warm temperatures. It was in the mid 70s, and warmed up to the high 90s by the end of the day.

We started the rally with a few turns and then we were on a covered bridge. The covered bridges have such charm and character. There were media people for the rally at the bridge as well as spectators. Unfortunately, while we are rallying it is difficult to take pictures, but visit http://www.greatrace.com to check out some great photos from the rally.

We had a fantastic turn out at lunch today. We were in Medina, Ohio. We stopped for lunch in their town square. It was so quaint and the square was full of onlookers, well wishers and nice dogs too.

The people in these towns are so kind. They make lunch for all the participants, and typically have their own car shows. The towns are thrilled that we come through, and we are happy to be greeted with such enthusiasm.

After our lunch break we headed back to the course, heading toward Perrysburg, Ohio.

We drove out in the farm land and saw fields of corn, wheat, and soy. We also saw some beautiful draft horses that were almost the size of a Clydesdale horse. They were the color of a Palomino. Today we also saw a farm full of sheep.

We have seen many deer on this trip and a few have been in the road. Fortunately, they went the opposite direction. We were given deer whistles to mount on our grill to scare them off. Not sure if it works but so far so good.

We arrived in Perrysburg, Ohio in the early evening and again a fantastic crowd greeted us. It was a warm evening, but many people were out to enjoy the old cars.

We finished the day strong. It was one of our best days. We had three perfect legs (Aces), two 1 second legs and a 7 second leg that was thrown out. We are super happy with our scores.

Thanks you again to the McCollister team! We need to apologize for our typo on Dan and Dan Junior’s (McCollister’s) names. Our late night blogs and blurry eyes don’t always make for perfect blog posts.

Thank you to Mustang Country! Jane completed another day running and scoring strong.

Last but not least, thank you to our family and friends! We appreciate all the comments and support. It’s been another incredible opportunity to see our great nation and meet those that make it so great. The selflessness of everyone in this event is humbling. One competitor broke his engine… he was given a spare motor that another team brought in case they needed it. It’s quite a special event to be a part of. Great Race is a great “bucket list” item. How lucky are we to have participated for 8 great years!

The morning started out brisk at 44 degrees in Binghampton, New York. Many of the participants were questioning the choice of doing the event in an open car. However, everyone knew it would get warmer.

We started early, leaving the hotel at 6:30am and heading to the host hotel. There we picked up our daily instructions and headed West.

The day, like most days was filled with scenic drives. Lush and green, no shortage of water around here! We drove through Watkins Glen and had a photo opportunity at the local water fall.

Watkins Glen may have been a thriving town in it’s hay day, but today like so many American small towns it is struggling.

As we drive through small town USA, we see what once were thriving towns and are now struggling but in some cases having a resurgence. We are reminded constantly how fortunate we are to have the opportunities we have.

Although the towns may not all have the industry they once had, you see what was once there. It reminds you of the industries that made this country great, and the opportunities that made those before us prosper.

We finished our day on the shore of Lake Erie. The boats that fill the marina reminded us of the vessels we see in our harbor. Although the morning was chilly, we lucked out and had a nice evening on State Street in Erie, Pennsylvania.

The city hosted a dinner in their recently renovated movie theater. The theater renovation took the interior back to its Art Deco period.

We continue to be so grateful for our sponsors McCollister’s AutoTransport. Thank you to Dan McCollister and Dan McCollister Jr. we appreciate this opportunity, and love being part of the team.

Thank you to Mustang Country! Jane continues to run perfectly. We appreciate the great race prep!

Thank you as always to friends and family who follow along and support our adventure!

This morning we started in Windsor, Connecticut. The morning was chilly but the skies were blue. We were heading west across Connecticut. The scenery was beautiful. We drove by farms, churches and really old homes. Many of the old homes in Connecticut have signs in front with the year the homes were built. We saw many homes built in the late 1700s. We even saw a cemetery that was founded in 1738.

There are probably more churches per square mile in both Rhode Island and Connecticut because they were the first states with religious freedom. We didn’t have a chance to visit, but the first synagogue in the United States is located in Newport, Rhode Island.

The North East is so beautiful this time of year. If Ireland has 10,000 shades of green, the North Eastern United States has 100,000 shades of green. It is so lush and green.

We drove around the Appalachian Trail, and through the Hudson River Valley. We loved seeing the lakes, rivers and streams. It is the anthesis of so much of California, we just marvel as we soak up the scenery. W

We finished the morning by driving to Montgomery Village, NY. We were greeted by a nice crowd for a Father’s Day car show, and the people from Rogo Fasteners #rogofastener. They sponsored our lunch and gave us each a goodie bag with some products for the car. Thank you Rogo Fasteners for making it a great lunch stop.

Which reminds me, thanks dad for introducing me to cars and car racing as a young girl. We hope you had a nice Father’s Day. We were sorry we weren’t home to celebrate with you.

We continued into New York and ended the day in Binghamton, New York. We were welcomed by The Twin Tier Mustang Club. The club sponsored our car, and the group was kind enough to show us around their car show and the group of Mustangs they brought to the event.

We appreciate each of the members who were there to show us a grand time. Mert & Janice, Dave & Magi, Greg & Sharon, and last but not least Bob and Carol we wanted to thank you for making the evening most enjoyable.

Bob and Carol, we hope you come to California. We are still waiting to hear how you built up the nerve to ask Carol on a date 54 years ago.

We ended the evening in the parking lot of the hotel. We had a few friends come over and congratulate us. We were in second place over all. It is nice to hear, but this is an endurance race. You don’t win on the second day.

Thank you again to The McCollister’s team. #mccollistersautotransport We appreciate your daily support. Billy and Roni have been there to greet us each evening as we finish the day.

Thank you also to Mustang Country, Day 2 completed and Jane continues to run well.

Thank you to our family and friends for all of your messages, love and support!

The 132 entries for The 2022 Great Race drove across town from the hotel to Rocky Point Stat Park. We were greeted by droves of fans, young and old alike, lining the road on the 3 mile drive. It may have been the best start ever. The people of Warwick were out to see our old cars. When we reached the park, the line of fans waiting to enter the park was over a block long in both directions. We arrived about 8:45, and parked our cars in order of start.

The park may be an old theme park, and it’s location is beautiful. Over looking Narragansett Bay and down toward the Newport Bridge the park has rolling green lawns, and incredible bay views. There is also a beach on one side of the park.

We rallied for a little more than half the day from Rhode Island to Windsor, Connecticut. The day was cool with partly cloudy skies. The speed for the past two days was 24mph. We drove for hours at 24. That probably sounds slow and boring, but try holding 24mph on winding undulating roads. It is not easy! Truth be told, we drove other speeds as well, but we drove many miles at that slow speed.

New England Air Museum

We finished the day in Windsor CT, and enjoyed a lovely evening at The New England Air Museum. The museum has many great old aircraft, but the center piece is its B-29. It is one of 20 left in existence.

We were fortunate to be able to enjoy one of the best finish line meals we can remember, all under the wing of the B-29. Connecticut has quite a bit of farming despite the harsh winters, and our dinner highlighted some of the local fair. Fresh summer veggies, chicken, salmon and delicious ice cream sandwiches from a local dairy. It was perfect!

Eating dinner under the mighty B-29 Super Fortress.

We were having a small electrical issue with our hazard lights, and there was a team of men who were there to help with car issues. They were so kind to work on our car in the rain while we ate dinner.

After dinner we walked out to see how the car was coming. The guys were still working, so we walked down to an open hanger. We were standing inside to stay warm and dry. As we stood there a truck pulled in with a couple of guys from the museum. One man introduced himself, and said he had worked at the museum for over 40 years. He is a 90 year old man named Neil. He shared with us the story of the restoration of the B-29, and showed us some work they were doing in the hanger. Neil is incredible, his aircraft knowledge, and how they were built was so impressive.

After working on the car in the rain with little luck, we took the car to our friend Larry’s shop. There, the guys had all the tools and a dry space to work. They fixed the car in 5 minutes. They were persistent and so kind. We are so grateful to Mario, Don and Mike for all of their efforts. Sometimes, Supermen don’t wear a capes!

The race is not won or lost the first day, it is an endurance rally. We were happy with a fifth place finish for the day, and a total score of 5 seconds, but we also know that will change quickly.

Thanks to you all for joining in the journey.

For several years there have been between five and seven Mustangs participating in The Great Race. Almost every year one of the owners has a great idea to have all the cars come together for a photo. Unfortunately, the best time to make it happen is before the rally begins, and it never seems to come together. This year our friend and fellow Mustang driver Ahna and her 17 year old daughter Della, the only mother daughter team this year, (www.drivelikeamother.com) rallied the Mustang owners together for this great photo opportunity.

The Great Race 2022 General Meeting & Trophy Run

We started the morning with the annual general meeting. There were over 500 people in the room. The meeting includes every participant in the event from drivers and navigators, to support crews, and the competition crew (the team of people it takes to put on the event). The meeting starts by introducing the rookies to The Great Race family, and mentioning all those who have been participating for almost 40 years. They also introduced the sponsors of the event including, Hemmings Motor News, Hagerty Insurance, McCollister’s Auto Transport, and Stahls. If you didn’t see our post yesterday, we are proud to be ambassadors, and represent for McCollister’s Auto Transport.

We mentioned in the previous post there are over 130 teams this year 50 of them are rookie teams. This is also an international event, we have traveled to Canada and in years passed the race went to Mexico. The event also includes teams from Australia, Canada, England, Germany and France.

After all the acknowledgments, the meeting was adjourned. It was immediately followed by the start of Rally School. They spend an hour with the rookies, or anyone who wants to attend going over the instructions for the Trophy Run. The Trophy Run is a short half day rally around the starting city and it’s outlying areas. The results do not count toward the eight day rally we are about to embark on, however it is used as a tie breaker in the event of a tie for the actual Great Race.

The Trophy Run is a great practice for everyone, and a trophy is given to each winning team based on the class they run in.

The afternoon started off great, the weather was nice, but there were some clouds over head. We drove South from Warwick, we rallied around an area called Richmond. It was lush and green as we crossed over streams and rivers. The day went well.

We were fortunate enough to start early, we were the 4th car to start today because we are representing a title sponsor (thank you to our sponsors McCollister’s). An early starting position is always preferred. Not only do you finish earlier, but often times there are fewer opportunities to be interrupted by another rally team. Today it was advantageous because the skies opened up. By the time we finished, it was raining so hard, you could not see the end of your hood. There are many open cars,and unfortunately for them they are exposed to all the elements.

Fortunately, everyone made it back safely. We enjoyed a dinner and award ceremony for the winners of the Trophy Run. We were so pleased to see our friends and mentors JeanAnn and Gary Martin win the Expert Division. (We finished top 25 out of 132 entries.)

Thank you to our friends at Mustang Country! Allan and Brandon we appreciate the race prep on Jane. She is performing perfectly! We can’t tank you enough.

Thank you friends and family for your support. We appreciate your comments and well wishes.

We look forward to starting a new adventure, and sharing the sights and experiences as we travel across our beautiful country.

We kicked off the Great Race last night with a reception in Warwick, Rhode Island. The reception was hosted by a local man by the name of Dick Shappy. Dick has been very generous with the rally. He opened his home and auto museum to the approximately 300 people who are participating in this year’s event. Dick also has one of the finest vintage motorcycle collections.

Dick’s home is located on the Narragansett Bay, and the views are phenomenal. His large lawn not only hosted the 300 plus people, but about 50 of the cars that will be participating in The Great Race. There were also several of his personal cars on the lawn.

The evening was festive with a live band, food trucks and visiting with friends we have made over the years. Dick was also kind enough to share his vintage motorcycle collection.

Today, we started early for registration and tech inspection. This year is the largest group of cars the rally has ever seen. Traditionally, the rally allows 100 cars. This year the rally has 135 entries. This seems insignificant, but we start one minute apart. This means the last car will finish two hours after the first car.

The cars are a variety of vintage cars. The oldest cars are from the early 1900s and the newest cars are as late as 1974. Cars are given a factor(handicap) based on age. The newer cars (post 1950s) do not get a factor. This is a new rule, so “modern cars have to run a cleaner rally”.

This afternoon we had a meet and greet with our new sponsor, McCollister’s Auto Transport. They are based out of New Jersey and ship cars all over the country. They have a fantastic team of people. Jane was shipped with them in May from California to Delaware for a warm up rally. After the rally, McCollister’s brought her up the coast where we picked her up. We are excited to represent McCollister’s and be their goodwill ambassadors.

The adventure is just beginning, we look forward to sharing this year’s experiences….

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.

On the Great Race they always say to finish is to win. It is a long 9 day rally in an old car. Most of the old cars in the rally do not have air conditioners or power steering. The cars are expected to climb mountains, idle in traffic and run through rain (and in 2019 we had snow).

We have about 25 pages of detailed instructions each day. We are also very hard on the cars. We don’t drive like we are going for a cruise, we drive hard. When we start, we put the pedal to the floor, and when we brake, we brake as fast and hard as possible. The cars break, and are repaired. One of our friends thought his alternator was going out Thursday morning. He packed a backup in his trunk, and Thursday at lunch, he and a friend changed it right at the lunch break.

We have another friend who we rally with, that was not so lucky this year. Brad shares a Birthday with our friend Sawyer Stone. Sawyer started rallying when he was 9 years old with his grandfather Dave Reeder. Sawyer and Dave have won the rally and are always very competitive. Unfortunately, this year, their 1932 Ford Victoria broke and was not fixable. They were out of the race the first or second day.

We started with 110 cars and as of today 17 did not finish. So, although this has not been our greatest year results wise, we remind ourselves each day how lucky we are to be out playing car games and seeing out country.

We always try to share the highlights of our journey, but I cannot help but share how fortunate and sad we felt while driving through portions of West Virginia. We are so blessed to live in places where there are many opportunities. You can tell their were once opportunities in West Virginia, however many of the areas we drove through were sadly warn out and dilapidated. There was once industry in West Virginia, and it is now gone.

We had lunch in Huntington, West Virginia, where we were greeted by the towns people. The organizers from the town hosting lunch are always so kind and friendly and happy to have us come through their town. The lunch stops are brief, but because there are about 100 cars and one coming in about every minute, it gives the towns an hour and a half parade and a car show.

Yesterday after finishing lunch in Huntington, we were headed toward the freeway and we saw several sorority and fraternity houses. We knew their must have been a college near by, but didn’t know which one. We stopped for fuel, and there was Marshall’s stadium.

Marshall has a Division I football team, but is probably most famous for losing most of their football team in a plane crash in 1970. Marshall’s modern football team has held their own in Division Championship games.

People are what make this race so fun, and there are many families that make this a family vacation. The Stahl Family are big supporters and sponsors of the Great Race. They provide all of the shirts, hats, and souvenirs sold by the Great Race. Aside from being so generous, they also compete in the event. The Stahl’s have 5 cars participating, four of their adult children and one of their grandchildren are in the cars. Mary & Ted Stahl drive their 1967 Pontiac GTO, Mary is the driver.

Aside from being so generous with the event, the Stahl family exemplifies what a family event this is. Aside from three generations participating, many family members come to see the country with the group.

Below is a picture of Jane with Reliable. Reliable has always sent one of their teams to the Great Race to help sweep the field for breakdowns. Mike and Cindy White worked as a husband wife team and retired from Reliable last year. Jeff Stumb the director of Great Race, called them, and asked if they would come back and help again. Sure enough, they said yes. They have been at the finish every day with a big smile on their face. Thanks Mike and Cindy for all you have done for the Great Race!

The pictures below are from our afternoon transit to Buckley, West Virginia. We rallied until the early afternoon, and then started our journey. We weaved our way through the Blue Ridge Mountains, and poor Brad had to listen to my rendition of “Country Road” by John Denver. We drove across the New River Gorge Bridge, and made a pit stop at the Gorge.

Saturday is Championship Day, car rallying like racing comes down to seconds. No legs will be thrown out on Saturday or Sunday.

We are not in contention this year, but we are hoping our friends win. We look forward to enjoying North and South Carolina