“Julie, want to go on a little road trip next year?”

That was how it started a year ago. Actually, it started about 5 years ago when I came across this picture on the internet.

The image inspired me. The old Porsche, the backdrop. The motion. I was hooked instantly.

When I read about Pat and Ali’s (bumfuzzle.com) experience racing their Porsche 356 in the Great Race, it was the first time I had heard of the time, speed, distance rally, known as the Great Race. The event is a rally for cars that are 1974 and older. Although the rally route is different each year, it normally covers between 2,500 and 3,000 miles total.

Each day of the 9-day rally, the classic cars attempt to match the “course” designer’s exact time, on public roads. Each evening, the 500-person entourage of teams roll into a different city in the country for an impromptu car show and party. Pat wrote a detailed account of their adventure in the the 2007 Great Race on the bumfuzzle.com website. When I read it, I knew I had to do the rally. Someday.

Fast forward to the summer of 2021, when I got the email from the race organizers. We were accepted into the 2022 Great race. It took three years to get a spot. But, we were in.

I immediately asked Julie if she was interested in a road trip next year, and she said “sure.” Anything is easy to commit to a year ahead of time, right? I quickly sent in our registration before she had a chance to inquire exactly what this “road trip” entailed. I’m not sure she even knew I wanted to take Charlie, our 1969 Porsche 912. In fact, I didn’t even really know what was involved. All I know was that we were going to do it.

As the year unfolded, information about the 2022 event was released. The route for the 9-day race would be from Warwick, Rhode Island to Fargo, North Dakota. About 150 cars/teams are registered, all 1974 and older. Many are a lot older. In 2021, the winner was a 1932 Ford Coupe. A 1916 Hudson came in 4th place. Here is a list of the teams from last year’s race. For the 2022 event the purse is $158,750. The winner takes home $50,000.

The event is a time, speed, distance rally. Each team is given a set of instructions each morning, for the day’s “course.” During the day, the driver/navigator team follow the instructions with the goal of matching the exact time to cover the “course” as the rally designer. The team that matches the time the closest, over 9 days, wins. In 2021, the winner completed the entire course within 41.31 seconds of the “course” designer, and amazing feet considering it was a trip of thousands of miles spread over 9 days.

What are we taking on the rally? Charlie, our ’69 Porsche 912, of course. It seems like he gets all the fun.

We have never done a time, speed, distance rally. I guess that is part of the adventure. Looking back a year, it reminds me that it is always easy to sign up to do something a long time away. But, as it approaches, I have to wonder what I got us into.

 

Want to follow our adventures a little more closely? Follow Charlie on Instagram: @charliethe912