The Ride of a Lifetime

by Michael Nolan

They come from Clatskanie, Ore.; Bath, Maine; Carencro, La.; and Whangaparaoa, New Zealand. They are CEOs and plumbers, teenagers and retirees, married couples, fathers and daughters, brothers, best friends, scouting troops, and high school teams.

Their common bonds are the twin loves for old cars and new adventures. From so many walks of life, they converged together this summer for the ride of a lifetime.

Welcome to the Great Race 2001, a 4,000-mile cross-country road rally open only to pre-1960 vehicles. And what vehicles they are. This year’s $3 million field included a 1909 Ford Race Car, a 1924 Rickenbacker, a 1911 Velie, a 1929 Oldsmobile 2-door Sports Coupe, and a 1916 American LaFrance Fire Chief’s car.

The 19th Annual Great Race led intrepid transcontinental travelers on a two-week trek from Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park to Pasadena’s famed Colorado Boulevard.

Staying on course and in competition required mechanical moxie, stealthy driving habits, fast calculations, and a keen eye for highway markers. In a sense, the Great Race is more scavenger hunt than auto race, but don’t think anyone took the challenge lightly. Entrants were vying for $275,000 in cash and prizes, making it the world’s richest vintage car competition.

While the money adds incentive, the journey itself is the main attraction. “I’ve seen twice as much of America as most people see in a lifetime,” says Zeb Schuelke, a member of the Bedford (Iowa) High School team that won the X-Cup Division open to schools and other youth-oriented groups.

“It’s more fun than anything I’ve ever done,” says Lyle Corey of Grenada, Miss. “The people along the way are just fantastic.”

The race provided an unforgettable second honeymoon for Robert and Debbie Dinges of Florence, Ala., to celebrate 25 years of marriage. “You can’t get any more together than spending two weeks in a car,” he notes. “And (as team navigator) she got to tell me what to do for two weeks.”

“It’s all a blur,” says Andy Massimilla of Stratham, Del., who won the grand prize with driver Wayne Stanfield of Santa Ana, Calif., aboard a 1934 Indy 500 racer. “It was like preparing for college finals every day.”

This year’s course meandered across the southern half of the nation, retracing trails west followed by pioneers, homesteaders, cattle drives, and gold seekers, as well as cruising America’s mother road, Route 66.

Along the way, celebrations were held in 41 host cities ranging from Hotchkiss, Colo., (pop. 846) to Kansas City, Mo., (pop. 443,400). Adding patriotic flair, the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Band treated crowds to rousing renditions of God Bless America and The Star Spangled Banner at lunch and evening stops.

Seeking back roads

“The Great Race takes the lid off America,” states its founder, Tom McRae of Granbury, Texas (pop. 4,045). “It’s an amazing way to see this country.”

Unlike speed races where the fastest entry wins, the Great Race is a timed endurance rally-race. Twenty minutes before a car is scheduled to roll out, its team is given a set of instructions detailing each speed change, stop, start, and turn. Exact speeds and “perfect” drive times are assigned for each maneuver.

Aided only by a speedometer, analog clock, pencil, and paper (no maps, cell phones, or odometers), teams precisely navigate toward their destinations. Several times each day, the racers’ progress is checked at undisclosed locations by video cameras which capture times within fractions of a second and record them via satellite uplinks.

Each year brings a new route and new challenges, as John Claussen, director of competition, scouts America for the two-lane roads which make up much of the race route.

The 2001 Great Race covered three mountain ranges, two deserts, and untold miles of winding, scenic, two-lane roads.

“We like to show teams there are back roads, beautiful scenery, and small towns they’d never see if they just stayed on the interstate,” Claussen says. “And there are wonderful, friendly people that you meet along the way in those towns.”

A helping hand

“This country is not what you see on the six o’clock news,” emphasizes McRae, and he’s right. The transcontinental trip revealed American citizens who don’t make headlines. Although the people along America’s roadways saw a grand show as 100-plus antique cars rolled by, the grander show was America on display in its everyday splendor.

From Georgia to California, the welcome mat was out. The entourage was greeted with barbershop quartets in Anderson, S.C.; live bluegrass in Middlesboro, Ky.; and music hall sing-alongs in Leadville, Colo. Salina, Kan., which calls itself the Emerald City, rolled out the carpet by painting its Santa Fe Avenue green. Durango, Colo., served up homemade root beer. Fireworks celebrated the cars’ arrival in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

“The people who came up with the idea of cold towels in Parker (Ariz.) should receive a medal of honor,” says James Treat of Ferdinand, Ind., following a particularly sweltering morning drive.

Memorable to Gloria Harbeneau of El Cajon, Calif., were “the cute paper stand-up cars that the Farmington (N.M.) Public Library Foundation presented to each car. The name of the little person who colored and made the car was on the bottom of each.”

Teams feasted on homemade pies and banana bread in Mount Vernon, Ill.; barbecued beef in Topeka, Kan.; chicken-stuffed pitas in Montrose, Colo.; and chicken adobo in 29 Palms, Calif.

All along the way, people extended a helping hand to those in need. When the crew from Glendale (Calif.) High School blew an engine, fellow driver Curtis Jackson of Mexico, Mo., offered one from his garage so the team could continue its trip to Pasadena. And as word got out that the team from Bedford (Iowa) High School had pinion bearing problems with its 1931 Ford Model A, fellow competitors rallied. “In less than half an hour, we had twice as many parts as we needed,” team member Zeb Schulke says.

“Ninety-nine percent of the people are really nice for no apparent reason,” says Ginny McGinnis, 18, of the Forsyth (Ga.) Central High School racing team. “And I think the other 1 percent were just having a bad day. I’ve only been in four states and I’d never been west of Louisiana.” Her world is now much bigger and her view of her nation is much brighter.

“With the Great Race, everyone wins,” McRae is fond of saying. “The driving teams, the sponsors, the participating cities that host the events, and the crowds that line the streets … I love what we do.

“We take the lid off America.”

Contributing writer Michael Nolan appreciated the ceaseless cooperation of the Great Race staff who succeeded in giving him the cross-country ride of a lifetime.

first appeared: 9/16/2001