Vintage car rally

[pflaming]

A sample of 100+ cars. I watched some 50 cars drive into town. Very interesting, but the spacing was erratic. The crowd was HUGE, too large for me. The tractor collector wasn't home, this was in his open door shop. Lots of tractors but not many restored unless he has a large building somewhere else. No one around, I don't snoop, looked at what was obvious only. 

[MackTheFinger]

I hope to get a chance to see the cars in that rally someday.  It's a huge effort and expense to keep one of those running over the course of a rally. A friend rides in the Motorcycle Cannonball every year so I've had the opportunity to see all that and meet a bunch of participants. If you're into motorcycles and get a chance to look over their bikes it's really cool.

Here's some classic Doug.

 

[Dan Hiebert]

I was travelling to Rangeley, ME Wednesday evening.  Along I-95 between Bangor and Newport, then on US-2 between Newport and Canaan I got to see many of the Great Race cars in their "natural environment" - on the road.  I was a tad surprised as I thought most would have passed through already, it was kinda late.  A little bit of every era it seemed.  Pretty awesome.  

[pflaming]

When they drove into Gardiner, the came spaced out, one by one, occasionally in a small group of similar type?

[Dan Hiebert]

Probably easy enough to look up the rules, but without doing so, I would imagine that with that many cars in the race now, that they have different classes, now.  I remember when the Great Race was first starting there were nowhere near that many cars, they certainly weren't adorned with so many sponsor decals.  Although it is a rally and not a fastest-from-point-A-to-point-B race, I would still think it unfair to pit a 1920's racer against a 59 Plymouth.  I saw some 60's cars in the mix, too.

[greg g]

The older cars get a factor % for time calculations.  So a late sixty's and newer get the full value of timing errors, for older cars errors are factored at 90%, 80% , 70% and so on.  So when totals are calculated an older car may score better than a newer one even if both completed the section with the same error.  Some events score being early heavier than being late.  Most events start cars at one minute intervals.  So on the timed portions of the course you likely won't see clumps of cars.  In transit zones cars are given a time to traverse a section like through a town or congested area, so more chance to see them off interval.  Typically you might be given 20 minutes to go say 8 miles of unscored section from a route point on one side of town to a route point on the other side of town where another scored section will commence when your 20 minutes has elapsed.  This gives you a way to traverse a congested section being able to accommodate speed limits, traffic lights, and other possible delays without being tempted to speed through the area.  Groups arriving at a lunch stop or other break area, not at interval, probably means their last scored section was completed a few miles back on a side road, and the next scored section is down the road apiece from the gas and grub stop. The area in between being designated a free zone meaning no timing controls or observation controls in that section.

Edited July 1, 2018 by greg g

[greg g]

As this is posted, the Great Race is being led by a father son team headquartered in Baldwinsville, New York about 15 miles across town.  They have been running for a dozen years or so. They usually place in the top ten.  This is the first time they have led the event.  They have three seconds in hand with only a short timed section to go to the end of route, then a transit to the ceremonial finish. They are competing in a 40 Chevy.

[pflaming]

'40 Chevy, maybe this one?

[greg g]

That is them.  They had a brain fart somewhere, scored a 15, finished third.  Has to be a kick in the butt.