AJ in the Great Race

[edinmass]

1 hour ago, alsancle said:

If anybody happens to see Tom and I in that video please let me know where.  I counted 129 other cars but could not find us.

 

Like I said before……..you have a great face for radio!

[Paul Dobbin]

On 7/8/2022 at 7:28 PM, alsancle said:

If anybody happens to see Tom and I in that video please let me know where.  I counted 129 other cars but could not find us.

      I figured you were camera shy.    Same spirit as with the real old cars,  I enjoyed watching it.   The winning car was originally raced in 1987,

       built and driven by Kyle Martin, from Houston Texas.    Has been in most races since then with several different owners,   Raced as a 32 Ford with a

       1932 Ford V8 engine, 29 Ford wheels and the rest of it homemade.   Thanks for posting a link, I enjoyed it a lot, "To Finish Is To Win".  Next

        time, don't be camera shy.

   P.S.  In the highlights cover picture, looks like they've switched to 16' 35 Ford wheels. maybe to get radial

           tires.  In the early days we used nitrogen and blew them up to rock hard to avoid expansion  Radials

           were not  allowed then.  Tire expansion was a killer for "Zero legs",  The temperature changed the factor

           all day long because the corcumferance of the tire grew and we covered more ground each revolution.

 

Edited July 14, 2022 by Paul Dobbin
Added the P. S. (see edit history)

[SC38dls]

On 7/8/2022 at 7:28 PM, alsancle said:

If anybody happens to see Tom and I in that video please let me know where.  I counted 129 other cars but could not find us.

It must have been when everyone else made a wrong turn and they got caught on camera.

dave s 

[Paul Dobbin]

There us also the old black car syndrome.   Tom McRae, the founder of the Great Race, would announce us as we arrived at each stop, by saying

"Here comes Holden & Dobbin in that big ugly black Airflow".   He loved the fender-less Speedsters.   Then we made it a Taxi and were hailed at every stop.  We also had thee hub caps on every day and the fender skirts, some years, even whitewalls.

 

Edited July 13, 2022 by Paul Dobbin
added Photos (see edit history)

[alsancle]

Photos have been published.  Lots of good ones.

 

https://greatrace.smugmug.com/Cars/Great-Race-2022

 

 

 

[58L-Y8]

Your fellow competitors in the 1931 Packard 833 convertible sedan must have been soaking wet running in the rain that day.  Suppose that's the downside of having a convertible sedan that takes half an hour to put the top up...

[alsancle]

1 hour ago, 58L-Y8 said:

Your fellow competitors in the 1931 Packard 833 convertible sedan must have been soaking wet running in the rain that day.  Suppose that's the downside of having a convertible sedan that takes half an hour to put the top up...

 

A lot of people were getting wet.   We had two rain days out of ten,  both times for about an hour.   Not bad.   We were cozy in our business coupe.

[Cadillac Fan]

Just now, alsancle said:

 

A lot of people were getting wet.   We had two rain days out of ten,  both times for about an hour.   Not bad.   We were cozy in our business coupe.

If you were purchasing a car only for the great race, what would you look for?  Or what make/model do you think would make an ideal car? 
 

 

 

[alsancle]

28 minutes ago, Cadillac Fan said:

If you were purchasing a car only for the great race, what would you look for?  Or what make/model do you think would make an ideal car? 
 

 

 

If you look at the winners, I think most of them are speedsters or hot rods. Not sure why, although power and braking ability are important. I would think having a roof over your head would be an advantage for communication and the navigator. Although all the open cars and some of the closed ones are using headsets.

[TAKerry]

I loved following along on this thread as well as the Great Race in general. I suppose I should send an email to hemmings and coker but to me it looks like there should be some changes. 

 

It looked like there were more 'modified' cars than 'mostly stock'. I think a stock car regardless of age would be better. The winners should be relegated to a 'honorary' race of some sort. Maybe a free trip the next year along with the cash prize but not as an official entrant.

 

Hope Tom and AJ participate again, I cant wait. LOL.

[alsancle]

32 minutes ago, TAKerry said:

I loved following along on this thread as well as the Great Race in general. I suppose I should send an email to hemmings and coker but to me it looks like there should be some changes. 

 

It looked like there were more 'modified' cars than 'mostly stock'. I think a stock car regardless of age would be better. The winners should be relegated to a 'honorary' race of some sort. Maybe a free trip the next year along with the cash prize but not as an official entrant.

 

Hope Tom and AJ participate again, I cant wait. LOL.

 

I'm gonna guess Kerry that they would prefer stock cars also, but they need to fill out the field.   You need to find 100 plus entrants that can field a car, come up with 7500 dollar entry fee, plus hotels, transport, flights and 13 days off from work.    Probably not easy.    They say they have a waiting list.    I think the solution would be to adjust the handicap to account for bone stock cars.

[TAKerry]

I agree. I am pretty sure they have the 'system' figured out by now, but yes. Something with a greater percentage of stock equipment should garner a higher degree of handicap.

 

Again, not to beat a dead horse, but Tom and you seemed to make out relatively trouble free. I just got the new issue of Hemmings and they are talking about the 'rush' to get their chevelle ready for the race.  A new motor was installed along with new radiator and such. Then I read on their blog about the litany of troubles they had. Perhaps stock is better!

 

 

[alsancle]

2 hours ago, TAKerry said:

I agree. I am pretty sure they have the 'system' figured out by now, but yes. Something with a greater percentage of stock equipment should garner a higher degree of handicap.

 

Again, not to beat a dead horse, but Tom and you seemed to make out relatively trouble free. I just got the new issue of Hemmings and they are talking about the 'rush' to get their chevelle ready for the race.  A new motor was installed along with new radiator and such. Then I read on their blog about the litany of troubles they had. Perhaps stock is better!

 

 

We had the advantage of a car that was done many years ago, had been driven over the years, and then needed to be fine tuned. Tom is a mechanical savant when it comes to sorting cars, which was also a huge advantage for us.

 

The more changes you make, the more risk you are introducing, unless you can put a lot of miles on those changes before the race.

[Paul Dobbin]

22 hours ago, Cadillac Fan said:

If you were purchasing a car only for the great race, what would you look for?  Or what make/model do you think would make an ideal car? 
 

 

 

   I had an offer to Navigate for Dale Bell in this car for my 11th Great Race.    My response to Dale was:  " I was a fair skinned red head and I would

   be bacon by the end.   Plus I'd have to loose 30 pounds and 6" to get in it.  No Thanks".   I would pick a early to mid 30's sedan with a tough 

   attitude,   like a Chrysler Airflow.  The Speedsters are crowd pleasers and human torture for the crews.

   In 2001,  I went back for an encore in the 35 Chrysler Airflow, in what they called the Tourists Class .

  

 

 

"Taking an Indianapolis 500-mile race car and making it into a highway-ready vehicle, able to compete in the Great Race, is really a contradiction in engineering terms," says Charles Glick of Paris, Illinois. Glick built such historic race cars as a 1933 Buick Shafer, signature entry for the 1998 event, and our featured ride, the 1935 Ford-Miller that competed in the 2004 Great Race from Jacksonville, Florida to Monterey, California.

 

Bell reports that while he didn’t have a lot of time to practice with the car before competing in the Great Race, the Ford-Miller performed well during the event. He finished 43 out of 100, not bad for a two-seat, open-cockpit Indy car on a transcontinental odyssey.

The intrepid Bell and car will have another go in the 23rd running of the Great Race, from Washington, D.C. to Tacoma, Washington, 1999.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 15, 2022 by Paul Dobbin (see edit history)

[1937hd45]

Just watched a video of the race, saw the Riley # 89, Great looking car does anyone have any details and history on the car? 

 

Bob 

[58L-Y8]

Here's a look at the Riley #89 arriving at Wellsville, NY for the lunch stop.

[1937hd45]

 

Thank you so much 58L-Y8, that is my pick of the event, based on outright good looks. Bob

[TTR]

On 6/28/2022 at 5:08 PM, alsancle said:

Costs.    

 

2.  … and then another 2500 if you want a corporate sponsor logo on the car.

Excuse my ignorance, but could you explain this ^^ as it doesn’t make sense* to me ???

I would think “corporate sponsor” would, or should pay car owner to place their logo on a car.

* I’ve never understood why any business, company/corporation/organization expects me to pay to promote their products or services, i.e. like (trying to) sell me T-shirts or other promotional items with their logo or other business references on it. 
If someone wants me to promote theirs, I EXPECT them to GIVE me those promotional products, especially if I buy their products or services, not the other way around, but apparently there are plenty of fools willing to pay for them.

 

P.S. I have stacks and stacks of promotional T- and other shirts, etc I’ve received (free) from all sorts of, mostly (vintage) automotive related businesses over last 3-4 decades, actually more than I can ever wear out in this life and occasionally still get more, but would never pay a dime for any of them.
 

 

Edited August 1, 2022 by TTR (see edit history)

[1937hd45]

On 7/8/2022 at 9:35 PM, Paul Dobbin said:

      

   P.S.  In the highlights cover picture, looks like they've switched to 16' 35 Ford wheels. maybe to get radial

           tires.  In the early days we used nitrogen and blew them up to rock hard to avoid expansion  Radials

           were not  allowed then.  Tire expansion was a killer for "Zero legs",  The temperature changed the factor

           all day long because the corcumferance of the tire grew and we covered more ground each revolution.

 

Just what makes this a 1932 Ford? Aside from the grille and hub caps please point out any other bits that left the Ford factory in 1932. 

 

Bob 

[wayne sheldon]

It may be newer than my primary era of interest, but I really like that Riley! If I were to try to run in that event in something later than nickel age, and not comfortable like a Packard coupe? That Riley looks like what I would want!

 

 

[Paul Dobbin]

29 minutes ago, 1937hd45 said:

Just what makes this a 1932 Ford? Aside from the grille and hub caps please point out any other bits that left the Ford factory in 1932. 

 

Bob 

     My thoughts too when it first appeared, but Tom McRae wanted speedster type cars in the mid 1980's....Kyle Martin

     drove a red 34 Ford Tudor his first 3 years, then built that with a 32 engine transmission and differential.   After the

     1987 Race he sold the car to Ty Holmquist who raced it for several years, the re-sold it again and again.    I would guess

      it was politics.   First run with 29 Model A wheels, so the engine was the newest part.   No telling what all is in it now, it

      has 35 Wheels and radial tires which were never allowed in the beginning.  I have no idea what handicap it  runs today,

      like the 32 Ford Hot Rods with Chevy engines, doesn't seem like antique to me either.    Remember it's show business!

      I always said I ran away and joined the circus becasue it was so much fun.

      I remember seeing boattail Model A Roadsters, where the boat tail was a 40 Ford hood on the back, backwards.

      The new name for Speedsters is Rat Rod.

Edited August 1, 2022 by Paul Dobbin (see edit history)

[1937hd45]

Rat Rods with gloss paint, we agree on something. I just wonder what entrants with stone stock looking cars think, remove the decals and that green & black Auburn Boat Tail would do well on a show field. 

 

Bob

[alsancle]

3 hours ago, TTR said:

Excuse my ignorance, but could you explain this ^^ as it doesn’t make sense* to me ???

I would think “corporate sponsor” would, or should pay car owner to place their logo on a car.

* I’ve never understood why any business, company/corporation/organization expects me to pay to promote their products or services, i.e. like (trying to) sell me T-shirts or other promotional items with their logo or other business references on it. 
If someone wants me to promote theirs, I EXPECT them to GIVE me those promotional products, especially if I buy their products or services, not the other way around, but apparently there are plenty of fools willing to pay for them.

 

P.S. I have stacks and stacks of promotional T- and other shirts, etc I’ve received (free) from all sorts of, mostly (vintage) automotive related businesses over last 3-4 decades, actually more than I can ever wear out in this life and occasionally still get more, but would never pay a dime for any of them.
 

 

The race itself has a number of corporate sponsors, which are plastered all over the car. If you have a private sponsor, they want you to contribute to the overall race, because it will dilute from the corporate sponsorships on the car by adding more.

 

so the private sponsor needs to be giving you $2500 plus. Or the math doesn’t work.

[Paul Dobbin]

   Sponsors buy product name exposure.   I remember the two 1932 Auburns, painted orange & white, ZEREX was the sponsor.  A big

    beautiful 1933 Packard Roadster, with BUDWEISER on the side and a 36 Packard Touring car with Domino's Pizza on the side.   Great

   to park next to both of them in the pits.  The 1912 American LaFrance Fire Truch had a sponsor,  Slushy Ice Drinks, the 1908 Buick 

   Touring car. was the TEXACO car.   Even the Bonnie & Clyde car had Gruff the Crime Dog as a sponsor

   Beautiful cars get photographed and the pictures re-printed over & over.   Theoretically the higher scoring cars get more attention

   for the car & the sponsor.    We were "the Big Tough Car and the Big Tough Towel"  Brawny Paper Towels.    We gave all the crews

   rolls & rolls of towels in the pits and coupons to spectators.    The sponsorship money paid the cost of sponsorship fee's and 2/3 of our

   costs incurred to have the time of our lives, making the winings more usefull for repeated races.   Plus, it moved us up in the starting

   order where publicuty and competition was better.  It also made the winnings more useful for funding repeated entries.   Very few can win

   enough to pay their bills in any form of racing, but sponsorhip sure helps.

   The other race sponsors offered money prizes for the winning cars with their stickers on them.   I even won a set of Goodyear tires one year.

[TTR]

2 hours ago, alsancle said:

… so the private sponsor needs to be giving you $2500 plus. Or the math doesn’t work.

OK, now that makes more sense.

Your initial comment made it seem, at least to me, like the participating car/owner has to pay  $2500 to any sponsor who wants to place their business/corporate logo on the that car.

Thanks to both you and Paul Dobbin.

Edited August 2, 2022 by TTR (see edit history)

[alsancle]

Tom drove to Warwick today to present the mayor with the plaque for his city winning the "best overnight stay" award from the Great Race.

[Paul Dobbin]

Delivery of the Award was a good idea, glad Tom did it.  I each of my races I voted for best stops.   In fact, Wayne Hedden's town of Cairo GA won

as a write in, in 1987.   $5,000 to their library.   Small towns always knocked themselves out to welcome us.   Big cities where the Ringling Bros

Circus stopped were generally not to impressed with our circus, only in % of the population.   Car people showed up everywhere in mass.

In the late 80's for about 4 years we began or ended at Disneyland and the Dinsyland Mickey Mouse Band riding in their own brass trimed fire truck  in each town ahead of us,setting the stage for our arrival.   Then for several years we had the US Navy Band do the same all across the country.   It was awesome!

[Dan Cluley]

My video from Day 5 in Ohio

 

 

[alsancle]

1 hour ago, Dan Cluley said:

My video from Day 5 in Ohio

 

 

Thanks for posting that. Took me a while to remember where that was. The Home2 Suites hotel was probably the nicest hoteI stayed in the entire trip. It was brand new.  I’m a big fan of Ohio in general. Everybody’s overly nice.