2018 Hemmings Motor News Great Race
Ready, Set, GO!
Rothesay to host lunch stop for the 2018 Great Race
Rothesay, New Brunswick will help fuel competitors’ appetites as the 2018 Hemmings Motor News Great Race presented by Hagerty, rolls into the Rothesay Common for a lunch stop on Friday, June 29, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The Great Race, the world’s premiere old car rally, will bring over 120 of the world’s finest vintage automobiles racing into town on their way to Halifax, Nova Scotia for $150,000 in total prize money over four divisions. Teams from Japan, England, Germany, Canada, and every corner of the United States will showcase their vintage automobiles, dating as far back as 1913, along a 2,300 mile route from the Pierce Arrow Museum in Buffalo, New York to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Cars built in 1972 and earlier are eligible, with most entries manufactured before World War II. The 2018 Great Race will see a 1913 Bugatti, a 1916 Hudson Pikes Peak Hillclimber, a 1916 Chevrolet Phaeton, a 1917 Peerless Racer, and a chain-driven 1918 American LaFrance Speedster – to mention just a few! The event is not a speed race but a time/speed/distance rally. Each vehicle has a driver and navigator who are given precise instructions each day that detail every move down to the second. Teams are scored at secret check points and penalized for each second they arrive early or late – lowest score wins! If instructions are followed to the letter, competitors will start and finish one minute apart. Each stop on the Great Race is free to the public and spectators are encouraged to meet the racers and view the vintage vehicles.
The event was started in 1983 by Tom McRae and was named for the 1965 film The Great Race, based on the real life 1908 automobile race from New York to Paris. In 2004, Tony Curtis, star of the 1965 film, attended the Great Race and rode in his famous car, the Leslie Special.
“When the Great Race pulls into a city it becomes an instant festival,” Director Jeff Stumb states, “last year we had four overnight stops with more than 10,000 spectators on our way to having 250,000 people see the Great Race during the event.”
Mayor Nancy Grant is proud to welcome this historic event to Rothesay. “The historical significance and natural beauty of the Rothesay Common makes it a perfect venue to display these magnificent vintage automobiles.” She welcomes everyone to explore Rothesay and visit Fire Station One. “The Kennebecasis Valley Fire Department is the proud owner of a 1924 Model T fire truck (chemical unit) – a replica of the first fire truck in the Kennebecasis Valley. The Model T resides in the Reception area at Station One, 7 Campbell Drive, Rothesay.”
She adds, “The Great Race is a wonderful opportunity for individuals of all ages to celebrate the evolution of transportation.”
The main sponsors are Hemmings Motor News, Hagerty Insurance, Coker Tire, and Reliable Carrier. For more information, go to www.greatrace.com or contact Jeff Stumb at jeff@greatrace.com or 423-648-8542.
