Day 169 – July 30, 1908

At one point the Germans are told of a passing of another car one half hour ahead of them with the inscription “New York-Paris”, could this be the Americans? “We believe nothing else than that our worst fears had become really true, and rushed forward as if it was a matter of snatching away a few souls from the devil!”

That is an excerpt from the daily log of George N. Scheuster, the man who finished the New York to Paris race of 1908. The Great Race, as it is now called, was a heroic endeavor at the turn of the twentieth century. Cars were unreliable, and the driving teams had to have an intimate knowledge of how every aspect of their cars worked in order to keep them going in what amounted to an around the world race. They faced horrid conditions of weather and of road, often not having roads on which to drive. The Thomas Flyer, the car that eventually won that race, was fitted with the first seat belt on record. It was a wide leather belt, cut in half, and nailed to either side of the driver's seat. Its function was not to protect the driver in case of a collision – its function was to keep the driver in the seat when he fell asleep on the long, late-night legs of the race.

There are many types of rallies, but the basic forms are:

Speed Rallies – The point of speed rallies is to drive as fast as you can from the start to the finish. The most famous of these is probably the formerly outlaw race, The Cannonball Baker Sea-to-shining-sea Memorial Trophy Dash, aka The Cannonball Run. These rallies are run illegally or they are run under closely controlled circumstances. The primary difference between a speed rally and a road race is that the cars in the rally are timed out at intervals rather than all starting at the same time. When legal these may be professional, amateur or open events.

Time/Speed/Distance (TSD) Rallies – This is a much more subtle competition than a race. Each car normally has two member teams, one team member acting as driver and one as navigator, and on long rallies the roles may change periodically. The driver operates the vehicle and takes instructions from the navigator. The navigator interprets detailed instructions, providing turns and speeds for specific distances on the rally. There are periodic checkpoints on the rally route, into which the cars are timed. The locations of the checkpoints are unknown to the rally teams. The cars are penalized for every second or every 100th of a minute that they enter the checkpoints early or late. Specific rules of the rally are determined by the operators of each individual rally, though national governing bodies such as the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), do offer sets of standardized rules for the competitions under their auspices.
Mixed Rallies – This is the structure of most professional rallies worldwide. Events such as the famed Paris to Dakaar Rally will take long stretches of flat out speed across the desert. The speed leg will end at a checkpoint, and the rally will pass through a city or town on a time/speed/distance leg, as described above.

Gimmick Rallies – These are fun games for the not-too-serious amateur. More of automotive tours with some driving games than true rallies, these often involve “Tours of Lights” around Christmas time, or other scenic tours, where the drive is more important than the competition.

Rallying has always required a steely constitution and a willingness to take on grueling circumstances, all in the name of sport. This type of cross country race, and those that are a bit less ambitious, are still attempted throughout the world.

In the US there are many rallies run every month of all varieties and all lengths from a hundred miles to laps of the entire country and circum-global dashes! Here are a few of the big ones:

The Great Race

Start point: Times Square, New York, New York, USA

Finish line: Eifel Tower, Paris, France

Elapsed Distance: Approximately 22,000 miles (based on the route of the 1908 event)

Participation fees: Private Participant - $109,500

Sponsored - $125,500

Prize: A purse of significant size. Through the years The Great Race events have awarded prizes in excess of $6,000,000.

This vintage car event is run in alternating stages. It is a tribute to the 1908 race that took a similar route and was won by the estimable Thomas Flyer, proving once and for all that American cars are without rival. This event features older vehicles being driven to their limits. You may see a beautifully restored Thomas Flyer running behind a 1963 Cobra. It attracts vintage car aficionados from all over the world. 2008 was to be the 100^th anniversary of the original, but, sadly, the Chinese government revoked travel permits due to political activity in Tibet. The 100^th anniversary event has been re-scheduled for April of 2009. Updated information is available at The Great Race's website at www.greatrace.com/.

The Silver State Classic Challenge

Start point: Ely, Nevada

Elapsed Distance: 90 miles

Participation fees: $495 to $780, variable by division

Prize: Trophy and bragging rights

There are several events in Nevada now that make up the Silver State Classic Challenge. These are run on State Route 318, they are monitored by Nevada Highway Patrol and they attract participants from all around the world. Cars do not need to be “street legal” in order to participate. The class that one runs in is determined by the amount of safety equipment the cars are fitted with, up to an Unlimited Division, for full-fledged race cars and very experienced drivers. The big events are called the 318 events, and they consist of the “High Noon Shootout” and the “Classic Corral” – these are run at different times of the year and run opposite directions on Route 318. This is a full-on speed rally, though there are limits for the lower levels of vehicles. The limits are high enough that many cars do not approach them. Current information is available at the Silver State Classic website at www.sscc.us/.

The Carrera de Sierra

Start point: Rocklin, California

Finish line: Varies from year to year.

Elapsed Distance: Varies greatly from year to year.

Participation fees: $25

Prize: A plaque for your dashboard and bragging rights.

This rally was conceived by the late TSD rally legend, John Clever, back in 1977. It is an amateur event run annually in California. Sponsored by the Sacramento Valley Region chapter of the Porsche Club of America, information will be available on their website prior to the event. www.derporsche.net/.

The Tire Rack One Lap of Amereica

Formerly known as: The Cannonball Baker Sea-to-shining-sea Memorial Trophy Dash

Start point/Finish line: South Bend Indiana

Elapsed Distance: 3,000 – 5,000 miles

Participation fees: $2,700 plus a new set of approved and stamped tires

Prize: A killer trophy and major bragging rights

The Cannonball Run. The Gumball Rally. All the movies are about this one. It used to be an illegal, balls to the wall, invitational speed rally like no other. Its teeth have long since been extracted, and it is now a big, fun TSD rally with some long, pretty fast freeway legs. You won't see hired Italian racing teams participating in this one, though. The first (illegal) one was run 37 years ago, named after the illustrious Cannonball Baker, vaudeville performer, dirt track racer and daredevil. The name alone gives your blood a little stir. You can get current info on the event at www.onelapofamerica.com/.

Press on Regardless

Start point/Finish Line: Houghton, Michigan

Elapsed Distance: Varies greatly from year to year

Participation fees: $80 to $190 depending on club affiliations

Prize: Trophy and bragging rights

This SCCA sponsored event is the longest-running, regularly held rally in the United States, having celebrated its sixtieth run on September 6, 2008. This event takes place every year in Houghton, Michigan. Information on this event, and many other rallies, professional and amateur, may be found at the Sports Car Club of America's website: www.scca.com/.

Rallying is an international sport that attracts the toughest drivers in the world. In order to succeed in the sport of rallying, it takes more than a willingness to drive when you are dead tired, it takes grit. It takes grit in the constitution, grit in the character and grit in the teeth. It is of limited interest as a spectator sport, as the distances covered are so vast, but it is a sport that amateurs can participate in readily. It is a true automobile enthusiast's activity.

By Greg Walker

Greg has more than five years of experience as a writer and a long time automotive aficionado.

He focuses not on the technology end of the cars, but more on the romance. 

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