OK! OK!
Quote:
Originally Posted by bestmapman
Any updates on the Great Race?
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Dan (krousdb) and I were at the
Great Race team conference this weekend in Santa Monica, CA. (Which is an exceedingly nice place to go in the middle of January, I have to say.)
The big question first: do we have a vehicle sponsor?
Not yet.
But the
Hybridfest organizers (who are coordinating the MPG challenge portion of the race) are continuing to pursue this and were upbeat that the vehicle situation would work out.
The worst case scenario (which isn't really that bad at all) is that Dan & I will do just the North American portion of the race (NY to Vancouver, BC) in his Prius.
This weekend's team conference...
The purpose of the team conference was to meet the other participants, learn what to expect and how to prepare for the event. It was a jam packed weekend.
(The venue bordered on inhumane, mainly because the view out the conference room was palms swaying in the 17 C breeze and the sun sparkling on the ocean. Note to organizers: if you want people from places that have real winter to pay maximum attention at these things in the middle of January, you need to set them in Nunavut, not southern California. Not that I'm complaining! But I did bolt for the door at every opportunity - breaks & meals.)
Route info...
The organizers have done a huge amount of preparation already. They've already driven the entire route - some portions several times. They assured participants that while the roads will be challenging and off the beaten track as much as possible, they're appropriate for "normal" cars. There are only something like 20 miles (Dan?) of unpaved roads on the entire journey.
Participants...
It's a diverse group that includes entries from 8 countries: predominantly the U.S., then Canada, Australia, Brasil, Ireland, Poland, Mexico and Colombia.
I talked with the Colombian couple who are entering their '28 Ford speedster in the classic "Schuster" division. Very interesting people. They restored their car and have driven it through South America, among other continents.
The classic division is named after George Schuster, the driver of the American car that won
the 1908 competition. Schuster's great grandson was at this weekend's conference and performed a spellbinding first-person account of the race from his great grandfather's perspective.
The competition...
The MPG Challenge participants have twice as much to do.
Not only are we competing for points with the entire fleet following rally style rules (set routes covered at precisely defined speeds), but we're also competing within our class for the lowest fuel consumption overall.
Edit: note that only a portion of the total distance covered will include "rallying" for points (something like 15% of the driving). Most of the driving is just getting from A to B. So the non-MPG Challengers can let their guard down somewhat on those "transit" portions, but we'll be on our game at all times.
Ecomodders too...
Have a look at the
list of entrants & vehicles. There are some tanalizing entries in both classes.
I love the classics and am looking forward to the up close access I'll have to admire these beauties and talk with their owners, but I'm really looking forward to seeing what folks are bringing to the Innovation category: A 2007 Ford Prototype? 2007 Modified Production?
A gaggle of biodiesel & ethanol conversions...
A 1957 Chevrolet Corvette (Modified gas/electric hybrid)
Woohoo!
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Lots of details left to be worked out. It's going to be fun, challenging & fascinating.