The 2024 Great Race Spring Rally, presented by Stahls Automotive Collection, took place May 3-5, 2024 out of Chesterfield, Michigan. The 3-day time-speed-distance-endurance event garnered 84 entries, with most teams wrangling 1974 and earlier vintage automobiles and motorcycles. Team SuperNova, consisting of Erin Liberty (driver), myself Ron Rowland (navigator), and the 1962 Chevy II/Nova 400 finished the 3-day competition in 19th place.
All three days of the rally started from Chesterfield and were contested entirely within the “The Thumb” of Michigan. On the first day, 84 cars left the starting line at one-minute intervals and began following the 27 pages of intersection diagrams and speed instructions. Everyone’s goal was to arrive at each of the day’s eight checkpoints at the correct time. Teams receive a penalty point for each second they are early or late at the checkpoints. The lowest score wins, and cars built before 1954 receive a score adjustment based on age. Some of the competing vehicles are more than 100 years old, and yes, they are quite competitive.
Stage 1
Stage 1 (aka Day 1) included a lunch stop in Frankenmuth and a finish line at the Packard Proving Grounds historic site. The day had eight checkpoints, stopped short of entering Saginaw, and avoided Flint by circling to the west. Erin enabled a running app on her phone before the start and placed the phone in the trunk of the Nova (no cell phones are allowed in the competition). The phone was registering a “weak signal” before she closed the trunk, so we were not sure it would capture anything. To our surprise, when we arrived at the Packard Proving Grounds and retrieved her phone, it showed the 236-mile route of Stage 1.
Stage 2
Stage 2 consisted of ten checkpoints, a 220-mile route, and a lunch stop at the Wills Sainte Claire Auto Museum in Marysville, Michigan. After lunch, we headed north along the shore of Lake Huron and turned west before we reached Port Sanilac. We went about as far as Lapeer before heading back to Chesterfield and the day’s finish line at Stahls Automotive Collection.
Stage 3
Stage 3 (aka The Championship Run) took us near the Pine Knob Music Theatre during the speedometer calibration. The day’s competition was relatively short with just four checkpoints and a 129-mile route that included the historic village of Holly and Fenton Township. Stahls Automotive Collection once again provided the finish line, a great meal, and access to its beautiful museum.
Team SuperNova fell short of its goal of a top-10 finish. We finished 19th, which is respectable for only our 2nd time competing together, and we believe we are now prepared for the big race — The 2024 Great Race from Owensboro, Kentucky to Gardiner, Maine, June 22-30, 2024.
New Timepieces
This was the first time my new Great Race clock and stopwatch bezels were put to the test of real-time competition. The Master Time Rally Clock performed admirably. The hackable secondhand (on/off switch) proved easy to synchronize with the official rally time (WWV) before the first stage and required no further adjustments on the following days. The rotating count-up/count-down bezel came in quite handy, especially at restarts and transits. If we had a starting position of 17 and an after-lunch restart at 1:00 PM, I just turned the zero mark of the bezel to 17, making it easy to determine how many minutes we had remaining,
At the rally’s conclusion, the stars from The Adventures of Dog & Bear visited us. Bear jumped into the driver’s seat and Dog took control of the navigation duties. Dog gave the new Rally Clock his “2-paws-up” endorsement. You can read all about Dog & Bear’s Great Race Adventure here (along with their 80 photos of the cars in the competition and in the museum).
The new countdown bezel assembly for analog stopwatches was even more useful than I had imagined. It was put to use on every pause and timed speed change. If we had a 15-second pause involving speeds where we lost 6.5 seconds, I could rotate the bezel to 8.5 seconds, which indicated our adjusted pause time. Then, using the bezel numbers, I could give Erin (the driver) a 5-4-3-2-1-Go countdown.
For instructions involving a timed speed change, such as increasing our speed after 42 seconds, I could rotate the bezel to 42 seconds and easily provide a countdown.
The Stahls — So Much More Than An Event Sponsor
The Stahls Automotive Collection was the official event sponsor. Ted and Mary Stahl are Great Race enthusiasts and have been competitors in numerous past events. Not only did they sponsor the overall event, but they also sponsored Team SuperNova (Erin and myself) and even supplied the ’62 Nova. They opened the museum for the Great Racers and provided two of the best rally meals this veteran of seven Great Races has consumed. They also provided everyone with t-shirts, hats, and other swag.
But wait….there’s more! If all the above wasn’t enough, Ted and Mary paid the entry fee for every (about two dozen) rookie team, which contributed to the record number of 84 entries for a Spring/Regional rally. And they didn’t stop there…the Stahls also put up $10,000 in prize money for the rookie teams. Ted and Mary Stahl raised the sponsorship bar quite high!
The Magic of Magic Dave
Team SuperNova owes a special thanks to ace mechanic Dave “Magic Dave” McAllister. Dave provided all the magic behind getting the Nova ready for this event. No engine work was required this time around, so Dave focused on other aspects: Improved exhaust, new wiring harness, safety flashers, steering column and accelerator adjustments, speedometer placement, and countless other items. He also checked the suspension to help us avoid another breakdown mishap like what occurred in the 2023 Great Race Spring Rally in Auburn, Indiana. Last but not least, he and the bunny blessed the Nova before the start of the rally, including a reminder to eat more biscuits.
More Links, More Thanks
- More rally content:
- My Rally page and list of recent articles
- The RallyClocks Etsy Shop where you can purchase clocks and stopwatches
- Stahls Auto website and Stahls Automotive Foundation Facebook page. I’ve visited numerous car museums over the years, and this one is probably the best I’ve ever seen. Quite impressive!
- The Great Race website and the Great Race Facebook page. Be sure to check out their stories:
- Coker Tire’s blog post of the Great Race Spring Rally with more than two dozen photos of the cars and winners. Be sure to visit the Coker Tire Company Facebook page.
Two More Pictures
The featured image at the top of this article was taken by the Great Race staff photographer showing us in action on Day 1. The picture below was taken on Day 2.
