Great Race Archives - Navigating This Thing We Call Life https://ronrowland.com/category/rally/great-race/ Wed, 27 May 2026 13:06:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 177790805 Route 66 Centennial Great Race Preview https://ronrowland.com/route-66-centennial-great-race-preview/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=route-66-centennial-great-race-preview https://ronrowland.com/route-66-centennial-great-race-preview/#respond Wed, 27 May 2026 13:04:39 +0000 https://ronrowland.com/?p=13026 Curtis and I just completed our full-length practice run of Route 66. This animated video provides a preview of the upcoming Great Race 2026. It features Team Graf & Rowland traveling by and through many of the iconic landmarks along Route 66, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Learn more about the Great Race at […]

The post Route 66 Centennial Great Race Preview appeared first on Navigating This Thing We Call Life.

]]> https://ronrowland.com/route-66-centennial-great-race-preview/feed/ 0 13026 Life Before the Timewise Speedometer https://ronrowland.com/life-before-the-timewise-speedometer/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=life-before-the-timewise-speedometer https://ronrowland.com/life-before-the-timewise-speedometer/#respond Tue, 24 Feb 2026 14:03:05 +0000 https://ronrowland.com/?p=12604 The Great Race originally published this article on Feb 18, 2026 I’ve witnessed numerous changes to the Great Race over the years: vehicle vintages, length, days, checkpoint operations, allowed equipment, course instructions, and more.  The availability of the Timewise Speedometer was one of the more significant changes and did much to level the playing field. […]

The post Life Before the Timewise Speedometer appeared first on Navigating This Thing We Call Life.

]]> https://ronrowland.com/life-before-the-timewise-speedometer/feed/ 0 12604 2025 Great Race: Team 2, Graf & Rowland https://ronrowland.com/2025-great-race-team-2-graf-rowland/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2025-great-race-team-2-graf-rowland https://ronrowland.com/2025-great-race-team-2-graf-rowland/#comments Tue, 15 Jul 2025 17:24:44 +0000 https://ronrowland.com/?p=11156 The 2025 Great Race covered more than 2300 miles as the 9-day event traversed a route from St. Paul, Minnesota, to Irmo, South Carolina. The Team of Graf & Rowland competed in the Grand Championship Division in Curtis Graf’s 1932 Ford Hi-Boy Roadster. Curtis is a true Legend of the Great Race, having been inducted […]

The post 2025 Great Race: Team 2, Graf & Rowland appeared first on Navigating This Thing We Call Life.

]]> https://ronrowland.com/2025-great-race-team-2-graf-rowland/feed/ 1 11156 2025 Great Race Stage 8: Voted Best Stage Ever https://ronrowland.com/2025-great-race-stage-8-voted-best-stage-ever/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2025-great-race-stage-8-voted-best-stage-ever https://ronrowland.com/2025-great-race-stage-8-voted-best-stage-ever/#comments Sat, 05 Jul 2025 19:03:39 +0000 https://ronrowland.com/?p=11061 Voted the Best Stage Ever, day 8 of the 2025 Great Race was a unique and exhilarating experience. The 2025 Hemmings Great Race presented by Coker Tire just completed its 9-day odyssey from St. Paul, Minnesota, to Irmo, South Carolina. The Great Race is a time, speed, distance, endurance rally for vintage vehicles up through […]

The post 2025 Great Race Stage 8: Voted Best Stage Ever appeared first on Navigating This Thing We Call Life.

]]> https://ronrowland.com/2025-great-race-stage-8-voted-best-stage-ever/feed/ 1 11061 Rally Rule #14: Sanity Check Your Charts https://ronrowland.com/rally-rule-14-sanity-check-your-charts/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rally-rule-14-sanity-check-your-charts https://ronrowland.com/rally-rule-14-sanity-check-your-charts/#respond Mon, 09 Jun 2025 20:55:09 +0000 https://ronrowland.com/?p=10886 You’ve spent hours creating your performance charts, but have you given them a sanity check? A simple graph can help identify potential errors and areas of concern. Knowing the amount of time lost when starting and stopping is vital to keeping your rally team on time. Great Racers spend hours, sometimes days, collecting performance data. […]

The post Rally Rule #14: Sanity Check Your Charts appeared first on Navigating This Thing We Call Life.

]]> https://ronrowland.com/rally-rule-14-sanity-check-your-charts/feed/ 0 10886 2025 Spring Rally — Owensboro, KY https://ronrowland.com/2025-spring-rally-owensboro-ky/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2025-spring-rally-owensboro-ky https://ronrowland.com/2025-spring-rally-owensboro-ky/#comments Mon, 05 May 2025 17:35:38 +0000 https://ronrowland.com/?p=10126 The 2025 Coker Tire Great Race Spring Rally presented by Stahls Automotive Collection is now in the history book. As usual, it was a highly anticipated, highly competitive, and highly enjoyed event. Eighty (80) teams were entered. Nearly two dozen rookie teams received their first dose of live action Great Racing, while the returning competitors honed their skills […]

The post 2025 Spring Rally — Owensboro, KY appeared first on Navigating This Thing We Call Life.

]]> https://ronrowland.com/2025-spring-rally-owensboro-ky/feed/ 1 10126 2024 Great Race: Team SuperNova https://ronrowland.com/2024-great-race-team-supernova/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2024-great-race-team-supernova https://ronrowland.com/2024-great-race-team-supernova/#respond Wed, 10 Jul 2024 18:51:59 +0000 https://ronrowland.com/?p=8987 Team SuperNova consisting of driver Erin Liberty, navigator Ron Rowland, and a 1962 Chevrolet Nova competed in the 2024 Great Race. One hundred thirty-seven (137) teams took the green flag in Owensboro, Kentucky. Nine days and 2300 miles later, only 114 teams crossed the finish line and received the checkered flag in Gardiner, Maine. Once […]

The post 2024 Great Race: Team SuperNova appeared first on Navigating This Thing We Call Life.

]]> https://ronrowland.com/2024-great-race-team-supernova/feed/ 0 8987 Analog Stopwatch With Countdown Bezel: Application Notes https://ronrowland.com/analog-stopwatch-with-countdown-bezel-application-notes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=analog-stopwatch-with-countdown-bezel-application-notes https://ronrowland.com/analog-stopwatch-with-countdown-bezel-application-notes/#comments Sun, 02 Jun 2024 10:33:51 +0000 https://ronrowland.com/?p=8680 Here are some tips and suggestions for using an analog stopwatch with a rotating countdown bezel in the Great Race. Historically, rotating bezels have been used for watch synchronization and elapsed time measurements. Diver’s watches popularized the use of elapsed-time rotating bezels for time-of-day watches. However, by their nature, stopwatches are elapsed-time measuring instruments, making […]

The post Analog Stopwatch With Countdown Bezel: Application Notes appeared first on Navigating This Thing We Call Life.

]]> https://ronrowland.com/analog-stopwatch-with-countdown-bezel-application-notes/feed/ 1 8680 Rally Clock With Rotating Bezel: Application Notes https://ronrowland.com/rally-clock-with-rotating-bezel-application-notes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rally-clock-with-rotating-bezel-application-notes https://ronrowland.com/rally-clock-with-rotating-bezel-application-notes/#comments Sat, 25 May 2024 21:03:09 +0000 https://ronrowland.com/?p=8677 Here are some tips and suggestions for using a rally clock with a rotating bezel in the Great Race. Historically, rotating bezels have been used for watch synchronization and elapsed time measurements. Diver’s watches popularized the use of elapsed-time rotating bezels, and in recent years, countdown bezels have gained favor. While elapsed-time measurements are desirable […]

The post Rally Clock With Rotating Bezel: Application Notes appeared first on Navigating This Thing We Call Life.

]]> https://ronrowland.com/rally-clock-with-rotating-bezel-application-notes/feed/ 1 8677 2024 Great Race Spring Rally, Chesterfield, Michigan https://ronrowland.com/2024-great-race-spring-rally-chesterfield-michigan/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2024-great-race-spring-rally-chesterfield-michigan https://ronrowland.com/2024-great-race-spring-rally-chesterfield-michigan/#respond Thu, 09 May 2024 15:26:14 +0000 https://ronrowland.com/?p=8589 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 […]

The post 2024 Great Race Spring Rally, Chesterfield, Michigan appeared first on Navigating This Thing We Call Life.

]]> https://ronrowland.com/2024-great-race-spring-rally-chesterfield-michigan/feed/ 0 8589