Jeff Stumb's final blog about his planning trip for the 2012 Hemmings Motor News Great Race, presented by Hagerty.
Ypsilanti to Dearborn, Mich.
The last day of the 2012 Great Race will travel north back into the state of Michigan, marking the first time the Great Race has ever left a state and returned in the same event on a following day. The final day of Championship Run continues in Ohio before making its way into Michigan, and after the competition is complete the first stop is Ypsilanti (pronounced Ip-sah-lan-ah by the locals). And this is not just going to be any ordinary stop for lunch on the last day of the event while waiting for the scores to be tabulated. Ypsilanti is a car town that has produced millions of vehicles over the years, including the Corvair. But it is also home to the famous Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum, better known as the Last Hudson Dealer. It is run by the equally famous Jack Miller, and he and the
Director of Great Race, Jeff Stumb, continues his trips and tells us a bit about the route for the 2012 Hemmings Motor News Great Race presented by Hagerty.
Mansfield and Findlay, Ohio
Warren, Ohio, was such a pleasant surprise yesterday, and today would deliver another one in Mansfield. Some may remember, although it has been more than 10 years, that there is a carousel in downtown Mansfield, Ohio. The Great Race made a pit stop there some years ago and racers got a few minutes to take a ride. Well, for anyone who is interested, you too can ride the Mansfield carousel when we stop for lunch on the 2012 Great Race. The run into Mansfield on next years event will also be the start of the two-day Championship Run, and if ever there was a perfect state to have a Championship Run it is Ohio. For the first time on the trip it made me sad that I cannot compete because the route was so wonderful.
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Director of Great Race, Jeff Stumb, continues his planning trip for the 2012 Great Race.
Day 8--Franklin, Pa., and Warren, Ohio
We left Buffalo early and got a great look at Lake Erie for the last time. Obviously, we cannot hug the shore of all of the Great Lakes all the way around, and at this point we will be traveling 50 miles or so away from Lake Erie all the way into Dearborn for the finish. Early on, like on the Trophy Run and the first couple of days of competition, we will be hugging the shoreline. In fact, several days we will be having lunch and dinner on the shoreline. And for the first time we are getting into some hills. This will probably be the flattest Great Race ever run since we will be spending so much time at sea level, but the morning into Franklin, Pa., will see a few rolling hills. Franklin is a scenic town that we have been to on a previous Great Race, but it has been a long time. The good folks there are planning a fantastic lunch and
Still on the road and documenting his steps, Jeff Stumb gives us another overview of his day's travels. Check it out:
DAY 6 -- Kingston, Ontario, and Watertown, N.Y.
We enjoyed our time in Canada, but we were looking forward to getting back in the United States. So we were not prepared for what lay ahead in Kingston. Canada is beautiful, but Kingston was an unexpected pleasure. It was like a mini Seattle or Vancouver the way is sits on Lake Ontario. It is a city of almost 150,000 people, and the downtown actually overlooks the lake, including Confederation Park and City Hall which is where the lunch stop will be on June 27, 2012. It is also the exact halfway point of the race.
When we left Kingston we traveled back into the United States across Thousand Island Bridge. It wasn't long before we arrived in Watertown, New York and met with volunteers for the event. The stop in Watertown has been moved to the Fairgrounds to handle the enormous crowd local organizers
More of Jeff Stumb's commentary while on the Great Race route:
DAY 5 -- Barry's Bay and Ottawa, Ontario
This is the day I have been waiting for since the route was announced. Instead of taking the straight and easy route from Barrie east to the capital of Ottawa, we selected a route that would take the race throught the Provincial Park (a National Park of Canada). In doing so, we will see some of the most incredible screnery the country has to offer. But there are no major cities capable of hosting a lunch stop. In that part of the country, it is common for there to be only 1,000 people in a 500-square mile radius. Enter Mayor Dave Shulist and the community of Barry's Bay. I called the mayor a month of so ago and told him of my delimma and he told me that if we would come to Barry's Bay he would take care of everything. Barry's Bay has a population of 1,300 people on a good day in a 10-mile radius. It does have a couple of small diners, and the mayor has everyone
Jeff Stumb is still on the road...here are a few of his comments from Day 4 of the trip!
DAY 4 -- Parry Sound and Barrie, Ontario
After leaving Sudbury, the furthest point north on the 2012 Great Race, we headed south toward the beautful town of Parry Sound, Ontario. Although the theme for the event is the Great Lakes, we obviously cannot hug the coast all the way around the lakes and do any rallying. But the interior portions of Canada coming up on Day 4 and Day 5 are probably some of the most picturesque ever on the Great Race. And that starts with Parry Sound. Unfortunately for us, it was raining all day and the view was obscured most of the day. Parry Sound is home to hockey legend Bobby Orr, and the stop there on June 25 will be at the Bobby Orr Museum over looking Georgian Bay. If there is a more lovely spot in Canada, I'd like to see it.
After leaving Parry Sound, we continued south toward Barrie, which is home to the largest Automotive Flea Market in
Another quick note and a photo of a cool car seen on his Great Race planning trip!
Canadians love old cars too! I took this photo of a sharp DeSoto Adventurer in the parking lot of a grocery store in Elliott Lake, Ontario. Somewhere, Great Racer Chad Caldwell is drooling and thinking about hooking up his trailer and heading north of the border to try and find this beauty.
[caption id="attachment_2167" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="What an awesome Desoto...hard to beat those wild designs from the late \'50s and early \'60s!"][/caption]
More notes from the road from Great Race Director, Jeff Stumb:
DAY 3 -- Elliott Lake and Sudbury
We left Sault Ste. Marie bright and early to make the drive over the bridge into Canada. We were through customs in less than 20 minutes, which included a 10-minute trip inside to see the head Mountie about that funny looking gear and cable hanging from our rear wheel. Once we told them we were measuring the course for the Great Race and gave them some hats, T-shirts and programs, we were sent on our way. During the race next year as participants, you will be entering Canada on a pleasure trip and not the business trip John and I were on. And we are working with local officials to have a list of all entrants to the custom officials to speed the crossing up as much as possible. John assures me that no one will get hung up and miss a start (but if you do you can always turn in a time delay).
On the way into Elliott Lake, our lunch stop, we followed the north shore
More good news from Jeff Stumb, Director of the Great Race on his second day of route planning:
DAY 2 -- St. Ignace and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
We hated to leave Traverse City, but it helped knowing we will be back for several days in June of next year. It was good, however, to start the trip and planning the course for the first day of the race. Because the start will take place at 10 a.m. in Traverse City on June 23, the first day of rallying will be rather short. The lunch stop will be in St. Ignace, home of the wonderful St. Ignace Car Show each year. St. Ignace is the first city on the other side of the Mackinac Bridge, and it marked the first time I had ever been to the U.P. (the Upper Peninsula). Ed and his crew in St. Ignace are planning a great stop in conjunction with another of their car shows -- the Antiques on the Bay show in front of the marina. Beautiful Mackinac Island will be the backdrop in Lake Huron.
Sault Ste. Marie (called the Soo
After acquiring the Great Race, we have been very busy, making sure we uphold the legacy and the tradition that Tom McRae established many years ago. Just after the 2011 Hemmings Motor News Great Race, Coker Tire is proud to announce a new Director of the Great Race, longtime rally enthusiast and all around car guy, Mr. Jeff Stumb. Jeff will also be heading up the Coker Tire Marketing Department, so we'll definitely keep him busy! He is away from the office right now, on a trip to the Great Lakes to meet with host cities, so sit back and enjoy some of his commentary as he rides up and down the road.
As soon as the annual Coker Tire Challenge ended in Chattanooga Sept. 18, John Classen and I hit the road to visit city leaders, check out hotels and map out the route for the 2012 Great Race.
As you may know by now, the Great Race will start in Traverse City, Michigan, on June 23, 2012, and circle the Great Lakes before returning to Michigan the following weekend. Plans have been
