The Great Race, the world's premiere classic car rally, will bring 120 of the finest antique automobiles to Wichita, Thursday, June 29. The first car will roll to Riverfront Stadium starting at 4:45 p.m. The group will stay overnight here before moving to the next city.
The start of the 2023 Hemmings Motor News Great Race presented by Coker Tire will be in St. Augustine, Florida, on June 24, and the finish will be in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on July 2. The 9-day, 2,300-mile adventure will travel to 19 cities in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado.
Teams and cars from Japan, England, Australia, Germany, Canada, and every corner of the United States will converge in Florida in mid-June with vintage automobiles dating back as far as 1916. “There are more than 500 people in our entourage from all around the world,” said Great Race Director Jeff Stumb.
The Great Race, which began 40 years ago, is not a speed race, but a time/speed/distance rally. The vehicles, each with a driver and navigator, are given precise instructions each day that detail every move down to the second. They are scored at secret check points along the way and are penalized one second for each second either early or late. As in golf, the lowest score wins.
Cars start – and hopefully finish – one minute apart if all goes according to plan. The biggest part of the challenge – other than staying on time and following the instructions – is getting an old car to the finish line each day, organizers say.
Click here for more information about the Great Race.
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Visit Wichita markets the greater Wichita area as a major convention and tourism destination, thereby enhancing the economic development of the city, county, region, and state. Visit Wichita is led by president and CEO Susie Santo, and in 2022 travel and tourism contributed nearly $1.5 billion in economic impact to the greater Wichita area. For more information, go to VisitWichita.com
