Driving in the Grand Champion class – reserved for those who have previously won the Great Race (either as driver or navigator) – the Jasons will not only take home their second trophy and bragging rights, but also the first place prize, a check for $50,000 courtesy of the Coker Group. Over the course of nine stages and 45 legs, the Jasons managed no less than least 12 perfect legs (called “aces”) and one perfect stage (after leg one of stage six was discarded), amassing just 0:57 in penalties over the course of the entire event. Applying the adjusted age factor (meant to level the playing field for older cars) of 0.825, the Jasons completed the event with a score of 0:47.03. As they did last year, the Jasons won with a commanding lead over the second-place team, this time with a gap of more than 14 seconds.
In the X Cup category, reserved for younger teams (and generally associated with a shop or vocational school program), the crew from McPherson College drove their 1957 Ford Fairlane to a first place finish with an overall time of 4:42.07. X Cup rules state the vehicle must be specially built for the Great Race by those in the program, and require that the navigator be under age 21 (although the driver is required to be 21 or older). The intent of the X Cup program is to instill a passion for old cars and the collector car hobby in the next generation of Great Racers.
The Expert division, limited to those who have finished well in previous running (but have never won), saw Jim and Louise Feeney take top honors (and second place overall) in their 1936 Ford Fordor with a time of 1:01.79. The Sportsman division, open to contestants with prior experience (but lacking a significant overall placing at the finish), was won by Bryan Dickson and Preston Green, driving a 1928 Ford Model A Speedster, with a time of 1:48.90. In the self-explanatory Rookie division, it was Brad Epple and James Goode who came in first, driving a 1966 Chevrolet Corvette, with a time of 5:54.90.
This year’s weather ranged from torrential rain through scorching temperatures and high humidity, but only 23 cars out of the 91 entered were scored with DNFs in a given stage. Of these, only 11 failed to make the start of the final stage, a testament to the determination (and mechanical aptitude) of participants and support crews.
Look for the 2014 Great Race to move further east, with a scheduled route that takes participants from Maine to Florida. For full results from the 2013 race, visit www.greatrace.com.
THE WINNER
photo credit: © 2013 The Great Race
text credit: © 2013 Kurt Ernst via © 2013 hemmings.com
