Home Residents Businesses Visitors Departments On-line Services Quick Links Home
The cars are the stars with glitter and glamour galore in the 20th Anniversay Great Race
Race kicked off June 15 in San Antonio and ends Saturday, June 22 in Downtown Anaheim
ANAHEIM, CA - (June 18, 2002) - This past weekend, a rolling museum of automotive history, worth nearly $3 million, started roaring 2,500 miles across the Southwest when more than 100 rare vintage cars compete in the 20th anniversary run of The Great Race from Sunset Station in San Antonio, Texas, to the Center Street Promenade in Anaheim, California. More than exquisite museum pieces, the extraordinary vehicles are also finely restored machines whose driver's are competing for a share of the $250,000 Great Race prize purse, the richest in vintage car racing. While Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon may have starred in the movie, the cars are the stars in the 20th anniversary Great Race. To qualify, cars and trucks must be manufactured before 1951 or before 1960 for sports cars, racecars and motorcycles. Vehicles in this year's race span five decades of early automotive history starting with a 1911 Velie Racytype Speedster to a 1958 Porsche 356A. More than 30 different American and European marques are represented, from a 1916 American LaFrance Fire Chief's Car to a 1949 Volkswagen Hebmuller.

Fords are predominantly represented in The Great Race with over 40 entries including Andy Granatelli's 1934 Rocket Indycar, a 1943 Jeep 4x4, and a 1955 T-Bird. Buicks are next with 11 stunning entries from luxurious Phaetons to the legendary Shaffer Eight Indycars, followed by six shining Packard's -- from a 1916 Twin 6 to a 1950 Standard 8. Four Hudsons (two 1916 speedsters, a 1929 Convertible and a 1928 LeBaron Roadster), three LaSalles from the '30s, two Chevrolets (a 1916 Speedster and a 1954 Corvette), a 1915 Dodge Speedster, a 1933 Dodge Sedan, a 1941 Cadillac Roadster and a 1935 Chrysler Airflow are also on the bill. A 1916 Indy Racer, 1917 Peerless "Green Dragon" Racer, 1933 Mercedes Benz 380K, 1934 Plymouth Coupe, 1935 Auburn Cabriolet, 1940 Mercury 4-door Convertible and a 1949 Studebaker Champion Convertible will also compete.

Spectacular machines from the roaring 20s include a 1920 Essex, a 1922 and a 1927 Marmon, a 1925 Pierce Arrow, 1925 Rickenbacker, and a 1929 DeSoto. Since opening up the Great Race to pre-1960 sports cars last year, this year's run will also include a 1953 MG TD, 1955 Mercedes 190SL, and
1957 Triumph TR3.

Contrary to what one might think, the more recent model sports cars do not necessarily have an advantage over the older vehicles because The Great Race is a rally-race, not a speed race. While superior mechanical condition is desirable, precision navigational skills and the split-second timing of the race teams ultimately determine the winners. Racers are given detailed driving instructions at the beginning of each day and pass secret checkpoints along the 2,500-mile route. Instructions include every course maneuver, including stops, turns, and speed changes. The goal is to arrive at more than 40 check-points en-route from San Antonio to Anaheim exactly on time. As little as 1/1000th of a second can mean the difference between winning and losing.

Each vehicle comes to The Great Race with a unique history. Some were painstakingly restored, others "pieced together" from parts found all around the country. Many are cars Great Racers fancied in their youth but couldn't afford until much later, by which time the cars had become "classics." Great Racers travel both near and far to find the car of their dreams. Racer Jeff Lane found his 1947 Tatra at a car auction in France, while Mark Young's 1928 Willys-Knight sat 40 years in a garage just five blocks away from Young's home.

Built in Czechoslovakia the Tatra, with it's three headlights and unique center tail fin, is virtually unknown in America. During its heyday, from 1936 to 1950, the Tatra was a favorite transport on Germany's newly constructed Autobahn because of it's speed, exceptional traction, and
ability to withstand freezing weather. However, the Tatra had a tendency toward violent over-steer at high speeds. Fortunately, The Great Race never reaches Autobahn speeds and the Tatra's unique engineering should be bonus on the challenging route.

The 1928 Willys-Knight is the first dual-sleeved valve engine to attempt the demanding Great Race. A predecessor of today's popular Jeep, the Willys-Knight was internationally acclaimed for its innovative engineering. Originally priced at $1,995.00 with a 70-horsepower engine that could reach an amazing top speed of 65 mph, (challenging numbers for 1928 passenger cars). Great Racer Mark Young's Willys-Knight was originally owned by the founder of the Maytag Company.

This summer's 20th anniversary Great Race features an all-star cast of 100 rare and valuable machines. Each is a headliner striving for top billing as they thunder 2,500-miles over mountains, through valleys, and across deserts in an exhilarating and oftentimes grueling journey across America's Southwest. An adventure of a lifetime, The 20th Anniversary Great Race started in San Antonio on June 15 and roars across the finish line in Anaheim on June 22.
For more information on The 20th Anniversary Great Race visit The Great Race web site at: www.greatrace.com.

Great Race Image
Media Contact: Ruth Ruiz 714.765.5060                                                                                                        more city news

###

ABOUT ANAHEIM - The City of Anaheim, founded in 1857, is one of the nation's premier municipalities and is California's 10th most populous city. Anaheim covers 50 square miles with more than 345,500 residents and more than 3,200 City employees. The municipal corporation's annual budget is $1.4 billion. Anaheim supports a thriving business community with companies such as Carl Karcher Enterprises, Inc., L-3 Communications, Pacific Sunwear, and Disneyland Resort. Successful sports franchises call Anaheim home, including Angels Baseball, Anaheim Ducks, the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winning U.S. Men's National Volleyball Team, and the 2008 Olympic Silver Medal winning U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team. Anaheim also boasts world-class meeting and entertainment venues with the Anaheim Convention Center, the largest on the west coast, Honda Center, The Grove of Anaheim, The Shops at Anaheim GardenWalk, and Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Annually, Anaheim welcomes millions of visitors to the city, truly making it where the world comes to live, work and play. For more information, please visit www.anaheim.net.