Joplin
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They came from coast to coast and border to border..all looking to cash in on a posted
purse of nearly $8,000 PLUS make a leap in the VCRA National Points Race. Each
team was eager to tackle old “Route 66” and see how they would fare. It seemed as
though mother nature was even on board for this one…there had been consistent rain
showers for days leading up to the event. But when the green flag dropped, the skies
cleared , the sun came out and away we went. In fact, temps were in the upper 80’s
on Friday…a little sun burn for the open car folks according to Jim Menneto as he
debuted his 1932 Ford Speedster. But I heard no complaints about that!. A jaunt up
to Jasper, Missouri, have a pit stop, and back to the hotel that afternoon. Nice little
ride in the country side, or so you would think. The surprise of the day was that there
were 24 Ace’s scored. WOW! Our old friend Curtis Graf, with Ty Holmquist
navigating, scored an amazing 4 Aces in eight legs. Yep, that’s right, eight legs in three
and a half hours. But look out, here comes Team Hedke and Team Loubiere each with
three Aces! And a host of other folks including the eventual day winners, Team Jason,
with two Aces.
Of course, you have to understand the psychology of a rally…..the eventual winner of
the event did not have an Ace on stage one. Was he discouraged? Guess not! Anyhow,
the scores on Friday would not be that significant because of the “cumulative score”
process. The worst two legs of stage one and two would be discarded, then add the
total of stage three for the overall winner. Raw scores in the teens and twenties were
the order of the day on Friday.
Now it is time to get serious. Try a little harder on Saturday..make no big mistakes..
still have a leg that can be tossed, but what if I did not do well on Friday? Cannot
make a mistake today or I am in bad shape. So away we go. After a loop around
Grand Lake, a Grove, Oklahoma pit stop, cross over Pensacola Dam, then on to the
lunch stop at one of VCRA’s best friends , Dave Kane and his famous Route 66
Packard Museum, then back to Joplin. Team Jason had looked good on Friday, but by
the end of Saturday, they were in 9th and Team Fredette had climbed to 1st. Now the
tossed legs come into play. Team Loubiere, Team Hedke, Haverty & Hewitt and
Knowles & Gentry had begun to show their stuff. The over all points leader going into
the event, Hersey & McDorr had taken a little spill to 18th. Things are looking
strange now!
O K…Sunday morning..time to bear down and do your thing. Any mistake now could
be a disaster. Skies look good..no rain..lots of wind though. A short morning run to
Sarcoxie, Missouri through the rolling hills of the Ozarks. A trip down another section
of old “Route 66”, and back to Joplin to decide a winner. No legs thrown out this day..
and some folks showed they still had what it takes. The top thirteen cars on Sunday
had adjusted scores of 10 seconds and under. Team Jason made a valiant run at Team
Fredette, but the final score showed they got “Old Car’d” by a mere .54 second….yes,
that’s fifty four hundredths of a second. Team Fredette (that’s Richard & Ken) had
gotten the job done. Congratulations guys!!!
Third place went to Knowles & Gentry, fourth to Team Loubiere and fifth to the old
fox Curtis Graf & Ty Holmquist. A great lunch at the awards ceremony and some
memorable stories, of course. Then it was time to head home.
The points race took a twist also..now Team Fredette leads former leader Hersey &
McDorr by 31 points. Knowles & Gentry are right there with only a 45 point deficit. It
ain’t over yet by a long shot.
A big thanks to all who came from far and near to be a part of this great event, and to
all the volunteers who help us make it happen. We truly appreciate your support…and
we look forward to seeing you at the HEMMINGS CHALLENGE Vintage Car Rally &
National Points Finals in Springfield, Missouri.
See you soon.
Rex / Charlie / Vic
purse of nearly $8,000 PLUS make a leap in the VCRA National Points Race. Each
team was eager to tackle old “Route 66” and see how they would fare. It seemed as
though mother nature was even on board for this one…there had been consistent rain
showers for days leading up to the event. But when the green flag dropped, the skies
cleared , the sun came out and away we went. In fact, temps were in the upper 80’s
on Friday…a little sun burn for the open car folks according to Jim Menneto as he
debuted his 1932 Ford Speedster. But I heard no complaints about that!. A jaunt up
to Jasper, Missouri, have a pit stop, and back to the hotel that afternoon. Nice little
ride in the country side, or so you would think. The surprise of the day was that there
were 24 Ace’s scored. WOW! Our old friend Curtis Graf, with Ty Holmquist
navigating, scored an amazing 4 Aces in eight legs. Yep, that’s right, eight legs in three
and a half hours. But look out, here comes Team Hedke and Team Loubiere each with
three Aces! And a host of other folks including the eventual day winners, Team Jason,
with two Aces.
Of course, you have to understand the psychology of a rally…..the eventual winner of
the event did not have an Ace on stage one. Was he discouraged? Guess not! Anyhow,
the scores on Friday would not be that significant because of the “cumulative score”
process. The worst two legs of stage one and two would be discarded, then add the
total of stage three for the overall winner. Raw scores in the teens and twenties were
the order of the day on Friday.
Now it is time to get serious. Try a little harder on Saturday..make no big mistakes..
still have a leg that can be tossed, but what if I did not do well on Friday? Cannot
make a mistake today or I am in bad shape. So away we go. After a loop around
Grand Lake, a Grove, Oklahoma pit stop, cross over Pensacola Dam, then on to the
lunch stop at one of VCRA’s best friends , Dave Kane and his famous Route 66
Packard Museum, then back to Joplin. Team Jason had looked good on Friday, but by
the end of Saturday, they were in 9th and Team Fredette had climbed to 1st. Now the
tossed legs come into play. Team Loubiere, Team Hedke, Haverty & Hewitt and
Knowles & Gentry had begun to show their stuff. The over all points leader going into
the event, Hersey & McDorr had taken a little spill to 18th. Things are looking
strange now!
O K…Sunday morning..time to bear down and do your thing. Any mistake now could
be a disaster. Skies look good..no rain..lots of wind though. A short morning run to
Sarcoxie, Missouri through the rolling hills of the Ozarks. A trip down another section
of old “Route 66”, and back to Joplin to decide a winner. No legs thrown out this day..
and some folks showed they still had what it takes. The top thirteen cars on Sunday
had adjusted scores of 10 seconds and under. Team Jason made a valiant run at Team
Fredette, but the final score showed they got “Old Car’d” by a mere .54 second….yes,
that’s fifty four hundredths of a second. Team Fredette (that’s Richard & Ken) had
gotten the job done. Congratulations guys!!!
Third place went to Knowles & Gentry, fourth to Team Loubiere and fifth to the old
fox Curtis Graf & Ty Holmquist. A great lunch at the awards ceremony and some
memorable stories, of course. Then it was time to head home.
The points race took a twist also..now Team Fredette leads former leader Hersey &
McDorr by 31 points. Knowles & Gentry are right there with only a 45 point deficit. It
ain’t over yet by a long shot.
A big thanks to all who came from far and near to be a part of this great event, and to
all the volunteers who help us make it happen. We truly appreciate your support…and
we look forward to seeing you at the HEMMINGS CHALLENGE Vintage Car Rally &
National Points Finals in Springfield, Missouri.
See you soon.
Rex / Charlie / Vic
| MOTHER ROAD RALLY A HUGE SUCCESS TEAM FREDETTE WINS!!!!! |
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