Mary is not only a fantastic driver, she is a hands-on mechanic, always ready to jump in and get the job done.
June 23, 2017, JACKSONVILLE, FL: It’s Friday at the Great Race 2017, which means time for the Trophy Run. The Trophy Run is a practice event that helps new drivers and navigators get used to rally procedures. It’s also a great refresher run for repeat racers. As I’ve mentioned before, the Great Race is not about who is the fastest. It’s about who is able to make the least mistakes, without going too fast or too slow. There are “winning” numbers set for each leg of the rally and if you complete a leg in less time or in more time, your score will reflect that. If you make no mistakes and get a perfect time, you receive a coveted “ACE.” Over the years, we collected a few ACES, of which we are very proud. Today Mary and I didn’t compete in the Trophy Run because we lent our GTO to another Spirit of Stahls team, Kevin and Dominick. This is their first Great Race and the car they are driving, the 1934 Ford, required some repairs. Mary and I stayed behind to oversee the repairs and to let Kevin and Dom get some practice. Yesterday we had a problem with the radiator on the Ford and it had to be taken via trailer to the welding shop. When the repair on the radiator was complete, we realized that the welding process had caused it to overheat, which resulted in a warped head. We were able to have a new cylinder head overnighted to us (thanks Bill G!) and are currently in the process of installing it, along with Dave, Tony and Seamus. Hopefully it will be all finished by the time the other teams return from the Trophy Race. Interesting side note: The Trophy Race results are used as a tie-breaker in case there is a tie for the overall Great Race. Last year this was the case and they had to use the Trophy Race results to break the tie. It all came down to seconds. If you want to see live footage from the Trophy Run and also from the upcoming Great Race, Dan is doing some filming that is being uploaded to the Spirit of Stahls Facebook page every once in a while.
Let’s get this car ready to rally tomorrow!
There’s always time for some fun, that’s what the Great Race is all about. Mary and “Magic Dave” setting up some shade to get the repair done.
Now that’s more like it!
Ready to repair almost anything.
The new parts have arrived.
Getting organized is key to the success of any repair.
You don’t want to have any leftover parts when the job is finished.
There go Trevor and Josh in the Stars and Stripes! They will be driving in the Expert Class tomorrow. We are going to follow them.
Kevin and Dominick are taking the GTO on the Trophy Run while Mary and I stay behind and fix the 1934 Ford with the support team.
We couldn’t do it without Magic Dave.
Dan and Brett are off on the Trophy Run in the Packard.
Dan and Brett earned an ACE, which means no time overages or under, a perfect score for the a part of the route.
Multi-tasking during a training session.
There is a lot to learn.
Thank you to everyone on the Great Race staff that keeps us on our toes.
The 1934 Ford also experienced a broken clamp…
Getting the work done on the trailer.
It’s time for our first and hopefully our last tow of the Great Race 2017.
Thank you!!!!