A promenade of antique cars will roll through the streets of downtown Vicksburg Thursday evening as part of the Hemmings Motor News Great Race, an annual car rally which features automobiles built prior to 1969.
According to The Great Race organizers, up to 100
antique models are expected to arrive on South Washington Street as one of several overnight stops in the nine-day race, which goes through 10 states and
crosses the Mississippi River.
The cars will begin to arrive after 5 p.m. in
one-minute intervals. Spectators will have the opportunity to view the cars, and participants have been known to allow children to get a closer look. The
Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau is helping with the event, which has drawn crowds in the thousands at previous stops.
“When the Great Race pulls into a city, it becomes an
instant festival,” Jeff Stumb, race director, said.
The Great Race is not a traditional race but rather a
time, speed and distance rally. Each vehicle has both a driver and navigator who are given instructions which detail the route. Racers are scored down to the
second with points taken off for being early or late.
The inspiration for the event’s name comes from the
1965 movie “The Great Race,” which centered around the real-life 1908 automobile race from New York to Paris. In 2004, Tony Curtis, one of the film’s stars,
participated as a guest in the race and rode in his character’s car from the movie, the Leslie Special.
On Friday, the race will stop in Natchez for lunch,
and then drivers will continue to make their way to the finish line in Mobile.
Source: www.clarionledger.com
According to The Great Race organizers, up to 100
antique models are expected to arrive on South Washington Street as one of several overnight stops in the nine-day race, which goes through 10 states and
crosses the Mississippi River.
The cars will begin to arrive after 5 p.m. in
one-minute intervals. Spectators will have the opportunity to view the cars, and participants have been known to allow children to get a closer look. The
Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau is helping with the event, which has drawn crowds in the thousands at previous stops.
“When the Great Race pulls into a city, it becomes an
instant festival,” Jeff Stumb, race director, said.
The Great Race is not a traditional race but rather a
time, speed and distance rally. Each vehicle has both a driver and navigator who are given instructions which detail the route. Racers are scored down to the
second with points taken off for being early or late.
The inspiration for the event’s name comes from the
1965 movie “The Great Race,” which centered around the real-life 1908 automobile race from New York to Paris. In 2004, Tony Curtis, one of the film’s stars,
participated as a guest in the race and rode in his character’s car from the movie, the Leslie Special.
On Friday, the race will stop in Natchez for lunch,
and then drivers will continue to make their way to the finish line in Mobile.
Source: www.clarionledger.com