Great Race Diary - June 19, 2002
by Alan Hunt
A Baylor University-sponsored 1947 Ford convertible is among 100 rare antique vehicles competing in The 2002 Great Race, which started June 15 in San Antonio and ends Saturday, June 22, in Anaheim, Calif.
The Great Race is a timed endurance rally-race; a contest about precision driving and navigation, not speed. Aided only by a speedometer, analog clock, pencil and paper (no maps, cell phones or odometers), the competitors must follow written course instructions at exact, predetermined speeds. The winners finish within seconds of the predetermined "perfect time." Drivers and navigators will be competing for a share of the prize purse valued at $250,000.
Michael Black, coordinator of chapter development at the Baylor Alumni Association, is accompanying the Baylor car during the 2,500-mile rally-race and will send regular progress reports to the Baylor Public Relations web site.
Michael Black's Update:
Wednesday - June 19 - Stage 5 - Rio Rancho, N.M.; Gallup, Ariz.; Winslow, Ariz.; and Williams, Ariz. (365 miles)
Today was a good day for the Baylor Racing Team. The race started this morning at 7:15 MDT and ended at 5:30 MST. Needless to say, it was a long day. On a day when the primary goal for the majority of the racers was just to finish the stage, Doyle and Scott turned in a time of 46 seconds off pace. Their score was about the same compared to the rest of the field.
Today's stage took them through the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest in Arizona. Temperatures were said to have reached 100 degrees. The heat was a concern on Tuesday due to vapor lock. This problem was taken care of on Tuesday night; however, at every stop during the race on Wednesday, Scott put a wet towel over the fuel pump in order to keep the fuel from vaporizing. This seemed to work, as the 1947 Ford did not stall.
Tomorrow morning the race will begin at 9:45 MST and make pit stops in Prescott, Ariz.; Payson, Ariz.; and an overnight stop in Scottsdale, Ariz., for a total of 195 miles. Due to the heat and terrain, tomorrow's stage is supposed to be difficult for not just the car, but for the driver and navigator as well.