'To Finish Is To Win' - Great Race Diary - June 21-22, 2002
Great Race participants Doyle and Scott Rogers in their 1947 Ford convertible. (Photo courtesy of The Great Race)
by Alan Hunt
A Baylor University-sponsored 1947 Ford convertible was among 100 rare antique vehicles competing in The 2002 Great Race, which started June 15 in San Antonio and ended 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, accompanied the Baylor car during the 2,500-mile rally-race and filed his final progress report as the Great Race came to an end.
For more information on the Great Race, visit http://www.greatrace.com/ .
June 21 - Stage 7 - Scottsdale, Ariz., to Chula Vista, Calif. -- 380 miles
After previous vapor lock problems due to the heat, the Baylor car completed this lengthy stage in fine style. The Ford did attract a few strange looks on the highway, however, because the hood had been removed to improve the air flow over the engine. Doyle and Scott completed the stage with a score of one minute 21 seconds off a perfect time. They were in the car a total of 12 hours, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The highlight of the day was the "ace" award they received for completing one leg in perfect time.
June 22 - Stage 8 - Chula Vista to Anaheim, Calif. -- 115 miles
This was the final stage of the race and Doyle and Scott crossed the line with a score of 30 seconds off a perfect time for the day. They finished the race in 18th position overall in a field of 43 competitors in the Sportsman Division championship run. Cumulative results through the eight stages (with times for the two worst stages discarded) showed the Baylor car in 44th position overall among the 89 vehicles that survived the 2,500-mile race. Overall, the Baylor crew did a pretty good job in a race so demanding that its motto is, "To finish is to win."