Those of you who have followed vintage car rallying over the last couple of years may have noticed that the Great Race name has been conspicuously absent from those events, put on by the Vintage Car Rally Association. But now we here at Hemmings, along with our friends at Coker Tire, are happy to announce that the Great Race is back for 2011! Coker recently purchased both the name and the assets of the Great Race organization from bankruptcy court, so with Hemmings sponsorship, we’re resurrecting the famed rally. The event’s going to start June 11 at Coker Tire headquarters in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and make its way north and east to finish June 17 at Hemmings headquarters in Bennington, Vermont. We’re still finalizing the route, so check in at GreatRace.com over the next couple of months for updates as well as information on how you can participate.
UPDATE (16.December 2010): A few of you in the comments below have noted the $3,000 entry fee, and we wanted to address that here. First off, that entry fee is less than half of what it’s been for similar events in the past. Second, there will be prize money paid for the winners of this event, some of which will come out of those entry fees. Finally, an event like this doesn’t go off without plenty of planning and support by a cast of dozens, if not hundreds who, even if they’re volunteering, need to be fed and hydrated. Sure, in these times, not everybody has a few grand parked in the bank, but as mentioned below, if you’re interested in participating and don’t have the money yourself, consider finding a sponsor to help defray the cost; you get to participate and your sponsor gets to put their name and logo in front of many thousands of old car enthusiasts along the way.