Great Race Sports

What began as a lark for two Texas buddies 26 years ago has grown into an international company about to undertake the most monumental motorsports event in 100 years.

It began in 1982 when an auto enthusiast and Great Race veteran, Curtis Graf, and a close friend, Tom McRae, both of Dallas, Texas, learned about a cross-country rally for classic cars. They approached Norman Miller, a fellow Texan and president of Interstate Batteries, about sponsoring the pair if they entered the race. Miller agreed. Within weeks, the original promoter had lost interest and the entrepreneurial McRae soon found himself in partnership with Miller in promoting the inaugural Interstate Batteries Great American Race.

Knott’s Berry Farm, an amusement park in Buena Park, Calif., hosted the official start when 69 classic cars took the green flag, waved off by Tony Curtis, star of the 1960s movie “The Great Race.” Seven days later, 62 vehicles finished in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the Great Race was on its way.

Mike Anderson, from Tuscon, Ariz., won the inaugural Great Race and $100,000, driving a 1941 Cadillac. Curtis Graf drove a 1935 Packard V-12 and finished 21st. Tom McRae had his hands full managing the race that year and every year. He never did participate in the Great Race.

Early on, the annual summertime rally for classic cars generated enthusiastic support from entrants, communities and fans as it traveled across the country. The 1907 Thomas Flyer that won the 1908 Great Race was driven in the 1986 Great Race from Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., to New York City, where it and 83 other cars finished at the World Trade Center. New York Mayor Ed Koch sat in the back of a Great Race car for a parade down Broadway.

In 1995, the Great Race began in the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Ontario on Canada Day before 300,000 people. The route went through Washington, D.C.; and ended in Mexico City, thereby reaching the capitals of all three North American countries – Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Through 25 years of competition, a field of up to 120 classics has traveled to some of North America’s most famous sites such as the U.S. Capitol in Washington, the Plaza de la Reforma in Mexico City; Indianapolis and Daytona motor speedways; Disneyland and Walt Disney World; the Grand Canyon; and Broadway in New York City.

The Great Race has visited more than 900 cities reaching more than 200 million people in North America. Its participants have logged almost 10 million competitive miles and been awarded $6 million in prize money, making the Great Race the richest and longest-running motorsports competition for classic cars.

Through 25 years as America’s premier classic car event, the Great Race has been sponsored by many Fortune 500 companies and organizations including Interstate Batteries, MBNA America Bank, The History Channel, the National Guard, Goodyear Tire and Rubber, U.S. Navy, Ford, Chevrolet, Buick, American Airlines, Hertz, Coker Tire and Qualcomm.

The Great Race has been nationally televised in one-hour specials on ESPN, The History Channel, NBC and Speed Channel.

In 2002, Tom McRae, Great Race founder and president, retired and sold the race to a group of 11 Great Race veterans, led by Jack Roush, one of NASCAR’s leading team owners, and Corky Coker, president of Coker Tire. The group formed Rally Partners, Inc., to manage the day-to-day operations and to continue to deliver the same level of quality that contestants and the public have come expect.

Two additional partners, Mike and Bill Ewing, joined Rally Partners in 2006, leading the way with new initiatives including The Great Race 2008: New York to Paris. Operations moved to Orange, Calif., where new employees were soon added and Great Race Sports, Inc., was created to manage the new initiatives.

The combination of expertise in creating and organizing large-scale, mobile automotive events and a track record of sanctioning classic car competitions across North America has perfectly positioned Great Race Sports, Inc., to organize The Great Race 2008: New York To Paris, an event that commemorates the 100th anniversary of one of the most remarkable automotive adventures of the 20th century — a race almost around the world in 1908, from New York to Paris.
Following the 2008 season, Great Race Sports will expand into new countries, bringing Great Race-style automotive events to automotive enthusiasts around the world.