The Adventure of a Lifetime

April 7, 2011

“The adventure of a lifetime that you can enjoy every summer!”   That’s one of the descriptions that my good friends Tom and Sandi McRae used to describe the Great Race.    Well, by now many of the Great Race followers know about its recent history and why Coker ended up with it.    Bottom line is this thing we call the Great Race is really such a cool thing that it has to continue.    We plan to have people filming the event so to possibly produce television.   I think the networks and the cables are starving for automotive content.

We have a great team working on this year’s Hemmings Motor News Great Race.    Jim Menneto and the wonderful folks at Hemmings Motor News are a major reason Great Race continues!    Rally Master John Classen is the best at what he does.   Wes Kliner is so fired up about Great Race that we cannot hardly contain him!   Most everyone knows veteran racer Jeff Stumb.   Jeff has been working on the entrants and cities.   He has zero interaction with us about the competition or the course allowing him to be able to compete in the event.   One of the biggest negatives I had bringing Great Race in house at Coker was knowing that it would be impossible for me to compete again in Great Race.   I loved it, and will miss competing.   I did not want that for Jeff Stumb.    Another veteran and former winner who very well might compete is Greg Cunningham, my son in law.    He also has had zero interaction about Great Race here.   He runs Honest Charley Garage where we revive, restore and repair hot rods, vintage cars and all things collectible vehicles.    If he runs in a Coker sponsored vehicle ….watch out he might win BUT,…he would donate final cash winnings to Autism.  Crystal Wilson, my assistant is working on getting your photos in for the program.   Our marketing department will be producing this in the coming weeks.    We will have two teams setting up lunch stops and evening stops.  They will probably be Coker staff.   I am working on the logistics of this now.    Cameron Coker does web design in our offices.   He is doing an awesome job, and I am very proud of him and his work!

On this blog, we will announce the cash prizes for winners of the 2011 Hemmings Motor News Great Race.   We are not 100 percent sure yet of our total income, so I will resist releasing this until we have our hands around our expenses and income.   Make sense?   Hope so,…

All of us at Great Race are looking forward to a great “rebirth” of something special.    Stay tuned at this blog…I will be updating it regularly.

Corky?

5 comments about “The Adventure of a Lifetime”

  • Corky,
    I know your team will put on a first class rally and I can’t wait until we come to TN for the start.

    • Corky, I need some new tires for my TD it gets squirrelly around 55 could it be something else
      my sons Jeep did the same thing tire out of balance,can I change to radials? Hope to get in race If you could point me in the right direction I would appreciate it. Looking for sponsors!
      Thanks Mark:)

  • Corky, Sid put new Muffler on TD Balanced all the wheels put the best on the front worst on the spare. Set me back $172 said he could install 4 radials for $100 each can’t afford right now but the squirrels are out of the attic , smells better and sounds gggreat. Later Mark:)

  • “Adventure of a Lifetime” is an understatement!
    I said that in 1983 when the first GAR ran and I thought it was too good to be true. Then I was in the 1984 GAR for my “Adventure of a Lifetime” and came back for 10 more races.
    It’s like potato chips, Nobody can have just one. Raced 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 & 2001.
    We’ll see you all in Maggie Valley.
    Historical Note: Old Navigators dream about it years later.

Leave a Reply to Paul Dobbin Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• The Latest Stories •

• Thanks to all our Sponsors •

Menu