Folks, we had so much action today that we can’t fit it all into one post! We had a spectacular turnout in Traverse City for the kick off of the 2012 Hemmings Motor News Great Race presented by Hagerty! Thousands upon thousands of spectators lined the streets of Traverse City to watch the start of this great car guy adventure, and it made for lots of cheers and lots of smiling faces, as people saw millions of dollars worth of antique automobiles, all packed into one area.

Governor Rick Snyder came to wave the green flag, while Corky and MotorMouth got the crowd going! Former Governor William Milliken also made an appearance and was well accepted by his hometown crowd. Other special guests included McKeel Hagerty and his entire family, as well as the Traverse City Mayor, Michael Estes. All of the cars blasted through the start line after Corky and the crowd counted them down, and it took quite a while to cycle through all of the cars! It was an amazing send-off for this year’s Great Race! Check out our photos and watch for more photos and reports from our stops in Saint Ignace, Michigan and Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan!