Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will host the last overnight stop on the 2016 Great Race on Saturday, June 25, the night before the finish in Illinois. The stop will be on the Third Street Bridge downtown starting at 5:15 p.m. in conjunction with the towns Freedom Festival. Dinner will be on an island in the middle of the Cedar River which is connected on both sides by the bridge.
Racers will start in South Dakota and travel through southwestern Minnesota before crossing two-thirds of the start of Iowa during the day known as Championship Run because everyone has to keep all of their scores during the day and it will go a long way towards determining who the Grand Champion will be. The following morning the racers will head out for a quick 100-miles of competition before breaking for lunch in Walcott, Iowa. After lunch, they will cross the Mississippi River for the finish in Moline, Illinois, where one of the teams will take home the $50,000 first prize.
The Leslie Special (The Great Race movie) has been entered in this year’s Keeneland Concours d’Elegance, 16 July, as part of the Hollywood Car Class (TV / movies).
Cedar Rapids is the hometown of the 1936 Railton Boattailed Speedster (Car #125). Dubbed “The Flying Welshmen” the car was rescued from a collapsed barn within Cedar Rapids during the early 80’s. Restored and driven by John Williams, who participated in the 1984 Great American Race (as car #62). The team consists of driver John Williams, son / navigator Ian Williams, son / support vehicle driver Sean Williams and grandson / chief-helper Connor Williams. Special thanks to mechanics Dave Groman (a member of the 1984 team) and Steve Pifer, both of Cedar rapids, who invested a great deal of time and effort to help prepare the car for June’s grueling trial of endurance.
Keep an eye out for the car and team and help to welcome them home on the 25th, we hope to see you there!