And so begins my 20th year of being affiliated with the Great Race. It was 1995 in Ottawa that the late Tom McRae first invited “MotorMouth” to join the circus (Tom’s words)! Sitting here at the airport in Ottawa, a rush of feelings as I prepare to head to St. Louis…the sense of joining the family once again, the excitement of meeting the new teams, heading directly to Hyman’s as soon as I get to St. Louis…and that’s just on the first evening!
First of all I have to get there… flight is called! AC455 YOW – YYZ is the first leg.

Several hours later… from St. Louis, MO… it’s great to be here! By the time I arrived at the airport, met my travelling partner, Mayor Mike from Tennessee, picked up our rental car, a beautiful new Jeep, got mislead by my GPS (always follow John’s instructions), finally got to Hyman’s just as everyone was leaving, then found the Holiday Inn Route 66…it’s great to be here!

After a quick bite at the Mile 277 Tap & Grill (Biker Bar), MotorMouth sat down with Team Japan. There are 8 teams that have travelled from Japan to compete in the 2015 Hemmings Motor News Great Race presented by Hagerty! The learning curve is steep and learning about Shini/Jun, Kuni/Hito, Naohito/Nori and the other 5 teams is just a start. Collectively, they represent a wide sector of professions and automobiles from a far off land. Just to get the competitors’ vehicles shipped, through Customs and here in St. Louis for the start of the event has been a major accomplishment! Luckily, Toshi competed here last year. He has brought many of his friends with him this year!

Stay tuned! It’s time for sleep!