Did that tile get your attention? Well, what I mean is that the secret to doing well is to execute the instructions correctly. Yesterday we made some rookie-class errors in handling speed changes for corners. Dale figured out what those errors were last night and today we did much better! Not perfect mind you – we erred on a compound instruction in the last leg (but we toss out the worst leg each day, so we can just pretend that never happened). Otherwise, not bad:

Our Stage 1 Scores (like frozen Orange Juice, Phase 2: Better, not Perfect)

We started today in Buffalo, again at the Pierce Arrow museum. Despite intermittent showers, the crowd was big and enthusiastic. And we got all five competing Studebakers clustered close together. The folks from the Studebaker Drivers Club came back to see us all (and again favor us with yet more generous gift support! What a great club – all car people are good people, but Studebaker people are surely the BEST!).

The Buffalo Start -The chimneysweep at center is Magic Dave, travelling Mechanician

Bender Consorts with the 37 Studebaker President Coupe & Dale Explains it All to Passersby

An Additional Gift from the Studebakers Drivers Club, Kinzua Chapter! Astonishingly kind

At lunch, we stopped at an Arby’s where I enjoyed a special Only-in-America treat I had previously seen advertised. Incredible, weird, but not bad, actually! (Kids, DON’T try this at home, at least not often).

Yes, you CAN get bacon in your shake at Arby’s

Our evening stop was Fairport, NY, home to Grand Champs Howard and Doug Sharp (and one VERY nice town, even despite that particular notoriety!). The main street was lined with people and cars, each team had an assigned host, and they gave us medals and gift baskets and an official Upstate Garbage-Plate dinner. The clouds even parted as we arrived, after a misty, moisty day otherwise. I almost expected to hear angelic voices from the bluing skies! Nearly as much a miracle, greeting us once parked was Kevin Kepner, the very first patent attorney I had, WAAAY back when I was just starting out. He had then gone to work for Xerox (in Rochester near Fairport) and we had not seen each other since, oh, maybe 1989 or so! The Great Race brings out the best people as well as the best IN people! What a fine surprise!

Kevin Kepner with Bender, in Fairport

Tomorrow is an early-up day for us as we’re given the #1 spot in the order as we come into our hometown. Look out, Troy, here we come!