Great Race 2008

May 30 - August 2, 2008
New York City to Paris, France.

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Great Race, 1908 - 2008!

ABOUT GREAT RACE SPORTS, INC.

For 25 years, Great Race Sports, Inc., the race organizer, and its predecessors have delivered free family entertainment and community events in more than 900 cities reaching more than 200 million people in North America. Its participants have logged more than 9 million competitive miles and been awarded $6 million in prize money, making Great Race the richest and longest-running motorsports competition for classic cars. Great Race Sports is focused on bringing exciting vintage automotive events to consumers internationally. The company includes a number of prominent business executives including Jack Roush, one of NASCAR’s leading team owners, and Corky Coker, chief executive of Coker Tire Co. Coker and co-driver Greg Cunningham, a former Great Race Grand Champion, have entered the 1910 Nyberg Indy race car in Great Race 2008.

November 20, 2007
On Feb. 12, 1908, a crowd of 250,000 onlookers gathered in New York City’s Times Square to watch as six automobiles began what was called “the toughest race ever devised”.

Teams from three countries fought poor roads and harsh weather as they spent five months racing across North America, Asia and Europe, finishing in Paris, France.

The 100th anniversary of the 1908 New York to- Paris “Great Race”, one of the most remarkable automotive adventures of the 20th century will be celebrated with the Great Race 2008, starting May 30, 2008, in New York City with a scheduled end Aug. 2, 2008, at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

The Great race 2008 will span almost 22,000 miles (35,000 kilometers) in 65 days across North America, Asia and Europe including 12,231 miles (19,677 km) on land and about 9,700 miles (15,300 km) in flight from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to Shanghai, People’s Republic of China.

More than 30 motor vehicles – most of them vintage cars but some in the Innovation Class, reflecting concerns about global warming and uncertain worldwide gasoline supplies, some of the participants will use renewable fuels.

Starting in New York City, the rigorous route heads northwest through New York State to the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Ontario, and then across Canada to an arrival in Vancouver on June 13, 2008. The trip from Vancouver, B.C. to Shanghai, China will be on Boeing 747s,

On June 20 the long Asian journey starts, going past the Great Wall of China, into Kazakhstan and then alongside the Trans-Siberian Railroad through Russia, arriving in Moscow July 16 and St. Petersburg July 18. Then it's on to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland and Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland and finally to the scheduled arrival in Paris, on Aug. 2, 2008.

Regional Rallies

For those who would like to participate, but ccan't make the whole race, there are three "Regional rallies" Those routes are from New York to Vancouver, Shanghai to Wulumuqi in western China, and Berlin to Paris. The regional entries Great Race 2008: New York to Paris will travel along with the New York-Paris entries.

2008 Great Race

The 2008 event, while commemorating the 1908 adventure, will not be an exact re-run. Instead of crossing the United States as in 1908, the 2008 event will be routed mostly across Canada.

Nearly 20 teams have entered the separate class for vintage vehicles (more than 25 years old). The oldest entry, is a 1904 Thomas Flyer. In 1908, a 1907 Thomas Flyer, the only American entry, was declared the winner.

The Great Race 2008 already has seven vehicles tentatively lined up using renewable fuels. According to Bill Ewing, chief executive officer of Great Race Sports, Inc., organizer of the event, “The original New York-to-Paris race proved the internal combustion engine was a practical solution to long-distance travel. This time we’ll add momentum to the auto industry’s campaign to push renewable fuels.”

An early list of Great Race 2008 entries reveals it has attracted teams from nine countries, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ireland, Mexico, Portugal, Poland and the United States. Among the renewable-fuel participants are a Ford prototype and 2008 Volkswagen Passat, as well as a 2007 Buell Ulysses motorcycle and 1967 Aston-Martin running on ethanol-85. Besides the 1904 Thomas Flyer, Schuster Class entries include vintage Fords, Cadillacs and Mercedes, a 1910 Nyberg Indy Racer, 1916 Hudson, 1927 Jordan and 1951 MG-TD.

The full field won’t be announced until after the Dec. 31 deadline.

For The Great Race 2008, private teams, manufacturers and educational institutions from any country are welcome to apply to compete in the Innovation Class or Schuster Class.

More information regarding entry fees and eligibility is available by logging on to www.greatrace.com.

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