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GR+9: San Bernadino, CA to Santa Monica, CA

Today marked the final day of The Great Race.

We set out from San Bernadino, CA up into the mountains to begin the day. This was to be only a half day of racing with the lunch stop being our daily finish before our official grand finish at Santa Monica, CA.

The morning proved tough on many cars with steady hill climbs followed by long and winding drops. You could smell our brakes for the whole second half of the morning!

Our lunch stop was at the famous and spectacular Neathercutt Automotive Collection. This collection covered almost 100 years and encompassed the most sought after and rare automobiles from years past. We enjoyed the cars and even the wonderful assortment of music machines and orchestrals.

The Grand Salon at the Nethercutt Collection

The Grand Salon at the Nethercutt Collection

 

After lunch we set about in parade formation to the official race finish line on Santa Monica Pier.

The finish in Santa Monica

The finish in Santa Monica

Once we crossed the line, a sense of relief washed over us. We made it all the way from Kirkwood, MO.  Tallying up the odometer, we surmised that the Fairlane has covered over 3400 miles from Kanas to Missouri to California all without missing a beat. We are proud with our race and loved every minute of it.

Tonight at the awards dinner we were handed the plaque for second place. We have be fortunate to win the past two years but are still thrilled that we got to drive Route 66 and become part of the family that is The Great Race.

The team with Corky Coker

The team with Corky Coker

As we look to next year, we hope to improve our car, scores, and standings but overall have the adventure of a lifetime, just like this year.

After all, that is what The Great Race is: The adventure of a lifetime that you can do every year.

Thank you to all of our sponsors, supporters, donors, visitors along the route, and of course everyone who cheered us on over the past week at home and abroad. We greatly appreciate and love all of your support.

Best Regards,

McPherson College 2015 Great Race Team

The end of the race and Route 66

The end of the race and Route 66