By Kate Bartlett
Rick McIntosh (Lockport) and Sean Lowes (Ellicottville) have teamed up to participate in The Great Race competitive road rally this June. This 10-day event starts in Owensboro, Kentucky and ends 2300 miles later in Gardiner, Maine with several stops along the way. While this will be Rick’s 8th Great Race event, this will be Sean’s first.
So, what is The Great Race? It is a time-speed-distance road rally for antique and vintage cars on public highways. Each car/team consists of a driver and navigator who receive a set course of instructions each day. It is not a test of top speed, rather of driver/navigator ability to follow precise course instructions and the car’s ability to endure a cross-country trip.
teamed up to participate in The Great Race competitive road rally
this June. This 10-day event starts in Owensboro, Kentucky
and ends 2300 miles later in Gardiner, Maine with several stops
along the way.
The instructions indicate every turn, speed change, stop, and start that the team must make throughout the day (usually 220-250 per day). Along the course, there are 4-7 checkpoints recording the exact time the team passes. The objective is to arrive at each checkpoint at the correct time, not the fastest. The score for the team is the result of the team’s ability to follow the course instructions precisely, which is mentally demanding. It is a test of focus and consistency as well as classic car endurance. The course utilizes scenic local, county and state highways whenever possible providing an amazingly scenic route along America’s roadways.
Rick has always loved cars and up until 2012 owned MAC’s Antique Auto Parts in Lockport, one of the largest suppliers of antique, classic and vintage Ford car parts in the world. It was a natural progression with him becoming involved in car racing events and first became involved in The Great Race in 1998 when he was asked to help navigate. “This role suited my meticulous personality and fed my passion for antique cars.” Rick has participated in 20+ rallying events between The Great Race and the North East Rally Club.
Longtime friends and ski buddies, Rick and Sean talked casually about driving together in The Great Race over a beer at The Depot in Ellicottville. “What started as a joke has turned into quite the team,” says Rick. “Sean has always loved race cars and was interested in rallying. I spoke about my experience as navigator and that I was looking for a driver. One thing led to another, and here we are, ready to participate in our first Great Race together.”
The duo’s personalities complement each other, in that Rick is analytical and mathematical, and Sean takes instructions well with his laid-back personality. They recently participated in The Pumpkin Run, a three-day car race put on by the North East Rally Club in Millsboro, Delaware this past weekend in Rick’s 1930 Ford Speedster which has no roof and no doors and it built up to race standards. They came in 10th place overall and it was great practice in preparation for The Great Race.
Rick enjoys the sport of rallying and speaks to its challenges and rewards. “It’s an amazing experience that is hard to put into words,” says Rick. “It tests your endurance, patience, and ability to work as a team, in combination with unforeseen circumstances including the weather and road conditions. It’s grueling at times, but incredibly rewarding. I’ve seen some of America’s most beautiful sights on roads I never would’ve driven otherwise. ‘To Finish is to Win’ is a suiting quote, as getting to the finish line is success in and of itself.”
For more information on The Great Race visit https://www.greatrace.com/ and follow this local team on Facebook @ Team MAC’s Auto and here in The Villager. Stay tuned for a post-race update complete with their first experience together in The Great Race in coming months.