116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Classic cars making Great Race stop in Cedar Rapids
CEDAR RAPIDS — Saturday marks a homecoming of sorts for classic car enthusiast John Williams.
The Shueyville resident is among those taking part in an annual event called The Great Race, a 2,400-mile trek across the United States roughly following the historic Lincoln Highway, one of America's first transcontinental roadways.
This year's race — featuring automobiles built in or before 1972 — Started June 18 in San Rafael, California, north of San Francisco. The race ends Sunday in Moline, Illinois.
On Saturday, the 120 vintage vehicles taking part make a stop in Cedar Rapids.
Williams is racing in a 1936 Railton Hudson Boattailed Speedster he has dubbed 'The Flying Welshman.'
Beginning at 5:35 p.m., race vehicles are to begin cruising onto the 3rd Avenue Bridge in downtown Cedar Rapids, where they'll be on hand for a couple hours. Organizers said the public is invited to stop down, take a look, talk with the owners and even sit behind the wheel of some of the vehicles. The event is free. Part of the 3rd Avenue Bridge is to be closed to traffic from noon to 9 p.m. for the event.
After an overnight stay, racers are to travel to Walcott on Sunday for lunch before heading to the finish line in Moline.
Sponsored by Hemmings Motor News, the Great Race is not a speed race. Rather, participants follow instructions on how to get from the start to finish of each leg of the race. They are not allowed to use any type of map along the way and are penalized for every second they are early or late to each checkpoint. The winner is to receive a $50,000 grand prize.
This year's race is taking participants through California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois.
For more information, visit www.greatrace.com.
John Williams of Shueyville (right) sits in his 1936 Railton Hudson Boattailed Speedster, nicknamed 'The Flying Welshman,' which he and his friends Steve Pifer of Cedar Rapids (left) and Dave Groman (not pictured) restored for the Great American Race on Sunday, June 5, 2016. The race will stop in Cedar Rapids on Saturday evening, and participants will be parked on the Third Avenue bridge beginning at 5:15 p.m. for two hours, during which the public is invited to view the cars and talk with drivers. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
John Williams of Shueyville (left) and Steve Pifer of Cedar Rapids (right) work on Williams' 1936 Railton Hudson Boattailed Speedster, nicknamed 'The Flying Welshman' on Sunday, June 5, 2016. Williams and his son, Ian Williams, are driving the car in this year's Great American Race, an annual time trial road race that traverses 2,000+ miles from California to Illinois, that boasts a $50,000 prize from a total $150,000 purse. Cars older than model year 1972 are eligible to enter and drivers follow precise directions to get from checkpoint to checkpoint, rather than relying on GPS, which is not allowed on the race. This year's Great American Race participants will stop in Cedar Rapids on the Third Avenue bridge on Saturday starting at 5:15 p.m. for two hours. Viewing is free to the public and spectators will be able to visit with the participants while the cars are parked on the bridge. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
John Williams of Shueyville (right) and Steve Pifer of Cedar Rapids (left) work on Williams' 1936 Railton Hudson Boattailed Speedster, nicknamed 'The Flying Welshman,' in Williams' garage on Sunday, June 5, 2016. Williams and his son, Ian, are driving the car in this year's Great American Race, an annual time trial road race that traverses 2,000+ miles from California to Illinois, that boasts a $50,000 prize from a total $150,000 purse. Cars older than model year 1972 are eligible to enter and drivers follow precise directions to get from checkpoint to checkpoint, rather than relying on GPS, which is not allowed on the race. This year's Great American Race participants will stop in Cedar Rapids on the Third Avenue bridge on Saturday starting at 5:15 p.m. at one-minute intervals for two hours. Viewing is free to the public and spectators will be able to visit with the participants while the cars are parked on the bridge. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
Car club medals from the United Kingdom adorn the grill of John Williams' 1936 Railton Hudson Boattailed Speedster, nicknamed 'The Flying Welshman,' on Sunday, June 5, 2016. The car was a one-off model ordered by F.C. Melitus of England in 1937. It changed hands several times in the U.K. until it was brought to the United States by a friend of Williams, who later acquired for $6,000 it in an auction. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
The original British license plate (top) of John Williams' 1936 Railton Hudson Boattailed Speedster, nicknamed 'The Flying Welshman,' is shown in his garage on Sunday, June 5, 2016. Williams says British cars are identified by their plates, which remain with the vehicle for its entire life. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
The dashboard of John Williams' 1936 Railton Hudson Boattailed Speedster, nicknamed 'The Flying Welshman,' is shown on Sunday, June 5, 2016. Only a Great Race-approved speedometer may be used during the race, and the odometer must be removed or covered, as the race pits drivers against each other in a test of their navigational precision and speed. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
John Williams of Shueyville works on his 1936 Railton Hudson Boattailed Speedster, nicknamed 'The Flying Welshman' at his farm on Sunday, June 5, 2016. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
A pages-long to-do list sits on a work bench in John Williams' garage at his farm on Sunday, June 5, 2016. Williams and his son are driving a one-off 1936 Railton Hudson Boattailed Speedster, nicknamed 'The Flying Welshman,' in the Great American Race, which makes an overnight stop in Cedar Rapids on Saturday, June 25 on the Third Avenue Bridge beginning at 5:15 p.m. for two hours. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
A Cedar Rapids Gazette article that appeared in 1984 showing the members of the 1984 Great American Race team and John Williams' 1936 Railton Hudson Boattailed Speedster, nicknamed 'The Flying Welshman,' is shown on Sunday, June 5, 2016. The group of longtime friends and mechanical enthusiasts refinished the one-of-a-kind speedster for that race and have again restored the vehicle for this year's race. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
A 1938 photo shows John Williams' 1936 Railton Hudson Boattailed Speedster, nicknamed 'The Flying Welshman,' in its original condition on Sunday, June 5, 2016. The car was a one-off model ordered by F.C. Melitus of England in 1937. It changed hands several times in the U.K. until it was brought to the United States by a friend of Williams, who later acquired for $6,000 it in an auction. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
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