Well, it’s that time of year again. That’s right! Planning Season. Oh, you thought it was Autumn? Nope, it’s Planning Season because it’s only 5 months until the 7th Annual Missouri Endurance Rally and you have plenty of planning to do to get ready for the best event of each year. First off, you need to start planning all those Winter down-time repairs that need to get done. You’ve got to plan that parts list for Santa (or Hanukkah Harry) now or you might just end up with another tie. Next, you need to pick your partner. Picking your partner is one of the most important decisions to make. Some people go for a partner that is great at reading maps. Others, go for a partner that is a good mechanic in case there are problems. I prefer a partner whose wife can make good snacks. Another thing to keep in mind when picking your partner is the old adage “You can pick your partner and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your partner’s nose while you drive your MG down some incredible twisty Missouri backroads.” You know, Safety Fast! and all that....

I guess you may be wondering what a Missouri Endurance Rally is all about. It’s about fun. Well, that’s it. I guess this will be the end of the article. What more is there to say? What? OK, the newsletter editor just said that he needs just a little bit more than some lame jokes to justify putting this in the newsletter. So here goes The Missouri Endurance Rally is a rally where teams attempt to locate specified points, gain proof that they were there, then make it back to the starting point all while covering the least number of miles. Although, there have been several different formats in the past, this year’s rally will work in the following way. We’ll be taking off early Saturday morning March 23rd from the Hooter’s parking lot in Westport. We’ll then run a set course so we can determine your odometer accuracy (and adjust for it mathematically if necessary). Once this is completed, you’ll be given a list of 15 to 16 locations in an area that is bounded by (roughly) St Louis to around Columbia, down to the bottom of the state, and on the Eastern side bounded by Ol’ Man River. You will have until 2 a.m. that night to reach all those locations and gain proof that you were there. Proof in this case is a Polaroid picture of you or your partner in front of what is listed. Unfortunately, if you’re not back by 2 a.m., you’re disqualified. Why 2 a.m.? By getting back by 2, we are hopefully allowing teams to get some sleep before the breakfast awards ceremony at around 9ish that morning. This is a departure from previous years where we would leave later then run a full 24 hours. I’m hoping that will encourage more out of town participation since they won’t be so tired thus making the drive home a little less painful for them. I’m also hoping that by shortening the time that we might get more local teams that have never tried the rally before to try their hand at it.

To recap We take your odometer reading at the start of the rally. You pick the roads you think will get you to the specified locations in the shortest distance. Get to the location and take a picture of your partner in front of what is listed. Drive to the next one and so on. Get back to the starting point by 2 a.m. where your ending mileage will be taken. Whomever does it in the least number of miles wins. To keep things fair, we ask that no one use a computer nor use GPS. Maps only. And, of course, you must obey Missouri traffic laws (Safety Fast! again!).