Team Bloomfield Cruisers to Participate in The Great Race

Gentlemen, start your engines!

Five members of the Bloomfield Cruisers are set to participate in one of the nation’s most prestigious vintage automobile road rallies, the 2024 Hemmings Motor News Great Race. The participants include Carlos Pomares as driver and Steven Martino as navigator, along with Dan Bitecola , Wayne Riedl and Michael Sceurman as support team members.

The team will use Martino's 1931 Ford Model A Victoria with Pomares as driver and with Martino serving as navigator. Bitecola, Riedl, and Sceurman will drive nearby in the team's support truck lending logistical assistance on the 2,300+ mile endurance challenge.

What is The Great Race?

No, it isn't Cannonball Run! The Great Race is a time, speed, endurance rally, open to cars built before 1974. Tom McRae and Norm Miller organized the first Great Race, back in 1983. They worked hard to promote the event and turned it into one of the greatest automotive events of all time. The goal isn't to get to the finish line first, but to precisely finish each checkpoint in a pre-determined amount of time. Each vehicle has a driver and a navigator, and the team uses a calibrated speedometer to make sure they stay on schedule, according to the day's route. They are scored at secret check points along the way and are penalized one second for each second either early or late. As in golf, the lowest score wins. Cars built in 1974 and earlier are eligible, with most entries having been manufactured before World War II.

Gardiner, Maine or Bust!

This year's race, presented by Hagerty Drivers Club, will start in Owensboro, KY on Saturday, June 22, and finish in Gardiner, ME, on Sunday, June 30. The 9-day, 2,300-mile adventure will bring 150 of the world’s finest antique automobiles to 17 cities in Kentucky, Indianapolis, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. More than $150,000 will be awarded to top finishers in multiple divisions.

Team Bloomfield Cruisers will be in Car #145 (not the same # as our last competition in 2022). Be sure to follow us on social media for plenty of updates on Facebook and IG @GreatRaceCar145

Although the Great Race will not pass through New Jersey, we will have a lunch pit stop in Montgomery, NY - a mere 66 miles or so straight up the NYS Thruway! It's a great opportunity to cheer your hometown team and see all the glory of the Great Race!

About Team Bloomfield Cruiser's Competition Car

In 2022, Team Bloomfield Cruisers used Carlos Pomares' 1972 Chevrolet Corvette. Now with some experience under our belt, we have decided to go with Steve Martino's 1931 Ford Model A Victoria for our 2024 competition. It's a beauty of a car but untested by us so there's plenty going on to get her race-ready: new radiator, new overdrive transmission, new tires and 2 spares, new brakes, new kingpins, battery box, the addition of turn-signals and brighter brake lights for improved visibility, new wipers (especially on the passenger side as it didn't come with one), and carb work. We will have new front seats and may just remove the back seat for the competition so we can pack the car with tools and spare parts. We are feeling good about the upgrades and will test the car at the Northeast Rally Club's Pumpkin Run in Delaware in May 2024 so we can use the experience to dial in the car for the Great Race. We will be assigned #74 for the Pumpkin Run but our car number for the Great Race will change to #145.

How did we do in 2022?

We crossed the finish line in Fargo! And no bust! That alone was a big win. We experienced only 1 breakdown - which was a busted fuel line repaired before we began competition so, essentially, we never missed a beat. (Though Dan did take a gas bath while fixing).
Our final standings for the entire 2022 Great Race:

- 8th place in Rookie Class (from a pool of 40 cars)

- 58th Overall from field of 132 cars

- About 115 of the 132 cars completed the competition

There were roughly 750 timed instructions (a few hundred others for lunch and dinner stops).
We averaged 3/4 fuel stops daily, about 7-8 gallons per fill up.
Carlos and Steve could not have completed the Great Race without the support of our team that included Dan Bitecola, Mike Sceurman and Tommy Bandito along with the support from our families. We had a great time, learned to rally, visited new places, and made new friends!
Last and certainly not least, thanks to those back home for cheering us on and for helping us raise funds for our scholarship!

Rallying for Charity

As we did in 2022, Team Bloomfield Cruisers will use the opportunity to raise funds for the Bloomfield Cruiser’s charitable efforts, including their annual scholarship for a Bloomfield High School student attending Universal Technical Institute in town. We hope our network of friends will adopt a mile for a $1 or more, helping us raise over $2,500+ in support of our charities. The opportunity to have an experience of a lifetime while supporting our community is simply too good to pass up.

Follow Team Bloomfield

You can follow us here but the best way to keep up with the lastest information is on our social media platforms, especially during the race!

Facebook.com/bloomfieldcruisers

https://www.facebook.com/Great-Race-Car-74-112668354688338

Instagram: @greatracecar145 and @bloomfieldcruisers

Youtube: Bloomfield Cruisers channel