“In 0.54 miles turn right at the stop sign for Rt.23 follow County A directions to continue on A (get left quickly).”
Sounds simple, right? And it was, but not until you arrived at the location and saw what the route instructions were telling you to do. Our Rally Master, John Sutton, outdid himself this time. If you ask him, he’ll tell you the roads were too flat, not enough elevation change, or too straight, not enough curves, etc. But that’s because he’s a perfectionist and has done so many of these tours that it allows him to be particular about the route.
As part of the Chicago Region SCCA 75th Anniversary Celebration, on October 21st the Chicago Region put on a special G.O.A.T.S. (Get Out and Tour Series) event celebrating 75 Years of Momentum. For those that joined us, they had a very enjoyable day. It was sunny, a bit cool, with sixteen drivers and navigators all gathered and chomping at the bit to hit the backroads, as it were. We had a variety of cars entered, there was a Lotus Evora GT, a Viper, several Porsches, and three generations of Miatas, Corvettes, a Maserati, and a BMW 128i. It was quite a show of cars that looked impressive all lined up at the end point on Lake Street in Elkhart Lake. As mentioned earlier, we had a great route, sunny skies, and comfortable temperatures for riding in a car. The fall colors were fantastic, brilliant reds, yellows, and orange, and all the trees were full of leaves. Even as we headed north and came under some cloud cover the colors remained bright and vivid. You couldn’t have asked for more, and the drive on the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive was spectacular!
The drive took most teams about three and one-half hours to complete and ended in Elkhart Lake, WI, at Siebkens Stop Inn Tavern. The tavern is located on Lake Street at the “Hard Left” corner, part of the original 1951 and 52 Elkhart Lake racecourse, held on the town streets. This was a fitting location for an endpoint where everyone gathered for lunch and some socializing, surrounded by racing history and a tavern covered in racing memorabilia. All entrants were given a copy of the Jim Swintal print “The Hard Left” showing “John Fitch leading the 1951 Elkhart Lake street race in a Cunningham C2R entering the Hard Left at Siebkens.” Fitch was the eventual winner of that race. Also, maps of the original street race course were made available for those who wanted to take the drive and see the race course.
It was a great day, an enjoyable event, and all who made the journey had a good time. If you missed this event, there will be more. The GOATS are always looking for the next TOUR, and they are already scoping out some more backroads and searching for a great end point where everyone can gather and enjoy each other’s company. Don’t be left out; watch for the next TOUR coming in spring 2024.
