It had been nine years since we held a Clue-inspired GTA rally in the Texas Region, so it was time to return to this format. Rallymaster Liz Witt carefully crafted this year’s Whodunit? Clue Rally along scenic North Texas country roads. Liz explained, “You answer fun questions from signs you see along the way. We use puns and silly plays on words. While on your journey, you will also solve a murder mystery. A foul act has been committed. Your job is to figure out who did it, with what weapon, and where. Patterned after the Clue Game, you will hunt down the culprit.”
This event was a charity rally benefiting Scottish Rite for Children, one of the nation’s leading pediatric orthopedic centers, and honoring Sasha Lanz, long-time former leader of our RoadRally program. A bit of history: Sasha Lanz was instrumental in building a successful RoadRally program in the SCCA Texas Region and leading it for many years. One of his favorite events was the Children’s Book Run. Entrants were asked to donate two children’s books, which were gathered at check-in on Rally Day. This year, we collected 140 books, thanks to a very generous field of competitors!
Putting on a road rally with a paper-thin organizer team is a familiar challenge to many Regions, including our Texas Region. The challenge suddenly became even bigger when our Rallymaster Liz tested positive for COVID the afternoon before Rally Day! Fortunately, with several rallyists jumping in to assist with check-in, lead-car, scoring, and logistics, we could pull it off while retaining our sanity.
Bull encounter on Texas rally roads.
Contestants started from El Fenix Mexican Restaurant in McKinney, who generously hosted our check-in as they had done for several of our rallies. Teams followed the ±85-mile rally course over scenic roads in Collin County, searching for answers to 110+ questions from sign content. Along the way, a few contestants encountered a longhorn, perhaps a fan of the University of Texas, which was playing at that same time. All in a day’s work on a Texas rally! Twenty-one vehicles completed the rally, ending back at El Fenix. We enjoyed tasty food and camaraderie there, followed by results and awards. We had four minors among the teams, three of whom were not yet in their teens. Great family experience that I hope leads to a new generation of rallyists.
Kudos to the first overall team: Anna and Pearson!
Awards were given to the highest scores in each entrant class. Congratulations to the winners and to all sharp-eyed contestants and accomplished sleuths! The team of Anna Bixby and Pearson Stewart took home First Place honors in the General Class and Overall. An impressive second Overall and First in First Timer class went to the Tim and Jan Roberts team, while Tom and Janis Martin were First in the Novice class. Full results are displayed below. At the rally, we had three car marque teams (at least 3 cars present): Mazda, Toyota, and Subaru. This time, team Toyota came ahead, followed by Mazda and Subaru. And for anyone wondering Whodunit? It was Mr. Connelly, in the Library, with a Candlestick.
All in all, it was a fun and successful Rally Day, and all for a good cause. Thanks to John and Phyliss Camp for their safety check and pre-check work, which helped make this possible.
What ralliers said…
“Kendra and I had a blast. We will for sure see you on the next one.”
“I wanted to let you know how much Kay and I enjoyed the Whodunit rally.”
John Poulos – Rally Chair and SCCA Texas Region ARE for RoadRally
