Rallye to Reno Update

Hello Rallye to Reno enthusiasts! I appreciate everyone’s interest, enthusiasm, and patience regarding the planning of this Rallye. What started out a discussion between Dave and myself of “How are we gonna get to Reno?” has now turned into a worldwide participation of potentially 250 MG cars crossing the United States together! You are spread across 36 US States, four Canadian Provinces, and five countries outside North America.

Dave and I began by gathering information on who would be interested in such a crossing, and then attempted to layout the best plan for traveling reasonable distances each day. But as the interest level grew, we found that some of the smaller towns could not offer the necessary accommodations. So, it took us a while to adjust, and while that was happening, we began getting noticed by companies interested in sponsoring different aspects of the event, such as Victoria British hosting a dinner at their location. While this was wonderful and exactly what we were looking for, it once again required a hotel change so that we could be near Lenexa, KS. We were just about to release the list of hotels several weeks ago, when Dodge City contacted us, thanks to a local MG enthusiast. Dodge City offered a great package for our participants. So, once again we made a hotel change, as it will make for a great evening stop now.

So, this is a long way of saying, we apologize for causing any unrest by not publishing the hotel list sooner. But we really wanted to get it right. And, we’ve finally got a great list and some great happenings for almost every evening! The complete hotel list went out this morning, via e-mail to everyone who has registered for the Rallye to Reno. If you have not registered yet, I encourage you to do so, as the primary hotels may fill up quickly. In most cases, we do have alternate hotels selected, but the fun is really in staying with the main group. Plus, some (not all) of the hotels will be offering comp rooms for “x” amount booked. So, the more rooms we book, the more comp rooms we will have to give out randomly, or maybe to the winner of “the question of the day,” or maybe the hard luck story of the day…but none of us will have any of those stories, right???

As to the mileage per day, most days are around 300 miles. There are two days of about 400 miles. This will be a “take it at your own pace” type of event. If you drive slow, or plan on making a lot of stops, simply leave a little early each morning.

Moss Motors has stepped up to be a major sponsor of this event, by offering a special Rallye plate, and other amenities. Moss will also be sending spare parts, so that we will have much of what we need, there with us as we travel! There’re also offering a special discount on purchase of parts PRIOR to the start of the event, for all MG2011 registrants!!!

The Hoosier MGA Club has offered to set-up a refreshment (and possibly lunch) stop as we pass through a small town in Indiana. This is so cool! How about your club hosting a stop as we pass through your neighborhood?

St. Louis is shaping up to be a great stop too, especially with the display of cars below the arch, and aerial photography to commemorate the special occasion.

As I mentioned, Victoria British is hosting a complimentary BBQ dinner, and providing T-shirts and goody bags to all R2R participants.

And Dodge City is rolling out the red carpet….or tumbleweeds as the case may be….for us to have special guarded parking while we enjoy what promises to be a great evening, western style!

North American Classic MG magazine is hosting a reception in Grand Junction especially for us! Hagerty has stepped up to provide what I call, “A get out of jail free card,” to provide extended towing insurance for our participants. And the list continues to grow!!!

I just returned from a planning trip in Reno. Thanks to the MG Council and Reno Department of Tourism, we’re now developing a grand entrance as we arrive in Reno that Sunday afternoon. This should be spectacular!

Lastly, there were questions about the leg AFTER Reno. For those interested, the Rallye will resume on Friday morning, June 17th and head back to Route 50 and on to Sacramento, where Route 50 officially ends, and on to San Francisco, making it a true cross-country trip for many.

Anyone is invited to join us for any part of this cross-country drive. If you would like to register, it’s only $35, and entitles you to all of the above amenities, plus signage for your car, and a whole lot more.

Registration is available at the Rallye to Reno website.

So, as you can see, the Rallye to Reno has required a considerable amount of planning to get it to this point. Dave & I sincerely appreciate your patience and support. We hope that this proves to become the MG trip of a lifetime. We look forward to creating some great memories together this summer, as the Rallye to Reno takes us to the Greatest little MG show in the world….MG2011.

See you on the road!
Bruce Woodson

Final Schedule
Ocean City, MD – Saturday, June 4
Winchester, VA – Sunday, June 5
Cincinnati, OH – Monday, June 6
St. Louis, MO – Tuesday, June 7
Kansas City, KS – Wednesday, June 8
Dodge City, KS – Thursday, June 9
Cañon City, CO – Friday, June 10
Grand Junction, CO – Saturday, June 11
Ely, NV – Sunday, June 12
Reno, NV – June 13 to 16
Reno, NV – Friday, June 17
San Francisco, CA – Saturday, June 18
San Francisco, CA – Sunday, June 19