2008 Spring Euro Car Cruise
To benefit
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society
First let me start by introducing myself, my name is Jim Johnston, and I am from Bourbonnais Il. I have been a car nut all my life but, I was never really able to enjoy my car other than driving back and forth to work, until recently. This past September I was fortunate enough to purchase my 91’ M-Technic E30 convertible and have been lusting over it ever since. I first started toying with the idea of getting a group of enthusiasts together for a cruise after attending the Windy City BMW Club’s annual fall tour last October. I really enjoyed myself but, I was a little disappointed that I really could not enjoy my convertible in Wisconsin, during October, it was just too cold. This gave me the idea to have a spring cruise, something geared towards convertible owners. At first I was just going to do the drive without any of the “Rally” or “Scavenger Hunt” aspects to it. I put together a course and drove it a few times to see if the roads were any fun, they were but, in some places the course needed a little something else. I now have a cruise that spans 100 miles, travels through 8 towns, crosses two rivers, and consists of 50 questions.
This is the first time that I have attempted anything like this. I have been in several question based rallies before but have never organized an event before let alone a charity event. The course I have laid out mainly follows roads that wind along the Kankakee River. These roads are very scenic and very fun to drive. There are several spots along the route that have curves posted with 15 mph speed limit signs. I hope that the course I have drawn up will be entertaining to you.
I would also like to give you a little back ground on the Charity we will be supporting. Any monies raised by this cruise will benefit the “National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Greater Illinois Chapter”. Every year my friend Scott rides in the MS 150 Tour de Farms bike ride
http://www.msillinois.org/site/PageServer?pagename=08bikems_homepage. This year Scott has organized a cycling team to enter into this event. By forming a team Scott will be able to secure additional donations for this worthy cause. Their team page can be viewed here
http://www.msillinois.org/site/TR/Events/2008BikeMS?team_id=40710&pg=team&fr_id=1220. Ms has hit close to my family, and has had a devastating impact on Scott’s family and the families of over 400,000 individuals in the U.S. alone. Please help me help them.
If you have never done a rally like this before plan on finding a navigator that you can take instructions from. Also find someone that you can spend 3 hours in a car with. I was a bit scared when my wife and I went with the Windy City Club. I thought the directions and questions would be too much for her and that we would be ready to kill each other when the event was over. I was greatly mistaken, we both had a great time and she turned out to be one hell of a navigator. The only other items that you really need are a pen, clipboard, and a working odometer.
The basic idea behind a questioned based rally is to see how well you follow instructions and how observant you are. You will be given a set of driving instructions and in these instructions will be placed questions, mostly based off of road signs or landmarks. Each question will be worth a certain amount of points and the person with the most points will be declared the winner at the end of the rally. This rally is not based on speed you will not get extra points for finishing early. The only advantage to finishing first is you will get a better parking space than someone else. These roads are very enjoyable and fun to drive but in some cases they are narrow with blind corners that run within feet of water. Wreckless driving on these roads could lead to bad things. This event is open to all Euro cars hard or soft top. It is also open to minors with a signed parental consent form. If you have any questions I can be contacted at
saj_j3@yahoo.com• Date: Sunday May 18th
• Time: Sign in will start at noon with a drivers meeting at 12:45. The first car will leave at 1:00
• Cruise length: Around 100 miles of scenic Kankakee Valley River roads. About 3:00 hours of driving time.
• Starting Location: Wilmington IL.
• Ending Location: Bourbonnais IL. Dinner after the cruise. Winners announced during dinner.
• Dinner: I have reserved a banquet room at a local Brew House for 5:00pm. Dinner costs 17.50 per person this includes tax and tip.
• Prizes: A first through third place prize will be awarded. There will also be a raffle. One free detail package $250.00 value provided by Glitz and Gloss Auto Detailing, Two $50.00 off any detail package provide by Glitz and Gloss Auto Detailing, One $100.00 Gift Certificate provide by Modified Technologies, One men's and one women's Axcent of Scandinavia watch with a combined MSRP of $225.00 provided by Westphal Jewelers. One $50.00 Gift Certificate from PelicanParts.com, One "101 Projects for your BMW 3 Series 1982 to 2000" from PelicanParts.com. Two Dyno run certificates from P and L Motorsports of Franklin Park. More sponsors are being solicited and further information will follow.
• Entries due by: Entry Forms, Dinner Reservations and Donations will need to be in by May 3rd.
Due to limited seating at the restaraunt this event will be available to the first 75 people. Registrer early.• What to bring: Clipboard, Pens, Navigator, and minors need parental consent form
• Fees: $20.00 donation per car that will benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Greater Illinois Chapter
• Payments: Checks, Money Orders, and some Pay-Pal Transactions. Contact me at
saj_j3@yahoo.com for information on Pay-Pal transactions.
• Legal: yes there will be forms to sign so show up early. Minors will need a signed form prior to arriving to the event.
• Weather: This will be a rain or shine event.
• Forms:
Forms can be found as an attachment at the bottom of this post or E-mail me at saj_j3@yahoo.comSponsors
Westphal Jewelers407 W Broadway St.
Bradley IL 60915
(815) 939-7441
watch info can be found here
http://www.axcent.se/ 
