Trine students successful in second year of Great Race

Two Trine University students returned to a competition that sees classic cars make their way across the country, with one student’s team winning its division.

Gavin Swift, an accounting major from Auburn, Indiana, and Connor Miller, a design engineering technology major from Warren, Indiana, competed June 24 through July 2 in the Hemmings Motor News Great Race.

The pair were part of teams sponsored by the National Auto and Truck Museum (NATMUS) and the Early Ford V-8 Museum, both in Auburn.

Both served with cars they had operated in the 2022 Great Race: Connor was part of the 1948 Ford 2 Door Business Coupe team, while Gavin’s team drove a 1941 Ford Super Deluxe Sedan.

Gavin said there were no changes to the cars this year other than brake and suspension work before the race.

The race covered about 2,400 miles from St. Augustine, Florida, to Colorado Springs, Colorado. The 1948 Coupe won first place in the X-Cup Division, for ages 21 and under.

Learning from experience

Held annually since 1983, the Great Race is not a race in the sense that the fastest time wins. Instead, teams must follow a detailed course, much of it through scenic local and state highways, and arrive at checkpoints as close as possible to the exact time specified.

Teams are given the course, which typically includes more than 200 instructions, at the beginning of each day. The race tests the ability of drivers and navigators to follow instructions, and the endurance of their vehicles.

Gavin said he and Connor took on additional leadership roles to try to recruit new youth members into the program. Connor said he mentored one of his team members who had not previously been part of the Great Race.

“I was primarily a navigator this year, although the class we competed in required us to switch positions,” Connor said.

Both teams benefitted from the experience Gavin and Connor gained in last year’s race.

“The biggest thing I learned from last year was to listen to other people on the race and just be willing to ask questions, because nine times out of 10 they are willing to offer advice,” Connor said.

“During last year's race we learned some navigation techniques from other racers that we were able to fine tune this year,” Gavin said. “We also knew our cars better than last year, so we were able to predict, prevent or diagnose problems faster.”

Overcoming the heat

With more of the race held in the South this year and much of the region experiencing above-average temperatures, the teams had to make adjustments to keep their cars from overheating.

“With the heat we had problems with vapor lock, which is where the fuel will boil before it can be burnt in the engine,” Connor said. “This causes the car to not run well, at best, or not run at all. To fix this problem, we took the hood off, which allowed more air flow to cool the fuel.”

The 1941 Sedan was hampered when its fuel pump failed, leaving the car unable to finish one day of the race. Despite that setback, the team replaced the fuel pump overnight to race again the next day.

They finished the overall event several minutes ahead of last year.

“Both cars improved immensely compared to last year,” Gavin said.

The 1948 Coupe joined an entry from the Old Cranks Motorcar Museum in Galax, Virginia, at the finish line for the reveal as to which car scored the best in its class. The Coupe was crowned the winner.

“That moment was my favorite from the trip,” Connor said.

The Coupe finished 28^th overall in addition to first place in the X-Cup division.

“We felt we were competitive against not just X-Cup racers, but all racers,” Connor said.

Connor and Gavin have been grateful for the continued community support for the Great Race entries.

“It’s been amazing to see,” Connor said.