Participants in the 25th running of the Tire Rack One Lap of America cross-country driving event set a new record by raising more than $133,000 for more than a dozen charities.
During the eight-day odyssey, some 160 entrants in 71 cars covered more than 4,000 miles to benefit hospitalized, adopted and terminally ill children, amputees, transplant recipients and cancer survivors.
"Without support from Tire Rack we could not hope to provide a platform for such incredible generosity," says Brock Yates Jr., organizer of Tire Rack One Lap of America.
The biggest benefactor was the National Prostate Cancer Coalition, for which Robin Sparrow and Barry Battle of Arlington, Va., raised $60,000.
Another $73,000 was raised for numerous other organizations, including Transplant Recipients International Organization and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey, to name a few.
For the fifth year in a row, Connecticut residents Mark DaVia and Drew Wikstrom finished first in their familiar Porsche 996 Turbo. To date they have raised more than $10,000 for the Yale Women and Children's Center for Blood Disorders. The pair run in memory of DaVia's son, who in 2006 died before birth due to a blood disorder.
The Tire Rack One Lap of America is the direct descendent of Brock Yates' illicit Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash events of the early 1970s, made famous by the Cannonball Run movie starring Burt Reynolds. Today's event is completely legal and carefully managed by Yates and his family.
Complete results and a list of charities are available at www.onelapofamerica.com.
