I am posting this here because this event will be relatively close for some of you. This is an official SCCA event.

London to Paris, Arkansas that is.
The info below is taken from the Oklahoma Z Car Club website. I have not personally done this but from what I understand the roads and scenery are second to none.
Keep an eye on http://www.teamsanctuary.com/ for more details.

I have received word from Keith Wheeler, Rallymaster for the London-to-Paris Rally, that they are definitely ON for October 24 this year. NOTE CORRECTION OF DATE FROM MY ORIGINAL POST (MY BAD).

OCTOBER 24 (SATURDAY) IS THE CORRECT DATE.

A Saturday date means that you could book a room at a bed-and-breakfast (or any of the motels along I-40) for Saturday night and cruise back home on Sunday if you don't want to do a Marathon drive over and back in one day. I've done the Marathon thing from Tulsa-to-London-and-back on three occasions and found it not as exhausting as I originally feared it would be.

The drive from Tulsa to London is about three hours seat time (I-40 all the way). We left at 6:00 a.m. and were back home after the awards dinner by 10:00 p.m. If motoring over from the Oklahoma City area, I would definitely consider spending the night in Arkansas before heading back.

You could not ask for a more beautiful Autumn foliage tour than the L2P route, and the silky pavement through the Ozarks is fun driving even at legal speeds. There are plenty of breaks "for the relief of driving," and you can be as serious or as casual as you wish for the actual competition of a Time/Speed/Distance (TSD) rally. You may strive to stay exactly on time according to the prescribed speed averages, or (as my team does), just concentrate on staying on the clearly prescribed route and having a good time driving and gawking while staying "sort of" on time.

Cars entered in the past have ranged from classic "Bug-eye" Sprites and TR-3s to Mini Coopers and high-zoot Subarus with full racing graphics. Everyone has a good time at this event, even those driving the family sedan.

All you need is a street-legal car, a $25 entry fee, and a team consisting of a driver and "navigator." The navigator can be anyone over the age of 12 who can read the route instructions to you. You cannot safely read the instructions and drive at the same time. There have been several kids on L2P teams at past events.

Keith and his helpers are struggling to keep the L2P alive, so please try to participate this year. Make a day of it (or a weekend) and just have a good time bonding with the Zee or Gee on roads perfect for driving.

 

If by close, you mean at least a 4 hour drive just to get to the starting point, then sure! That does look like fun. There are some amazing roads up there.

For an event that's actually close (for those in DFW area anyway), the Texas SCCA is doing their Great Pumpkin Rally on the same day. The scenery won't be quite as great, but it should still be fun.

 

Our next rally is an old-fashioned gimmick rally from Rockwall to Paris, Texas, for the Festival of Pumpkins. No course-following problems, no unpaved roads, just a fun challenge in figuring out the rallymaster's twisted humor, so that you write down the correct signs.

The Great Pumpkin Rally will start at Starbucks, just off I30, in Rockwall, Texas. The rally will end in downtown Paris, Texas at the Festival of Pumpkins. Awards will be given at the Visitors and Convention Council Office on the downtown square.

Entry fee: $30 per car. You may register online at http://tinyurl.com/GPR09msr .

The rally course covers about 120 miles of scenic North Texas country in Rockwall, Hunt, Fannin and Lamar counties, all of which are paved. You will stay on course through the use of mileage instructions and answer questions based on observations along the route.

See the attached flyer for more information.

Please join us!

sccarally

 

I have just received word this event has been canceled for 2009 due to a prolonged illness of one of the organizers.

Hopefully this event will return next year.