The MotorCity Gumball Rally, a procession of luxury and custom cars, will travel from Detroit to New York City starting Friday on a route featuring challenges and parties along the way with a portion of proceeds donated to Animal Aid, a local charity foundation.
"Checkpoints and challenges are sprinkled into the route making the rally both a physically and mentally demanding competition," says Waseem Qureshi, president of the MotorCity Rally Club, the car enthusiast group hosting the event. "Each day the rally concludes with a unique opportunity to explore each guest city as well as an invitation to exclusive parties hosted in various upscale night life establishments."
Qureshi says the MotorCity Gumball Rally starts 7 a.m. Friday on the roof of the Greektown Hotel and Casino parking structure in downtown Detroit. The cars will be available for a public viewing. The drivers will then make their way from Greektown through several checkpoints in Ohio including a car course in Lexington, southwest of Cleveland and a car show in Youngstown nearly 130 miles away in southeast of Cleveland.
Friday evening, the cars will head to downtown Pittsburgh to compete in a scavenger hunt highlighting the city's famous attractions.
On Saturday, Qureshi says the drivers will visit the Mason-Dixon Dragway in Maryland to participate in grudge style races on closed courses. After the races, the teams head to Washington, D.C. for another scavenger hunt featuring landmarks and historical sites. The drivers will stay at the W Washington D.C. Hotel, located directly in front of historic Treasury Building.
The journey concludes Sunday with an arrival ceremony and awards show in New York’s Times Square.
Besides donating to Rochester-based Animal Aid, participating teams will donate new, unused toys for children through the Toys for Tots foundation.
