Day 1 - February 12, 1908 Then and Now…
It was a crisp cold day that marked the first of the 169 to follow, most with conditions much less forgiving! George Schuster recalled that day like it was yesterday, for an audience comprised of his great grandchildren. Even then (though still in my teens), I knew I was hearing something very special. HISTORY from the man who had actually lived it, over a half century before.
In the coming months I will take you through those 169 days to Paris , giving you a better sense of what it was like to be in the driver’s seat of the winning Buffalo built Thomas Flyer. We will also explore the events of the Century since, looking at what happened to both the Flyer and its intrepid driver George Schuster Sr.
Some of the unfolding story will be in the “first person”, told in the words “Great Gramp” used to describe the saga to me as a young man. I think you will find it compelling with doses of drama, humor, courage, fear and yes, even a bit of romance along the way.
You will note photos in the right panel, and we will be adding to those as we go along. There will be no particular posting schedule, and for that reason I would suggest adding the RSS feed to notify you of updates. Most browsers support this function, and provide technical help on how to easily add these convenient automated notifications.
If you would like to comment, there is a provision for that as well. We do appreciate your patience if you have a question. Some questions will be answered collectively, while others may be held as they will be answered as the story progresses. I invite you to also visit www.TheGreatAutoRace.com for additional details.
I hope you enjoy the adventure to follow, as well as how it all forms the historic foundation for GREAT RACE 2008 New York to Paris, to be held May 30 - August 2, 2008. I also hope to see you all there!
Copyright © 2007 Jeff Mahl - All Rights Reserved