The Bridgehampton Historical Society’s 27th Annual Road Rally To Include Judged Show, Parade, Historical Trivia Quiz, And More

The 27th Annual Bridgehampton Road Rally is scheduled for Saturday, October 5, 2019. This event celebrates Bridgehampton’s racing heritage. Back in the day, when the racetrack in Bridgehampton had the latest, fastest, and costliest sports cars tooling around the track the drivers loved their driving day out on the East End. The Rally captures that spirit.

Lynnette Pintauro, the Administrator of the Bridgehampton Museum, who sponsors the event, explained that cars built in 1969 and earlier are eligible and newer vintages will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Ms. Pintauro noted, “We usually have 25 to 30 cars enter – sometimes as many as 50!”

This year’s Rally will include four other components: a judged show, a parade, a historic trivia quest, and a special timed component. The Rally route will be approximately 60 miles and will include four stops to collect poker cards and stops for historic trivia sites. The route should take about three hours to complete. 1969 and newer cars will begin leaving the Corwith grounds at noon, with the older vintages following at 12:30 p.m.

In the morning, judges will evaluate each registered rally car. Prizes will be awarded in the afternoon, after the Rally.

At 11 a.m., rallyists will be led around the 1949-1953 four-mile race loop for the parade portion and then return to the Corwith House grounds to line up for the start of the Rally.

The Rally Route will once again include stops at historic sites, most of which will require the driver and/or navigator to get out and explore the property in order to find the answer to a trivia question. As one of last year’s participants put it, “The trivia stops got us to go places that we had never been to before, which we enjoyed.”

This year there will also be a prize for the car that returns to the Museum closest to the official projected Rally time, as pre-determined by the Rally Committee. Teams must obey all traffic regulations while making allowances for lunch, “pit stops,” poker stops, and trivia stops.

Refreshments will be served after the Rally while all results are being tallied, followed by an awards ceremony.

Ms. Pintauro was able to recall some her favorite cars in the event over the years noting, “Last year we had a 1932 Pierce Arrow Sport Phantom, 1932 Ford Coupe, 1951 MG-TD,1962 Chevy Corvette,1952 MG-TA, 1962 Austin Healy, 1968 Shelby Ford Mustang, and so many other wonderful cars including a beautiful Aston Martin.”

When I asked Ms. Pintauro what is her fondest recollections of the Rally’s of the past, her answer was filled with excitement. “When we announce the winners. Especially the winner of the trivia contest and when they win or get best in show!”

The Rally entry fee is $125 and the Tour entry fee is $100. The Rally & Tour will occur rain or shine.

To enjoy the Rally, Ms. Pintauro suggests you make sure your car is in good running order, dress for the weather, and bring along a cell phone. Rally participants must submit copies of their driver’s license, car registration and insurance certificate, as well as a release signed by the driver on behalf of the driver and all passengers.

Coffees, bagels and pastries will be available during morning registration, as well as tote bags with the Rally Route, lunch for Rally drivers & navigators, and other surprise paraphernalia.

Please contact the Bridgehampton Museum at 631-537-1088, or [email protected] with additional questions or to inquire about the eligibility of a Post 1969 vehicle.

Gates Open To Rally Autos 9 a.m. Gates Open to the Public 10 a.m.

For more information, visit bhmuseum.org.