Photo courtesy of the Cranberry Eagle: https://www.cranberryeagle.com/2023/06/07/the-chase-for-the-inaugural-concord-cup-begins-at-bantam/

UPDATE II: On June 11th, eight different teams launched the race for the inaugural Concord Cup. One of the cool features employed is the map, which allows folks to follow racers: https://www.followmychallenge.com/live/epicwillysadventure/ . It also includes a REPLAY feature which allows viewers to revisit the race for all the days.

I was finally able to find some pics of the finish on Facebook, which shows two jeeps crossing the finishing line, one after the other:

The winner was “Rusty Trombone” with Adam and Steve. Close behind, coming in second(?) looks to be “Roos Racer” with Scott and Joe.

You can see more photos here: https://www.facebook.com/EpicWillysAdventure/photos

It sounds like the event went well and those participants who did report on FB seemed to be having fun. When I saw reports on Facebook, I republished them on eWillys FB when I could. However, as a casual viewer, my tiny critique was the difficulty of figuring out what was happening, who was ahead and, even, who won (eventually I tracked down the info on FB). Timd32 had a similar sentiment when he wrote on OWF: “From what I can piece together on FB, Instagram and the sort they are doing awesome”. 

Having done many travelogues over an eight year period, trust me that I GET the challenge! It is hard and time consuming to be a participant, then have post-drive fraternization, and also update readers with progress updates (my late nights-into-early-mornings in motel rooms with crappy wifi along the Alaska Highway attest to that fact), along with context for those readers who might, for example, not be aware of the event until day 3. In fact, when on the road with Ann, we tried to stop by 5pm so I could write updates (that would take hours), which is why we did little to nothing in the evenings (thankfully, Ann was usually worn out by then).

The only answer I can think of is a dedicated reporter along the way with a dedicated location for updates accessible to all, probably to a website (a surprising number of people still don’t use FB). Myself, I don’t use Instagram or TikTok.

Again, that’s just a little critique. I’m glad to hear participants had fun and that the race was deemed a success. Based on the Bantam Festival’s post, they’d like to see the event held again.

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UPDATE Posted Nov 9, 2022: Check on out this recent video that shares more information about this year’s Concord Cup.

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Initially published June 22, 2022:

The 2023 Epic Willys Adventure 4 was announced at this year’s Bantam Festival. This time, there will be new twists to the event, including turning it into more of a competition or rally. Text from the video post:

“@mrmaxbilt and @jonahmhodgkins laying out the details for EWA 4! Pseudo live. June of 2023 we will depart from @bantamjeepfest on a 2000 mile adventure up through New England in 40s-60s period correct Willys Jeeps! New twist this trip, it’s a race! A challenge. A rally. Each day, each rig, it’s driver and co-pilot will be timed from stop to stop, with an array of challenges to complete. All while keeping their Willys running and rolling. Best time overall at the end wins the coveted Concord Cup!

Applications to compete will open this fall and all the rules, regulations, and stipulations will be announced later this summer. Follow Epic Willys Adventure here on IG, on FB, and at epicwillysadventure.com for updates!”

Here’s the video: https://www.facebook.com/EpicWillysAdventure/videos/710182950204126/?_rdr

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpicWillysAdventure/
Website: https://www.epicwillysadventure.com

A big thanks to Tom for buying me a Willys Rally shirt while attending the Hueston Woods event, along with a few other swaggy items. He even picked up a set of gardening gloves so Ann wouldn’t feel left out (turns out she needed a set of gloves, so that worked out great!).

It sounds like this year’s Rally was well attended, with more jeeps than ever. Here’s a message from Rick about the event:

“The Willys Jeep Rally for 2023 was a great success. Mike Mee did a splendid job of overseeing the event. Barb and Bill Marshal were well organized and had plenty of help so they could enjoy the show.

Mary Kindburg prepared a delicious picnic on Friday evening with pulled pork and turkey sandwiches and loads of fruits and vegetables. Both trail rides had large numbers, and nobody broke down!

There were more Jeeps than ever involved in the demonstrations, and we even had a plow champion who showed the boys how a professional does the job. All the demonstrations had larger attendances than ever.

The weather all weekend was gorgeous with high heat but low humidity. We had about 10 vendors with the Jeepster Man joining us with large donations of gift certificates and merchandise. The banquet food was delicious as usual. Barney’s presentation was a story of his journey from his first Jeep to where he stands now. I think everyone could share in some of Barney’s insights and memories.

We are already planning for the 2024 Willys Jeep Rally. Hope to see everyone at Hueston Woods next year.”

This weekend is the Great Willys Picnic (in Kempton, PA) and Bantam Fest (in Butler, PA).

The Willys Rally kicked off yesterday with beautiful, but hot weather, or so I am told. Tom sent me a some pics, followed by Roger Martin, who wore out his camera taking pics, so thanks to you both! So, there’s lots to look at. One highlight captured by both kind gentleman included a four-seat empire tractor, which looks really well done.

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