Father and son win The Great Race after 9 days of rallying

After nine days of rallying from St. Augustine, Florida, to Colorado Springs, Colorado, The Great Race has announced it’s 2023 winners—and it’s a team that knows what the top of the podium feels like. The father-son duo of Howard and Doug Sharp drove their 1916 Hudson artfully for over 2000 miles to a final score that put them in first place, just 7 seconds ahead of their closest competition.

The Great Race left St Augustine on June 24 and participants followed very specific, but also mildly cryptic directions, that pitted drivers and navigators against the challenge of driving pre-1972 cars thousands of miles consistently and without breakdowns or other issues. Held since the 1980s, the Great Race is occasionally a war of attrition, but this year’s event had nearly all of the regular contenders for the grand championship in close contention up until the last two days of rallying. These days are called “championship days” and often involve more complicated maneuvers for drivers and navigators to negotiate, and they also limit the teams’ ability to dismiss a bad score like during the earlier days of the rally.

The Sharps have become a near dynasty of The Great Race in their red 1916 Hudson. They’ve driven other cars in the past, but they seem to circle back to the Hudson and its dependable and powerful inline-six engine. The two also forgo any real protection from the elements, which is a challenge not all participants are willing to tolerate.

Reports from a few drivers indicate this year’s route was tough for both driver and navigator before mixing in the problems of weather and vehicle temperament. That could explain the tight race that found previous Grand Champions Olivia and Genna Gentry just out of reach of the top step of the podium and unable to repeat their 2021 victory. Car troubles found last year’s winners, Josh Hull and Trevor Stahl, at the most inopportune time and forced them to limp to the finish line on the final day after being unable to finish the course on day eight.

The challenges were big this year, and that’s part of why the Sharps will be taking home a $50,000 check for their efforts. While we weren’t there at each step, we’re comfortable in saying they earned it, considering how close the competition was this year. If you think you have what it takes to compete with these masters of driving and navigation, be sure to sign up on the waiting list for the 2024 Great Race.