Rally Fun: The CheeseWheel 450

By Robby DeGraff

RedMaro6

Earlier in the month, I spent a Saturday driving some of the most exciting and fastest 450 miles I’ve ever driven. Currently in its 6th year, the CheeseWheel 450 Rally always attracts a wide variety of hot cars and great people, all driving across the scenic cheese state of Wisconsin, from Mantiowok on Lake Michigan all the way north to Ashland on the banks of Lake Superior. Read on…

It was an early Saturday morning as I met up at 6:15am with two other teams that participated in the 2010 Route 66 Rally back in May with me: a white modified Scion TC decked out in decals and rally equipment, and an extremely loud dark red Ford Mustang GT. I was driving my 2001 Chevrolet Camaro, representing Rally North America and Speed-Bros.com. I had had the car all loaded up with gas and rally equipment (CB Radio, radar detectors, GPS, cameras, and the useful police strobes). The three of us cruised north across the Wisconsin countryside to the rally starting line located right along the lakefront in Manitowoc.

As we pulled into the parking lot, the sun was shining amongst a variety of performance vehicles from all over Wisconsin and other states (including Iowa, Illinois, and Pennsylvania): Subaru WRXs, Mustangs, a Mitsubishi Evo and 3000GT, a fully customized Chrysler 300, a Monte Carlo, a BMW Z4, Honda Civic, Audi A4, a performance-maxed-out Toyota Yaris, and various other rides including a handful of Infiniti G35s and a Nissan 300zx from the Wisconsin Z-Crew. All together, there were around 30 cars ready to take off across some of Wisconsin’s best driving roads. The spraying of quick detailer soon followed by the placement of CheeseWheel 450 decals began, as everyone was readying themselves and their cars for the day’s tough 450-mile drive.

After a quick driver’s meeting, we all lined up in the parking lot for our police escort out of Manitowoc. Thank you to the Manitowoc Police Department for providing us with the escort and showing us the proper way to handcuff an individual! Before embarking on the rally, I decided to take the T-Tops off my car, to align myself with my friend Curt and his BMW Z4, which had been dubbed as “Team Topless.” I started my car and joined the array of other sports cars participating in the CW450 Rally, with their engines rumbling and emergency flashers flashing, we left the marina and drove along the lake towards the highway. It was quite the sight: a line of cool cars being escorted by the police, and driving together for a cause.

“Our principles go so much deeper than the surface level glace of a “social club.” We drive in memory of those who have lost the ALS battle, and in hope of those who will one day live to see a cure! We drive to help the struggling family as they sit next to the hospital bed praying that tomorrow’s surgery saves their child’s life, and to arm the doctors with the tools and medical advances to be the very best,” Aaron Guell, one of the founders of the CheeseWheel 450 Rally. explained to me. “It’s heavy stuff to deal with and my heart goes out to anyone who has been in a difficult situation like that. Our supporters all have one thing in common: they all recognize how fragile life can be. For as fortunate as we all may be the least we can do is give something back to those who truly need it most.”

Minutes later, all thirty or so of us were on the highway and flying towards Madison, Wisconsin, our first stop of the day. After driving along with the three other members of the Rally North America crew, I decided to pick up the pace and move towards the front of the pack, which at the time was being led by the Nissan 300zx, Mitsubishi 3000GT and Chevy Monte Carlo. I had my T-Tops off, the sun was shining, I had Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “Voodoo Child” blaring in my car, as I cruised through the Wisconsin countryside with the group. About an hour or two later we were approaching Madison. The walkie-talkies were filled with chatter over where police were hiding out over bridges, which slowpoke Illinois drivers were just slouching in the left lane, and where our next stop for gas would be. The exit for the first gas stop of the day was coming up on the right. In a sudden confusion of moving cars, I missed the exit. Thankfully I had an extra portable gas tank in my trunk (a necessity for long distance road rallying). I drove along the highway and headed west in hopes to loop around and meet up with the rest of the CheeseWheelers. No luck, so I pulled over onto a side street and busted out my GPS and iPhone.

Looking up the address for our second stop of the day, the Texas Road House in Madison, I got directions and heading back out to rendezvous with the others. Sure I had gotten lost, but that just adds to the adventure and fun unexpectedness of road rallies. Fifteen minutes later I was sitting out front of the Texas Road House and watching the rest of the rally participants arrive. With all cars backed in and the parking lot looking like a car show, we made a quick stop for cheeseburgers and root beer, then fired up and started off toward our third stop of the day, a truck stop in Merrill.

The speed of our driving picked up. How often do you get to cruise at a steady 90mph with a bunch of friends in tricked out sports cars? That’s what we were doing, and even better, we were doing it to raise money for Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and ALS. The scenery we were driving through was fantastic. Despite being a Wisconsin native, I had not really driven these roads or seen the northern reaches of the state before, and it was a real treat. The roads were smooth, and there were vast groups of trees and hills all around. But suddenly: “Whoa whoa the BMW is coming up really fast watch out!” I spoke into my walkie-talkie as the white BMW Z4 flew by us at a little over 110mph. After watching a few other cars take their turns doing high-speed flybys, I punched the gas and took off. “EHH EHH EHH LASER” my Passport Radar detector started warning me, I immediately slammed on the brakes, looked around for a cop car, and got on the radio warning everyone else. “Watch out laser!” “Laser Laser Laser!” “Take it down take it down, laser!” Sure enough, a grey unmarked Crown Vic was sitting under an overpass in tall grass just waiting to catch its prey.

We slowed down to around 60mph and all got in the right lane, 15 or so of us riding together. The State Trooper pulled out put on his lights & siren, and started flying behind us. Walkie-talkie chatter exploded: “He got the 300!” “Nope he’s going for the G35…” “Ah look out he’s getting the Mustang…” “oh Shit he’s got the Camaro he’s got the Camaro!” “The Camaro’s done” “Camaro pulled over watch out!” Sure enough, I received a fat expensive speeding ticket, but hey, I guess that’s what you get when you drive fast in a road rally. The State Trooper was appreciative of the fact I explained we were doing a road rally for charity and didn’t write me a ticket for the first high-speed he clocked me at, but rather the second clock, saving me a few points off my license and a bit of cash. I was on my own for the next hour or so, my iPhone buzzing wildly with texts from other rally drivers wondering what had happened. I continued driving along and arrived at the second fuel stop some time later. I didn’t think anyone would have waited and I would have had to continue my long three- or four-hour drive up to the finish line in Ashland alone. But I was wrong: when I pulled into the gas station, everyone was there waiting, and as soon as I got out there was clapping, cheering, questions, and high-fives. I was amazed at just how loyal and respectful all these people I had just met were (thank you again guys).

After filling up, getting some snacks, and admiring the massive fireworks store next door, we lined up and took off towards Ashland, Wisconsin: a small town in the north of the state located along chilly Lake Superior. This time the Subarus led the way, followed by the the G35s, the Neon SRT4, the Monte Carlo, classic BMW Alpina that we called “Bumble Bee,” the roaring Mustangs, and more. It was pretty much a rolling car show. Approaching Manitowish, WI, a few hours away from our final destination, we passed through small towns along lakes and drove along narrow tree-lined roads rising and falling over hills. The skies darkened and rain began to fall slightly when we were about an hour or so outside of Ashland, but the view just kept getting better: northern wooded Wisconsin is nothing like my hometown of Milwaukee. As the storms started rolling in and evening drew upon us, we arrived at Ashland’s Hotel Chequamegon. “Chequamegon”–I’m both Wisconsin-born and was there for hours and I still have absolutely no idea how to pronounce it! Anyway, we arrived at this big grand-looking hotel located literally right on the shores of Lake Superior. We settled in, walked around a bit and chatted about the day, and finally all joined in the banquet room for a final closing dinner and ceremony. I had a great time, or should I say, “we” had a great time. We as in the vast number of new friends I had made during this one-day road rally across the badger state. We drove fast and burned gas for charity. We saw some parts of the state others had never seen before. We came together as strangers and left as friends. We rallied, the CheeseWheel 450.

For more information on the CheeseWheel 450 Rally, how to donate to the Children’s Hostpital of Wisconsin & ALS, or how to join in on next year’s charity rally, visit the CheeseWheel 450′s offical site. And for info on upcoming road rallies around the US check out Rally North America.