The Peoria Riverfront is a lunch stop for the 2013 Hemmings Great Race Monday. The annual road rally starts Saturday in St. Paul Minnesota, and features 100 participants with vintage cars and trucks. Drivers, including Peoria native Richard McKone, are converging on the Gateway Building around Noon Monday for a lunch break before heading to Hannibal, Missouri. The public is invited to greet the drivers as they arrive, and look at the antique cars on display.
Rally teams are scored using a system that rewards drivers for following a precisely-mapped course on scenic two-lane roads. Modern GPS devices and computer navigation are not allowed during the race.
This year’s course largely follows the Mississippi River through Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. Teams are expected to cross the finish line in Mobile, Alabama on June 30th.