A team from Jacksonville is joining a field of eighty racers in the 2009 Big Apple to Big Easy (BABE) Banger Rally, a five
leg odyssey between New York and New Orleans across the Appalachians. The rally has only one rule – competing vehicles must have been bought for under $500. The local team, called Team Preteen Spirit, is supporting Jacksonville children’s charity Daniel with its entry. The car, a 1995 Dodge Stratus, was found on Craigslist and has been modified (at almost no expense), principally to improve its looks. The crew is comprised of Jacksonville residents Simon Keymer and Todd Johnson, and resident of Abu Dhabi, Justin Doherty, who is flying in for the rally specially. The team is being supported by Simon Keymer’s public relations agency, The Keymer Group. “This seemed like a good idea at the time,” said Simon Keymer, “but the closer we get to the event the more serious misgivings I have. Last night we were up until midnight whittling wooden bushings for the manual transmission. I don’t even know what a bushing is, but I am almost certain they aren’t usually made of wood. We periodically lose reverse and electrics while sitting at traffic lights, and I think there is a fuel leak. On the upside, we have very nice pleather seats and the radio works, but frankly, I’m scared.” The team departs Jacksonville on Saturday morning for Sanford to take the auto-train north. The rally gets underway from Staten Island, NY on June 1st and finishes June 5th in New Orleans, LA.
Interested parties will have the opportunity to see the car and meet the crew prior to departure at 10 am on Friday, May 29, 2009 in the parking lot at the Lamppost Building, 3955 Riverside Avenue, in downtown Jacksonville.