ARUNDEL, Maine — Two local high schoolers working at the Maine Classic Car Museum in Arundel have won a national scholarship for a chance to compete in the nation’s oldest and largest classic car rally: The Great Race.
Greely High School junior Max Flynn, 17, and Biddeford High School junior Cotton Schlaver,16, both work at the car museum as docents and are classic car enthusiasts.
The museum has been working with local high schools since 2011, offering internships and career and technical education field trips to students in various education programs, according to Great Race Advisor Tim Stentiford.
Flynn began interning at the museum in eighth grade for school credit and now works part-time as a docent. Schlaver joined the museum team last year, with both students welcoming visitors from around the world and giving tours that highlight the 40-plus vintage cars on-site.
Flynn and Schlaver were two of just seven students across the country who earned a scholarship from the RPM Foundation—a national nonprofit organization based in Tacoma, Washington that helps students interested in automotive careers—which waved the $6,500 entrance fee for the race.
“It’s an incredible honor and I’m very appreciative of everyone who has helped us in winning this scholarship,” Schlaver said. “I can’t wait for the experience of connecting with other students from across the nation."
The boys will be competing in a special student division called the X Cup Challenge where high school and college students can compete.
“We are thrilled that our students will be navigators in the country’s most prestigious vintage race, and it’s an incredible opportunity for our young people to collaborate with other students from high schools and universities around the country,” Maine Classic Car Museum President Gene Prentice said.
Stentiford said the museum will be providing the boys with a 1961 Cadillac Sedan Deville to use in the race.
"The students have nicknamed the car 'Ruby the Red Lobster' and will be the only student participants from Maine," Stentiford added.
The race begins in Owensboro, Kentucky on Saturday, June 22. The 2,300-mile race will take nine days to complete, stretching across 19 cities in Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. The race concludes in Gardiner, Maine on June 30.
The Great Race began 41 years ago and is a competition based on time, speed, and distance. Vehicles each have a driver and a navigator and are given specific instructions each day that detail "every move down to the second." Each team is scored at secret checkpoints along the way, penalized one second for each second they arrive either late or early. The team with the lowest score wins, according to The Great Race website.
“I’m excited to be spending over a week in one of the classic cars I work with,” Flynn enthused. “I get to put what I learn in the classroom and at the museum to the test when we hit the road.”
This year there are 120 teams with navigators, drivers, and cars hailing from Japan, England, Australia, Canada, and all over the U.S.—with vintage vehicles dating back to 1916, according to The Great Race website.
“We’re honored to have the only student team from Maine in this year’s rally, and we’re hoping we’ll have many supporters at the finish line on June 30 to welcome our students home,” Stentiford said.