Road Rally Archives: The Black Hand (1994)

Tonight I scanned and added a bunch of photos to Flickr from the Road Rally archives. There are more in a collage at the Farm, but I don't think those will make it online anytime soon. But there is an excellent addition from the deep past. I found it buried in a file from 1994 and it reminded me of the story... The story of The Black Hand.

In 1994, we were nearing the end of a five-year run of Rally weekends. We had refined the Rally to the point that it was running very smoothly. Mark A and Mark K won the first Rally in 1990, only to be upset in 1991 by Todd B and Todd B. The Todd/Todd team won again in 1992 and then again in 1993, with a new addition (Sue) in the back seat. She definitely helped them back to the winners circle, but those guys had a lock on it. They were unstoppable in their prime.

As the summer of '94 began it was unclear who would run the Rally. Todd and Todd insisted there was no one to challenge them, Carlisle was just beginning to field competitive teams, and Mark and Mark were on the outs after the "no more Pink Floyd in the car" comment.

Then a letter arrived from Washington DC. It included a deposit for two for the weekend and entered a team called The Black Hand in the Rally. It remained a mystery right up until the start of the Rally in Nashua, NH. We waited for several minutes past the designated start time, but The Black Hand didn't show. I sent the other teams on their way and began packing up for the drive north.

Just then a car screamed across the lot, coming to an abrupt halt next to my car. It was The Black Hand - secure in their secret for now, as the other teams were well on their way. Mark, Matt and I had a good laugh there in the parking lot, as I pulled together their Rally packet and sent them out on the Rally course. It was a good moment in Road Rally history and fitting as they came out on top after a grueling ten-hour trek through NH and Vermont.

Note: Click on the photo for the note they sent along with the Road Rally entry.