VIDEO, PHOTOS and STORY by JOHN ANDERSON
The Ace Spade Rally 2023 is a head-turner, as exotic cars from Porsche’s to Lamborghini’s and a MacLaren rolled, or raced into Wellsville on Wednesday.
The Ace Spade run had 70 cars come into town, stop at McDonald’s and Burger King for a snack and back on the road, as they went from Toronto to Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and Ohio.
The rally started on started on Wednesday in Toronto. Some of the exotic cars bypassed the fast food meals and parked in front of Beef Haus for a more traditional Wellsville meal.
The six-day, five night adventure rally is not about speed or how you navigate the course. Instead, at each checkpoint, you get five cards from a deck of cards.
During the stops like Wellsville you get an extra card.
It’s like the game of poker, whoever gets the best hand will be the Ace Spade Rally Champion.
(Story continues after video, photo gallery at the end)
The cars do like to travel together through through the back roads and highways of the northeast.
The drivers will be seen by over 10,000 people and have a closing ceremony and dinner in Cincinnati.
Through proceeds from the rally, over the years, the rally has donated over $40,000 to the Women’s College Hospital Foundation and their Orthopedic Surgery program.
Here are some frequently asked questions from the rally website:
Who is Ace Spade Rally?
We are passionate car enthusiasts. We are car guys and gals. We love rolling hills & open roads. We love adventures. We are rally drivers. Rally With Us. Adventure With Us. VIP With Us.
We are organizers of the largest exotic car/super car/sports car Owners group in the Greater Toronto Area. We are passionate about cars and people. We have organized many events in the last 13 years with huge success, bringing out up to 40,000+ people to Car Shows and Charity Car Event venues.
This is our 9th year running and managing exotic car rallies across Canada and the U.S.A. The first two years managing and running as BlackList Rally. We strive for excellence and provide our rally participants an experience of a lifetime!
Is the Ace Spade Rally a race?
No! Teams are not judged by who gets to each location the fastest or any timed event. But who has the best Poker hand at the end of the Ace Spade Rally. Playing cards will be handed each day. Dress up in costume and you will win an extra card. Help your fellow teams and win an extra card. Be enthusiastic and win an extra card. Best Poker hand at the end wins a prize. We are an adventure tour/drive throughout fantastic locations and cities in Canada and USA.
What is a Poker Run?
A Poker Run is an organized event where participants must visit five checkpoints throughout the Ace Spade Rally, drawing a playing card at each checkpoint. The objective is to have the best poker hand at the end of the Rally. There will be opportunities to earn extra playing cards through challenges during the Rally, and also based on Team Enthusiasm, Team Shenanigans, Best Costume of the Day and Best Team Spirit.
How does a team qualify?
We are looking for Exotics, Supercars, Super Sportcars, or super unique cars, at the sole discretion of the rally organizers. Feel free to make the case for your car.
What is included in the Ace Spade Rally Fee?
1 Ace Spade Rally car entry, 2 rally participants, 6 days/5 nights of adrenaline-filled fun, 5 nights accommodations in Luxury Resorts and Boutique Hotel, Pre-rally launch events and other activities
The rally has a support vehicle for overflow of carry-on luggage.
What you need to cover, know and bring?
Gas for your Rally car., food and beverages throughout the rally (unless otherwise provided by Ace Spade Rally), any upgrades to higher category hotel rooms. Room upgrades are available at additional cost charged to individual Rally participant. Bring additional smartphones and tablets, if available, to load online maps, geo-locating App, chat App & Google maps. Know how to play the best poker hand!
PHOTO GALLERY
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