In late September, Peachtree City will host a competition among auto enthusiasts called the Fireball Run Adventurally.
This year’s Fireball Run will take nearly 50 teams over 2,500 miles in eight days. Along the way, teams will solve clues and compete in challenges in an attempt to earn points.
Film crews will capture the fun, which will become part of a movie that will be screened initially in Orlando, Fla. later in the year.
The Fireball Run is billed as a contest that is part road rally, part game and part race. Along the way, Fireball Run promotes efforts to recover America’s missing children, and so far some 36 missing children have been identified through its efforts.
Peachtree City’s golf cart paths will play into the fun, most likely with a special scavenger hunt on golf carts for Fireball Run participants, said Peachtree City Tourism Director Nancy Price.
Part of the scavenger hunt might also take place in the autos driven by contestants, which range from exotic models such as the Lamborghini to classic muscle cars as the Camaro.
Organizers are exploring the possibility of a motorsport challenge at nearby Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The event will be capped by a special “finishing line” type of event that will be open for the public to witness, Price said. Most likely that event will be hosted at the city’s amphitheater, Price said.
The scavenger hunt will help show off Peachtree City’s unique features and venues, she added.
Each team will distribute thousands of posters along the route for a missing child from their home region. And each car will have a decal featuring their child affixed to the vehicle, creating what organizers refer to as “a rolling milk carton.”
There will be some serious racing muscle participating, as NASCAR legend Geoff Bodine is slated to be a part of the competition along with Space Shuttle Astronaut Wilson Scott.
The production crew and participants for Fireball Run will be staying in local hotels overnight Tuesday, Sept. 27 before leaving in a special green flag ceremony in Peachtree City the next day as the rally departs to Knoxville, Tenn.
The 2011 Chevrolet Fireball Run Adventurally starts September 23rd on Florida’s Space Coast and concludes October 1st in the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The event encourages the public to come out, get autographs, and show their support.
The contest is accepting team applications and is hoping to get participants from Peachtree City. The entry fee is $6,500 and includes lodging meals and other extras.
The only real cost for the event will be for an evening VIP reception, Price said.
The benefit for the city is the bigger exposure the film will bring for the city, she added.
