About this event
This year's fall tour will be special: The Chicago Region SCCA and John and Trudy Sutton are bringing back Sutton's October Safari - a two-day tour of some of the finest (and funnest) backroads in southwestern Wisconsin. The event will begin in Roscoe, Ill., and bring us to La Crosse, Wis., for an overnight with fellow car friends. The next day will be another fun drive on challenging scenic roads, ending in the early afternoon in New Glarus, Wis.
The first SOS Rally was run in 1975 as a two-day backroads drive to La Crosse and back. It was organized by rally masters and brothers Al and John Sutton, who were known for their excellent Chicago Region rally events.The SOS Rally has been held several times over the past decades with the most recent in 1999, which was called Sutton’s October Safari “Revisited." John and Trudy feel it is time to bring back the SOS.
For those who haven't been on a Chcago Region tour, this is a noncompetitive fun drive on public roads with a navigator guiding the driver from printed instructions. The routes will provide two enjoyable days of driving, complete with twists, turns, elevation changes and rural scenery.
The tour will start at Sophia's Restauant, 5467 Bridge St., Roscoe, IL 61073 (815-623-5903), where you can get a great breakfast. Check-in will be 8:00 a.m., and the first car will depart around 9:00 a.m.. Arrival time at the hotel will be around 3:00 p.m.
Thr first day will end at the Radisson Hotel, 200 Harbor View Plaza, La Crosse, Wis. A special reduced-rate block of rooms has been reserved for the SCCA SOS Tour group. Special room rates are $169 for city view room and $189 for a river view room (plus tax). Special room rates are only held to September 20 but can be cancelled up to October 20. Special parking area with wash station has been reserved for the group. There will be a group social get-together after hotel check-in (time to be determined), and dinner will be available at numerous nearby restaurants.
The second-day rally will start at 9:00 a.m. The end point will be in New Glarus at a restaurant with a private room for a group lunch and get-together. Each driver and navigator team will receive two commemorative mugs - one from the original SOS rally and one for this newest version of the SOS.
Registration fee for SCCA members is $70 per car. Non-member registration fee is $95. There is a 25-car limit.
Event requirements
Driver's License: All drivers must have a valid driver's license. Remember to bring it with you to check-in.
Insurance: Per SCCA requirements, each entrant must have an auto insurance policy covering the entered vehicle with liability limits as required by the state in which the vehicle is registered, and this insurance policy must be in force on the dates of the event.
Navigator: All cars must have a driver and a navigator. All navigators must have an SCCA membership -- full, weekend or trial. If this is a non-member navigator's first time participating in a Chicago Region tour, they are eligible for a free trial membership. All you have to do is fill out a form at check-in, and you are good to go -- no charge. Trial memberships are offered by SCCA for one-time use. If a non-member navigator has used a trial membership at a previous SCCA event, they will be expected to purchase a weekend membership at check-in: $25, cash only.
Minors: Drivers and navigators who are under the age of 18 must have a Minor Annual Waiver on file with the SCCA National Office prior to participating in the tour. This applies to any driver or navigator under 18, whether they have a full SCCA membership or a weekend membership. Minors and their parents or guardians apply for the waiver electronically at scca.com.
Payment: You will be asked for credit card information when you register, but your card will not be charged until after registration closes.
