Soul Rally – January 31, 2026

Cathy and Terry Sopher planned and executed another fantastic Soul Rally on January 31. The rally kicked off at Love’s Truck Stop near the airport.

I navigated the 2004 996 GT‑3 owned by my friend and longtime FCR member Randy Rickabaugh, along with Leslie Rowe Rickabaugh. I’m still trying to convince Randy to bring one of his cars to an FCR concours—jury’s still out. My own 996 has never been this clean.

We arrived first and explored Love’s. After some discussion, we agreed:

• Buc‑ee’s has better food
• Love’s has better CB radios
  With a long drive to St. Simons Island ahead, extra coffee was a hard no.

From the attached Bojangles café, we watched Porsche after Porsche circle the lot looking for the start. Eventually, about 35 Porsches gathered near the truck staging area—no room by the pumps. Bojangles was much warmer than standing outside in our jackets. My Buffalo winter gear stayed home, though my snowsuit could’ve rented for serious money.

Cathy and Terry gave their usual excellent pre‑rally briefing, collected waivers, handed out directions—and we were off. Randy and I were the 4th car out.

Almost immediately, I missed an instruction (something about angels dancing on a pin at mile 13.8). I suggested a U‑turn. Overruled. Lesson learned: speak up sooner.

The directions were clear and well written, but we still managed:

• U‑Turn #1 after an early turn
• U‑Turn #2 in Folkston, GA (apparently the town changed its Main Street sign just to mess with us)

We passed endless tree farms—possibly feeding the Palatka paper mill, which I’ve used as a rally reference before.

Somewhere along the way, it felt like Cathy and Terry had mixed Blues Brothers and James Bond for clues. The GT‑3’s speedometer read about 10% high, which made spotting churches, graveyards, and gas stations even more entertaining.

Crossing the Brunswick River and causeway was easy. The finish was right after a traffic circle.
I repeat: RIGHT AFTER.

That led to U‑Turn #3. We only went around the circle twice, which I consider a win.

The Sophers had Porsche‑only parking set up—excellent as always. The SOUL BBQ was absolutely worth the drive. Randy and I both had the brisket. The heated tent was much appreciated, though we later sat out back in the sunshine.

Outstanding event. Well done, Cathy and Terry.

Top Finishers

1. Bob Jones & Tania Wegerer
2. Rob Brindley & Anna Miller
3. John & Fran Pellerin
   Honorable Mention: Sabine Moeller & Peter Lusk

Congratulations to Bob and Tania!

One‑Month Look Back

Editing Sabine’s article on Finland ice racing reminded me of winter rallies in Central New York—home to Syracuse, the snowiest metro area in the U.S. Back then, no one drove their Porsches; we all used winter beaters.

What a difference this rally was—dry roads, backcountry Georgia, and a 996 GT‑3. A perfect change.