On Saturday, September 8th at Mashpee Commons, local businesses raced to the finish of the 18th Annual Seaside Le Mans – The Race for the Cape Cod Community, raising $600,000 for five local non-profit organizations, bringing the 18-year total to over $6.5 million raised through sponsorships and matching funds. This year’s beneficiaries were: Alzheimer’s Family Support Center of Cape Cod, Cape Cod Healthcare, Cape Cod Children’s Place, Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Jr. Theatre and Dream Day on Cape Cod.
The 4-hour endurance race of 16 teams in Formula One style karts took place on a 1/4 mile outdoor track at Mashpee Commons, built specifically for the day by hundreds of volunteers. The opening ceremony included comments from Grand Marshal Wendy Northcross of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce along with an honor guard, live music from the Cape Cod Conservatory Jazz Band and a flyover by the U.S. Coast Guard.
This year’s winning team consisted of two local companies who have been sponsoring the race for the past 18 years: Cape Cod Commercial Linen Service and E.F. Winslow Plumbing & Heating. Second place went to the team of Dellbrook/JKS and Barrows Excavating. Taking third place was Jay Cashman, Inc. The Bank Cup went to TD Bank and the Fastest Lap was won by a combined team including Curley Direct, Collins RHD, Cape Cod Paper, Joe Finnemore Housewright, Construction Management + Estimating and John G. Sears Landscaping. The Sportsmanship Award was given to C.C. Construction, who sponsored a full kart and offered all 6 driver seats to members of the Yarmouth Police Department. And the trophy for the Drivers Cup Fundraising Challenge went to Norm Hodge from Chattitude Brands.
The day started with a 45-minute morning race of 12 teams from Cape Cod Healthcare and the media. The winners were: 1st: Engineering Marvels; 2nd: Delivery Vroom; 3rd IS Speeders; Fastest Lap: Urgent Matters; Sportsmanship Award: IS Speeders. Cape Cod Healthcare, the official medical care provider for the race, also hosted the medical tent and the blood drive with their Blood Mobile.
Seaside Le Mans is organized and 100% underwritten by The Davenport Companies, working closely with The Cape Cod Foundation to distribute the funds and X1 Boston to provide the karts and manage the race. Along with kids’ activities, music and food vendors, there was a new addition to this year’s race, a trackside “volunteer bike build”. Spectators of all ages led by a team of volunteers built 240 children’s bikes throughout the course of the day, representing the 240 minutes of the 4-hour race. All 240 bikes were donated at the end of the day to 10 local children’s organizations. Plans are already underway for the 19th Annual Seaside Le Mans, scheduled for Saturday September 7, 2019. For more information on the race and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Kelsey Ellis at 508-398-2293 or visit www.seasidelemans.org.
