Toyota and RACER take on the 2016 Great Race

RACER is teaming up with Toyota to celebrate 50 years of the Corolla, the world's best-selling car.

An iconic, first-generation 1970 Toyota Corolla sedan will join more than 130 historic vehicles in the 2016 edition of The Hemmings Great Race presented by Hagerty. Behind the wheel will be 13-time X Games BMX Vert gold medal winner and SCORE Baja 1000 class winner Jamie Bestwick – and joining him as navigator is RACER's editor-in-chief Laurence Foster.

Starting in San Rafael, Calif., June 18, and ending in Moline, Ill., June 26, the Great Race takes in nearly 2,500 miles of America's most scenic highways and byways, passing the Bonneville Salt Flats, Mount Rushmore and the Badlands on the way. Outright speed doesn't win the event – instead, each competitive section has to be completed in pre-set speeds and times. Finish a section early or late and you'll earn time penalties, so it's all about accuracy and teamwork.

"I'm confident of Jamie's ability to get the job done," says Foster. "It's me I'm not too sure about. I've never met a deadline I couldn't keep, so here's hoping ..."

Adds Bestwick: "We're going to have a lot of fun on the Great Race, but I'm a naturally competitive guy and I want to do the best we can. Too many wrong calls from Foster and I'm sure the atmosphere in the car could get a little tense from time to time..."

As a fitting homage to the brand's rich motorsports heritage, the Corolla will feature a vintage early 1970s racing livery and Toyota's Great Race team will sport period racing uniforms, with Bestwick, left, promising some particularly memorable period-correct looks...

Support vehicles from Toyota's current range of cars and SUVs, including a Corolla S Plus, Land Cruiser and 4Runner, will also look the part. The race Corolla itself remains true to its original 1970 specifications – a testament to its capabilities and enduring reliability.

"The Great Race provides a perfect opportunity to celebrate the spirit of Corolla, the world's all-time best-selling car and still one of the top-sellers in the U.S., while also recognizing Toyota's racing heritage and having some fun along the way," says John Myers, Vehicle Marketing and Communications National Manager, Toyota USA.

Joining Bestwick and Foster on a route that winds through seven states, including Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota and Iowa, as well as California and Illinois, will be several guest navigators from the world of motorsports, action sports and music. Two-time Baja 1000 winner BJ Baldwin gets things rolling on Day 1 out of San Rafael, with world-class snowboarders Amy Purdy, Elena Hight and Louie Vito, pro BMX Park rider Drew Bezanson, blues musician Mike Eldred, custom motorcycle designer Roland Sands and Nitro Circus founding member Andy Bell joining for subsequent legs.

The Corolla is entered in the Great Race's Rookie Class, and is guaranteed some seriously tough competition from a starting field that includes vehicles going all the way back to 1916. Each day, the driver and navigator will receive a set of course instructions that set out every turn, speed change, stop, and start that they must make throughout the day, leading to a series of checkpoints laid out between the start and finish lines of the race. It really is an event where every second counts.

"I can't wait to get started," says Bestwick. "Beautiful scenery, a fantastic historic Corolla and an incredible event in the Great Race. It doesn't get better than this."

For more information about The 2016 Hemmings Great Race presented by Hagerty, including schedules, route stops and the latest news, visit www.greatrace.com.