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). Your registration confirmation will contain the phone number to call to receive this group rate. 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.

Name	Status	Hometown
C Claire Ball	Confirmed	MCHENRY, IL
G Glenn Grossklags	Confirmed	Chicago, IL
Heather Ingraham	Confirmed	Evanston, IL
Bart Kendall	Confirmed	Elgin, IL
D Daniel Pusateri	Confirmed	SPRING GROVE, IL
R Richard Ryan	Confirmed	Chicago, IL
J John Sutton	Confirmed	Davis, IL
S Steven Sutton	Confirmed	CAROL STREAM, IL