Welcome to the 6th running of the RI Mini Melee! Register for your spot in the biggest little rally this side of all over the place.

About RIMM

The RI Mini Melee is a vintage car rally that gathers the rascalliest of vintage car nuts to exercise their cars and rev up the senses. We will give you a full day, 150 mile-ish trek of the twisty, untamed back roads of Rhode Island and possibly other states.

We provide the course; you provide the accelerator. You won't be driving with Bugattis or enjoy a catered lunch at a winery, but you will have the thrill of breathing in carbureted exhaust fumes, and hopefully seeing your knuckles turn white a couple times.

This isn't a beauty contest. If your fingernails have grease and your car has dents or rust, bring it! If you have a Rolls, bring it, but leave the Grey Poupon. We are looking for people who are into the thrill of the driving experience.

Rules of the RIMM

  • Must have a pre-1980 car. Petitions might be granted if you send a groveling email but it's not guaranteed.
  • Bring tools and maybe a AAA card.
  • This is NOT a race or in any way a speed contest! Do not drive unsafely, like a jackass, or perform any stupid maneuver that would get you pulled over or run over a kid.
  • We fully expect everyone to drive within their limits, the limits of their vehicles, and adjust to the conditions of the road.
  • There are other people on the road that are not in weird old cars. Hikers, bikers, joggers, and walkers are sprinkled throughout. Share the road and assume they are around every corner. This isn't California. Unpopulated open space isn't abundant.
  • You need to sign an indemnity waiver. You are responsible for your actions.

2023 Event Details

Saturday, August 5th, 2023 5:00 p.m.

First, we will kick it off with a Melee Eve Soiree. Meet the other drivers and see the awesome cars. Drooling optional. It features a live band, along with drinks, a food truck, and other stuff. In addition, we will hand out the rally packs including T-shirts, stickers, maps, and hold a drivers/co-drivers meeting. Park your car on the lawn and get ready to size up the other entrants!

Sunday August 6th, 2023

Melee Day! This year's rally will be around 150-ish miles and brings us through RI's farmland and twisty back country roads. There are a lot of turns so a co-driver is HIGHLY encouraged. Navigating alone is doable, but easier when you have someone barking out turns. We can probably provide a navigator but need advance warning. Just text me.

We will leave EARLY-ish to get a jump on the Priuses and pedestrians.

The first half is a couple hours of white knuckle, heel-to-toe driving down the best wooded and twisty roads in RI and into MA and CT's farmland. We have a mid-morning stop for gas, caffeine, and an opportunity to affix anything that is falling off your car. There will be optional small rest stops and photo ops designated along the way.

The second half we will dive down some longer, faster roads in RI's best scenic swoops along with some unexpected rollercoaster roads that bring us to our private catered lunch in Wakefield. There we'll have drinks, eat, and hold the highly anticipated, but slightly off-beat awards ceremony. All this should bring us to about 2-3 p.m. in the afternoon.

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