MASHPEE – The 24th edition of the Seaside Le Mans race was held in Mashpee on Saturday.
Organizers say it raised $300,000 for five Cape Cod nonprofit organizations. The 2025 beneficiaries include: Cape Cod Healthcare, Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre, Cape Kid Meals, Fishing for the Mission 22, and Parents Supporting Parents.
Overall, the race has raised nearly $10 million.
Nearly 100 drivers raced Formula One-style karts on a quarter-mile track throughout Mashpee Commons.
The winner was the Robert B. Our and Advantage Truck Group, with seats donated to, and driven by, members of the Mashpee police and fire departments. 2nd Place: Shepley Wood Products/Andersen, 3rd Place: E.F. Winslow/Cape Cod Commercial Linen, Fastest Lap: Lawrence-Lynch Corp.
The inaugural running of the Seaside Le Mans – The Race for the Cape Cod Community, took place in 2001, just four days after the September 11th terrorist attacks. DeWitt Davenport, CEO of The Davenport Companies, and founder of the Seaside Le Mans, said that first race helped provide a rallying call for Cape Cod to stand strong in times of adversity.
“I was encouraged by the many members of the community back then who said we had to go forward with the race that day. We were Americans and we needed unity for our country,” said Davenport.
Congressman Bill Keating, who has served as the race’s grand marshal, praised Davenport for continuing the tradition for more than two decades, and growing the race each year.
“It’s one thing to start something like this. The hardest thing is to sustain it and keep building it. It takes someone with perseverance,” said Keating.
The Davenport Companies underwrites the entire cost of the event and works in partnership with The Cape Cod Foundation to manage the sponsorship donations. Officials say every dollar raised goes directly to the charities.
By Jim McCabe, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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