Latest news, weather, high school sports for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

HOUGHTON -- They're real cars on real roads.... going real fast.

It's the annual Lake Superior Performance Rally, when racers come from all over the country to race every day cars on gravel, dirt, and sand roads.

"It's fall weather here in the U.P., but everybody comes. We've got hundreds of people that are signed up to work. We expect 300 to 400 to 500 people spectating," said race director Dean Rushford.

In total, Rushford estimates there's over 1000 people involved in the event doing everything from spectating to servicing vehicles.

For experienced racer Tim O'Neill from New Hampshire, he took a six year break after a battle with cancer. But now, he's back.

"I'm just as excited now as my very first rally, just not as nervous as I used to be," O'Neill said.

He says not setting his expectations high.

"I don't ever say I'm going to win. That's bad juju. What I think is, I want to try to finish and I want to see how terrible I am... And I might not be that terrible, so I'm just hoping to stay on the road and don't do anything too stupid," O'Neill added.

The races will last tonight until early Saturday morning, then start up again in L'anse for the rest of the weekend.