Exotic car owners rally for kids with cancer

There may be better ways to spend a day than being handcuffed to hockey legend Tie Domi, but I couldn't think of any last Saturday.

Fortunately, my brief time in bondage with the former Leafs forward was only part of the activities that were part of the Rally for Kids with Cancer Scavenger Cup, a fund-raising rally for Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children.

For this event, exotic car owners offered to donate money to the cancer unit of the hospital. The evening before the hunt, we picked our celebrity navigator to help guide us through a day of spirited yet safe driving to various secret locations across the GTA.

At each of these "pit stops" we had to complete a series of tasks, including answering trivia questions, in order to collect points.

At the end of the day, whichever one of the 25 teams taking part gathered the most points would be the winner.

One of these pit stops was on the set of the Gemini-nominated television show Murdoch Mysteries, where we found out my navigator had a warrant out for his arrest. While throwing the former Leafs tough guy into the slammer, the "authorities" decided it would be better if I were handcuffed to him in the jail cell.

Lucky for us, a cellmate gave us clues on how to bribe the guard and escape. Our living on the wild side was short-lived.

Besides Domi, other celebrities taking part included honorary chair of the event Goldie Hawn, Juno Award nominee Matt Dusk, actress Kelly Carlson (Nip/Tuck), actor Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction and Mission Impossible) as well as a handful of sports star like Mike "Pinball" Clemons.

Vehicles such as the rare Porsche-based Gemballa Mirage, Lamborghini Gallardos, Lamborghini Murcielago, Aston Martin V8, CL 65 Mercedes Benz coupe, Rolls Royce and even one hot Shelby Cobra took the checkered flag at the start. My ride was a sweet yellow Ferrari 599 (Domi approved).

Given an envelope of clues, my bad boy of hockey and myself racked our brains to find our next location.

Once we correctly answered the questions and found our way, we had other tasks to complete.

At a NASCAR pit stop simulator my rookie navigator embarrassingly beat my tire change time by three seconds.

At a driver training exercise, I smugly went through the pylons forward, only to chicken out and let the Domi-nator (as I secretly named him) do the course in reverse.

At the Much Music Pit stop we were whisked inside to record a duet.

My dream of us becoming the next Sonny and Cher died quickly. A geriatric coyote could have howled a better tune than I, though my navigator saved the day with his impressive vocals. (Who knew?)

The pit stop at the hospital for Sick Children was the most emotionally powerful of all.

A wonderful cheering squad of young patients and friends made us realize how lucky we were to be a part of such a worthwhile cause. Here, with the help of the young fans, my guide navigated a remote control Ferrari to again win us some valuable points.

Domi has a personal connection with this hospital. His young son has type-1 diabetes and has spent time at Sick Kids. To give back, last year Domi's friends donated more than $1 million to redesign and renovate the rehabilitation department of the hospital.

At the gala dinner after the rally, we learned the total amount raised surpassed what was predicted for this inaugural event.

Domi and I may not have won the rally, but with more than $1 million raised, there will be many other winners.

wheels@thestar.ca

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