Cannonball Run 2007

[cashflyer]

Somebody posted some video links in OT a few months ago that showed scenes from the 2004 Gumball 3000 rally.

I became interested to learn more, and started looking up some events. Here is what I found:

Players Run
Not so much a rally, as it is a rolling party. Participation is by invitation to a limited number of applicants. Price = ?? It's got to be high, as the entry fee covers "all accommodations in 5 star hotels from June 7th through June 11th. Also included are all dinners and breakfasts, certain lunches, all parties and evening VIP events, all racetracks, all racecars, all helicopters, all boats and other vehicles and all other special events."

Gumball 3000
Probably the flashiest, this seems to be a big party event but with more emphasis on the race than Players has. It also includes a lot of wild parties and 5 star hotels, plus air transportation of your vehicle from stage to stage. Price is £40,000 GBP.

Ultimate Rally
A newcomer, it seems to be purely about the rally. You must make checkpoints, and your car is fitted with cameras and GPS tracking to prevent cheating. The party is after the rally, rather than during. Cost to enter is $15k for early entrants and $30k otherwise. (all slots are already sold out)

Cannonball
The granddaddy of them all, the Cannonball Run (or the "Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash") comes back to America in 2007. This will be the first stateside running of the Cannonball since 1979. (Not counting the abysmal USA reality series in 2001)
All about the rally, this 2900 mile "race" runs coast to coast in under 35 hours. Big party afterwards. Cost to enter is $10k


So, why bring all this up? Because I know there are some Pelicanites who have "disposable" income. I wondered if anyone here had ever participated, or intends to participate in such an event!

So what about it..? Anyone?


EDITED to put in URLS that the board had censored. Censorship is evil.

[kach22i]

Interesting, there are such events for watercraft as well. The one up the Thames River is called the Blade Run .

http://www.deauvillerally.com/deauvillerally/entrance.htm


Hard to imagine that these road rallies are still around in this day and age.

Real retro.

EDIT Note: Are any of these events held in North America? They all look to be in Europe.

[Joeaksa]

Old friend of mine ran the first 3-4 of them in a 250 GTO Ferarri. Said that it was a hell of a time and lots of fun before all the cops found out about it.

[89911]

Isn't the "One lap of America" based on this? If so, we had a member participate.

[cashflyer]

Originally posted by kach22i
...EDIT Note: Are any of these events held in North America? They all look to be in Europe.

The Gumball 3000 will have one of the 3 stages held in the USA.
The "World Cannonball 2007" will be entirely in the USA.

And since that one is entirely in the USA, and because it is the least expensive, that is why I wondered if any Pelicans found it of interest.

Listening to some of the quotes from interviewees on the Gunball site, one said "This is the best thing I have ever done in my life." Coming from somebody who has enough disposable income to throw down £40k on a rally. Proof, to me, that it's not about how much money you have, but rather what you choose to do with that money. But I digress....

You'll have stories to tell for the rest of your life!
And as kach22 mentioned, an "outlaw" rally in the USA is somewhat of an anachronism today. Probably why they haven't had one since 1979.

In the day of 55mph speed limits, making the trip in < 33 hours meant really exceeding the limit. Now that the limits are higher, I feel that the risk is a lot lower. Of course, all the promo stickers on your car will still make you a target.

[masraum]

Didn't a Pelican do the 1 lap in a Radical SR3??

[cashflyer]

Originally posted by 89911
Isn't the "One lap of America" based on this?...

According to the One Lap site, yes.

Brock Yates, creator of the Cannonball Run, "set out to create a motorsports event that was accessable to the average Joe while capturing the excitement, lunacy and romance of the Cannonball without the threat of being called to testify in front of a Senate sub-committee. And so, in 1984, the first Cannonball One Lap of America was run with the start/finish in Darien, Connecticut. That year, the format was simple: circumnavigate the lower 48 United States and "guess Brock's mileage." The team that came closest to Brock's distance won. Brock is the first to admit that this format had its flaws and expected 1984 to be the first and last One Lap. To his dismay, he was flooded with inquiries requesting entry in the following year's event. A kinder, gentler successor to Cannonball had been born."

It is now the Tire Rack Car and Driver Cannonball One Lap of America.

Also according to their website, there was a "Cannonball Classic" run in 1999 and 2000. Maybe this was why USA network thought they would cash in with a reality series in 2001.


I'm gonna need a new radar detector.....

[M.D. Holloway]

What about the "Bull Run"? I was in South Beach last year when they came through - what a bunch of interesting fellas (and ladies!).

I'm organizing one in Texas for 2007...

[obrut]

here's an alternative. i've done this one 3 times - incredible event (and legal speeding)

www.targa.org.au

[MichiganMat]

La Carrera Pan America!

Its no fun without the threat of being robbed by banditos or hitting wandering cattle in the road. Speeding tickets are sissies.

[Jeff Higgins]

It's all good fun until some one loses an eye...

Seriously, though, with the performance capabilities of these road-going race cars, is an outlaw event really a good idea anymore? My God what if they hurt some one not involved in the race? All that "disposable" income would become just that. Or do folks with that kind of scratch think they can just buy their way out of any kind of misery and heartache they cause? Talk about an elitist, playing their wealthy games among the great unwashed masses kind of an attitude.

I remember last year when the "playuhs" got busted up here on I-5 just south of Olympia. Cell phone calls were just pouring in to the 911 lines about all the azzholes weaving recklessly around traffic at very high speeds. So they have no qualms about risking other's lives; just pay the tickets and keep on truckin'. Until some one loses an eye...

[cashflyer]

From what I have read, the original 5 Cannonball runs did not involve wholesale slaughter of innocent motorists.

From the video clips I have watched, I cannot say that the drivers in current events are as careful or as caring as the original cannonballers. In particular, the Gumball clips I have seen show some real A-holes, and some horrendous wrecks. Like this one from the 2004 Gumball:



If I didn't want to look down my elitist nose at the unwashed masses, I would be driving a Ford Taurus rather than a Porsche. And I don't believe that any Porsche owner can tell me that brand recognition, and the associated awe factor, played no part in their decision to own a Porsche. But that's my opinion.

[Jeff Higgins]

Don't get me wrong, cashflyer, I obviously support Porsche ownership and most all that goes with it. I'm far from a saint when behind the wheel of mine, or I would be in that Taurus as well.

This "Cannonball" stuff is a whole different animal though. It's one thing for a guy to spontaneously blast through the next few corners a bit quickly and have fun with their car. Not that there are no risks involved with that, or public perception problems, or even people indicating they might think I'm an azzhole with their gestures. It's a whole different thing to bring full-on race cars out onto public roads with the stated intent of racing cross-country.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Isn't One Lap the one where they time you from track to track to insure that you don't significantly exceed the speed limit? If I remember right, you basically just have to get there, the bulk of the scoring is based on your track performance. Not that guys don't drive like idiots, but probably no worse than they do regularly.

I would think that any race such as this in the USA would have a flood of cops pacing it, and overall things would be kept under control.

[cashflyer]

Mat..
The PanAmerica looks like an absolute blast!! Unfortunately, none of my cars meet the wligible years of 1940 - 1972. I guess that can be my excuse to the wife when I tell her I need another car!!!

Whipped..
Yeah, One Lap (according to the website) keeps a pretty snug leash on the entrants. I am really opposed to the (scam, imo) of requiring the entrants to to buy "special" tires from Tire Rack for the competition, and justifying it by saying it is "for safety purposes" - especially since the major sponsor is Tire Rack. I guess if the major sponsor was Ford, I would have to buy a Mustang "for safety reasons."

Jeff..
I guess it's too much to ask of the entrants these days. Again, this opinion is based on what I read about the original Cannonball... In the original 5, entered cars certainly included some requisite Porsches and Ferraris, but also included vehicles such as a Travco motorhome, pickups, vans, a Rolls, a Stude, and other non-interceptor class vehicles. Sure, there was speeding - but according to the accounts I read, there was not the mayhem and misdeeds of the current "rallys".



Interestingly, I called my wife (she's in Ireland right now) yesterday and she said they are showing 2005 cannonball highlights on the teley because the 2006 Winter Challenge is coming up in another week. She said it "looks like a lot of fun".

[Jeff Higgins]

Yeah, the orginal Brock Yates outlaw Cannonball sounds like it was a real hoot. Way more low-key and less competitive than today. Lots of fun stuff. Yates had an ambulance with some monster big block Chev, and the non-drivers on board took turns playing the "patient" and "doctor" in the back in case they got stopped. One couple had their chouffeur (spelling?) drive them in their classic Rolls; stuff like that. Yate started it as a nose-thumbing at the new national 55 mph limit, and speed limits in general. As far as I know they never had a wreck of any kind, and it seemed all in good fun.

The modern One Lap, while all scoring is on the race track, has very cleverly arranged the drive times between circuits. You can make it at the speed limit if you never sleep or work on the car. This allows them to say, officially, that they do not condone speeding on public roads, but...

The other ones, and the ones I really have a hard time with, are the true "outlaw" road races. Race cars mingling with traffic. Driver qualifications are no more than a fat enough wallet. Looking at the Mercedes above (which is no race car, but looks like some one thought it was) is some indication of what happens on these.

[cashflyer]

Some pictures of the 2004 Gumball are HERE and included is the Merc and a few other casualties - including some other motorist accidents that they fondly call "collateral damage".

Apparently the owner of the deceased Merc is Kim Schmitz. He won the Gumball in 2001 and 2004.

[Jeff Higgins]

"Collateral damage". How quaint. I don't know about anyone else, but if anyone I cared about suffered from their "collateral damage", there would be nowhere to hide.

[pwd72s]

Originally posted by Jeff Higgins
Don't get me wrong, cashflyer, I obviously support Porsche ownership and most all that goes with it. I'm far from a saint when behind the wheel of mine, or I would be in that Taurus as well.

This "Cannonball" stuff is a whole different animal though. It's one thing for a guy to spontaneously blast through the next few corners a bit quickly and have fun with their car. Not that there are no risks involved with that, or public perception problems, or even people indicating they might think I'm an azzhole with their gestures. It's a whole different thing to bring full-on race cars out onto public roads with the stated intent of racing cross-country.

Couldn't agree more. Some of these "events" give legit events, such as the California Mille and the Colorado Grand an undeserved bad name.