"Man Drives From NY to LA in 31 hours and 4 minutes"

[kstar]

Video:


Video Source:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxRLyiBs3XA&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fgizmodo%2Ecom%2Fgadgets%2Fcars%2 Fman%2Ddrives%2Dfrom%2Dny%2Dto%2Dla%2Din%2D31%2Dho urs%2Dand%2D4%2Dminutes%2Dgadgets%2Dhelped%2D31114 0%2Ephp

Story:
Alex Roy was just recognized as the record holder for driving from NY to Santa Monica pier in 31 hours and 4 minutes, besting the time set by "David Diem and Doug Turner clocked in a Ferrari 308 during the 1983 US Express run" of 32 hours and seven minutes. That's 89MPH for over 31 hours. What's made me especially proud is that Alex wrote about automotive laser jammers and radio scanners for Gizmodo under a previous regime. The seven time world rally champ avoided cops and found his way with a dash full of gadgets, including multiple scanners, jammers, detectors, and other mods on his BMW M5. Equipment is documented in the video above, but one thing not emphasized is that the guy had a plane spotting police activity en route.

The actual time was verified by gas station timestamps on credit card receipts and by Jalopnik editors who witnessed the start and finishes, but Guinness won't have anything to do with verifying illegal acts. The actual race happened a little over a year ago, but Alex couldn't tell anyone of his exploits until the statute of limitations was up in all states he drove through. Congrats to Alex for his spectacular performance. For all the details, there's more at Jalopnik [Departure, Finish, the Record and Gear]

PS Ray Wert, editor at Jalopnik ends the coverage on a sober note, wondering how many more times this record can be beaten before people start dying.


Source: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/cars/man-drives-from-ny-to-la-in-31-hours-and-4-minutes-gadgets-helped-311140.php

[Dan in Pasadena]

Neat.............but..........how "neat" would this be if he fell asleep at the wheel or killed some innocents in trying to set this non-record, record?

Of course posts like this one on websites LIKE this one will only result in another group of geniuses planning a faster way to do it.

[kstar]

Don't shoot me.

Best,

Kurt

Edit: Here's the article referred to in my original post above, FWIW:

SPEED RECORD
Why The Transcontinental Driving Record Should Die
Yes, I'm well aware I may be seen by some as a contrarian voice in the chorus here on Jalopnik today. But, despite the large number of posts, I know I'm not the only one of us who has expressed some misgivings over covering the topic of Alex Roy and Dave Maher's record-breaking sea-to-sea run of 31 hours, 4 minutes. However, after reading comments from some of our readers as well as those elsewhere on the internet, I felt the need to voice some of those thoughts a little more clearly than has yet been expressed. Some may see me as wearing the hater hat, but luckily I've got thick skin, so I think I'll manage.

First, let's drop a couple of caveats on the table. Like many, I have driven too fast before. I've driven above the speed limit before. I've also done some stupid things in a car before -- including driving when I've not had enough sleep. I've even covered and participated for a short time in a road rally. None of those things should be commended, celebrated or reveled in. It was stupid when I did it, and it's stupid if I do it again. Now that we've got that settled, let's talk about the matter at hand.

The "Transcontinental Record" for driving once meant something -- I'm sure it was a symbol of the freedom of the open road, the success of the national highway system or the achievement of a goal once impossible -- but whatever. The '79 record occurred one month before I was born, so that era of driving excitement is obviously not as intertwined with my childhood past as others with fewer and more gray hairs. But for me, that's the rub -- it's the past -- a past that no longer exists.

Let's talk about the present. Instead of highways and byways of clear and open sailing across middle America -- today's roads are continually becoming more and more congested. The roads and highways of the nation were largely unpopulated at night and during most of the non-commuting day in the 70's when the first attempts at the "record" occurred. But as the population has expanded and the suburbs have simultaneously sprawled, roads are now populated at all times of the day and night.

Regardless of whether that's a good thing -- it's a fact. In addition to the soccer mom minivan drivers of this world traveling to and fro during the day at a snail's pace, and the vampire-shift workers coming and going in the dark of night, there's also the truckers. The number of large trucks has steadily increased. Just from 1980 to 2000, there was a 82% increase in miles travelled of domestic freight (Bureau of Transportation Statistics), while the number of multi-axle roads didn't increase more than 1% during that same period. (Federal Highway Administration). Our roads are becoming more congested than ever before -- and congested with people who don't expect to have a car racing by, in front of, or around them.

Given that, and the need to focus on the road in front of you as you attempt to accomplish a record requiring a lead foot of at least 89 MPH sustained over thirty hours -- does attempting a "transcontinental record" really make sense? No, it does not. There's too many innocent lives on the roads these days -- and endangering them for the sake of a person's pride and a desire to beat a time from a past that no longer is relevant given today's roads is selfish, silly and dangerous.

The transcontinental record for driving needs to go the way of the dodo bird. Those thrill-seekers who want to go fast and prove their endurance (insert sexual innuendo-laced double entendre here) should do it on the track. That's the place where real men and women, those who realize the importance of not endangering civilians, race. I'd much rather be applauding 24 Hours of LeMans-style max endurance track racing than applauding people stuck to the belief that a style of road racing popularized by Dom DeLuise and Terry Bradshaw is in some way a logical way to spend one's time.

Source: http://jalopnik.com/cars/speed-record/why-the-transcontinental-driving-record-should-die-311111.php

[speeder]

That's only the car record. The bike record is something like 28 hrs. from NY to San Francisco, set maybe 5 years ago. The guy was riding a modified Hayabusa w/ a huge tank, aircraft landing lights and a massive tank bag full of Mountain Dew w/ a tube going from his dick to the rear fender. Do a search and it should come up.

[Dan in Pasadena]

No, no not faulting you Kurt.

This IS of interest particularly on a site like this. And the less mature, less responsible part of me (meaning me, less about 20 years!) is very interested. I just think its almost a given someone dies doing this sooner or later.

Now, impossible as it would be to coordinate, if someone could plot a route cross country without using the Interstates...maybe using rural roads and getting municipal permission (in other words do this legally and without traffic) THEN I would love to see it done...using two drivers mandatory and a standardized amonut of gas.

[ZAMIRZ]

The article is incorrect, the previous record actually broke the Cannonball record...and it was done by a Ferrari 550 Maranello with a custom enlarged fuel tank. Previous record was 31 hrs, 59 minutes.


EDIT: I take that back, it appears this record was broken BEFORE Rawlings and Collins in the Ferrari, they were just waiting for the statute of limitations to expire before going public with it. Props to Alex Roy, that guys a legend now.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by speeder

That's only the car record. The bike record is something like 28 hrs. from NY to San Francisco, set maybe 5 years ago. The guy was riding a modified Hayabusa w/ a huge tank, aircraft landing lights and a massive tank bag full of Mountain Dew w/ a tube going from his dick to the rear fender. Do a search and it should come up.

frankly, I'm afraid to search on "mountain dew", "tube" and "dick"

[dd74]

I bet he had better leg room than if he were to fly United from NY to LA.

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by nostatic

frankly, I'm afraid to search on "mountain dew", "tube" and "dick"

you could do it, but the FBI would be knocking on your door in 5 minutes

[craigster59]

Originally Posted by speeder

That's only the car record. The bike record is something like 28 hrs. from NY to San Francisco, set maybe 5 years ago. The guy was riding a modified Hayabusa w/ a huge tank, aircraft landing lights and a massive tank bag full of Mountain Dew w/ a tube going from his dick to the rear fender. Do a search and it should come up.

That is probably the best pseudo H.S. Thompson quote I've seen in a long time.

[kstar]

[slodave]

Originally Posted by Tobra

you could do it, but the FBI would be knocking on your door in 5 minutes

And, just, how do we know this???

[widgeon13]

"Vanishing Point"