Road Rally? There is only one rule....

[Nick F40]

I have a question...concerning probably the best race that ever graced the racing fans that didn't feel like putting all their money into a racing program....Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash.

I have read and is still reading "Cannonball! World's Greatest Outlaw Road Race", probably my favorite book of all time next to Peter Egan's and Tom Cotter's. Lately I have been rewatching the documentary on the AKA Rally in '04 on True Life on MTV, videos on the Gumball rally (3000) and of course the Cannonball Run which has been mainly over in Europe and now this year in America, and even U.S. Express which followed the Cannonball Run. Over in Europe they aren't as uptight about these and it is an event to take part of. The thing that got me was what Brock Yates said in this article, http://www.caranddriver.com/features/colum...column/(page)/1

"There will probably never be another race like it. (I say probably.) But ######, it was fun. You had to have been there."

How come we can't have one like the original? I guess I did have to be there, I wish I was, with the book and "The Gumball Rally", I would of loved it, probably my favorite movie. Apprently they are still strong becuase people participate. But why can't we have a Cannonball Run like the one in 71 with Dan Gurney and Brock Yates finishing it in that beautiful 365 GTB/4 in 35:54 at an average 80.8 MPH? Over 2,876 miles, making 9 fuel stops, getting 12.2 miles per gallon, and getting stopped by the cops only once and only taking 1 minute and 5 seconds, now, the ticket only cost $90.

Many people bring up the speeding, but it's true, like in the movie, some of the people driving on the highway that are going 55 or under are actually more dangerous. One of the best paragraphs in the book was when Brock was describing the reason for getting the ticket when him and Gurney were flying on the empty highway in Arizona, they were going along I think they said close to 120 at night when Gurney all of a sudden spotted a Dodge and it started to chase them they thought of stopping at a gas station to lose him, so they were close, so they were quick, described as an Indy 500 pitstop with them switching places and they were able to get food, switch places, check tires and get fuel and race off before the cop even caught up to them. When the cop stopped them and was writing the ticket, he thought, he had to at least be going 140 to catch us, I quote from the book, "What really kills me about a deal like that is the whole absurd logic of high-speed pursuit. If we are being unsafe at 120 miles per hour, isn't he at least doubling the hazard by driving faster to catch us?"

That's my point, so we can still have fun, as long as we follow the guidelines, if you read the book and seen Gumball, then you'll know what I mean, it should still be like the original and as fun with the same amount of ingenious. It is so unpolitically correct, I LOVE IT!

Although we have the One Lap of America, which is GENIOUS but even so.

But why do you have to pay for it? The Cannonball Run is close to $10,000 for entry!

oh and Dan Gurney for President and Brock Yates for Vice President!

Edited January 2, 2009 by Nick F40

[Nick F40]

I found another great article http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt...v%3D2%26hl%3Den