A Information to America’s Final Unlawful Avenue Race

(This text has been up to date persistently since its publication in 2021 to mirror the most recent data and data obtainable. We are going to proceed to remain on high of all issues Cannonball.)

The Cannonball Run is an unparalleled avenue race with one aim: Drive from New York to California within the shortest period of time. Let’s dive into all issues Cannonball and look into the Cannonball Run document books.

• Cannonball Run Report: 25 hours and 39 minutes by Arne Toman and Doug Tabutt in a 2016 Audi S6 in Might 2020
• Coast-to-Coast-to-Coast Cannonball Run Report: 65 hours and 19 minutes by Bennett Wilson, Chris Ruppman, and Grady Leno in a 2012 Mercedes S500 in April 2022
• Solo Cannonball Run Report: 27 hours and 16 minutes by Chris Stowell in a 2015 BMW 535d on August 25-26, 2024 (additionally the Diesel and Non-COVID data)
• Motorbike Cannonball Run Report: 32 hours and 32 minutes by Ross “Beau” Earnest aboard a 2008 Yamaha FJR1300 on April 21, 2024
• EV Cannonball Run Report: 42 hours and 17 minutes by Ryan Levenson and Josh Allan in a rented Tesla Mannequin S Lengthy Vary in October 2021

Cannonball Run

Whenever you first hear of an unlawful and unsanctioned race throughout the whole United States, maybe chaos and carelessness come to thoughts. Possibly you’ve even seen the 1981 movie, “The Cannonball Run” which fictionally showcases the drive with the “All-American” glitz and recklessness of avenue racing. Though the race is illegitimate, it’s something however chaotic or careless.

The fact is that the racers of the Cannonball Run are normally methodical, attentive, and diligent, which is maybe much more baffling. Brock Yates, who created the race within the Nineteen Seventies, needed to show that you possibly can “drive rapidly throughout the nation in regular site visitors with out disrupting anybody or being unsafe.”

The run historically begins on the Crimson Ball Storage in Manhattan, New York, and ends on the Portofino Resort & Marina in Redondo Seashore, Calif. To at the present time, there are just a few individuals each loopy and decided sufficient to try the coast-to-coast run, particularly with the aim of a brand new Cannonball document.

Firstly of the 2019 documentary, “APEX: The Secret Race Throughout America” which covers the true story of how the Cannonball Run document was damaged in 2006, the viewers is posed with three questions: “What may very well be extra pointless? What may very well be extra harmful? What have been these individuals considering?”

The top of “APEX” doesn’t present any solutions, however, as an alternative, leaves the viewers with much more questions: “Why did Cannonball Baker do it? Why did Alex [Roy] and David [Maher] do it? Had been they chasing one thing?”

In the long run, the documentary doesn’t try to untangle the complexities of the 110 years of the Cannonball Run, merely stating, “These questions can’t be answered.”

Coast-to-Coast Racing

On this Cannonball Run article, you will see an entire historical past and rundown of all of the data, and a listing of films and books in regards to the run.

Historical past of the Cannonball Run

Let’s discuss in regards to the historical past of this race that spans from 1903 to now — how this race got here to be and the way it withstood the take a look at of time, scrutiny, and properly, the regulation. In an fascinating twist, with the intention to keep away from authorized ramifications, all info of the people who set the brand new data are sometimes not launched till a minimum of a 12 months after the very fact, as soon as the statute of limitations has expired.

Paving the Highway for the Cannonball Run

The primary cross-country drive, from San Francisco to New York Metropolis, was accomplished in 1903 by George Adams Wyman on a 1902 California Motor Firm motor bicycle. The journey, which lined 3,800 miles and took 51 days, concluded on July 6, 1903.

At the very same time, H. Nelson Jackson and his mechanic Sewall Crocker, have been the primary to cross the continent by car, in a 1903 Winton touring automobile. They began their journey sooner than Wyman, however accomplished it after him, taking 64 days to finish the journey.

In 1909, 22-year-old Alice Ramsey drove a 30-horsepower Maxwell DA touring automobile from Manhattan to San Francisco in 59 days. She is the primary girl to drive an car throughout the U.S. coast to coast. She was accompanied by three different girls, none of whom might drive. Of the three,600-mile route, solely 152 miles have been paved. Which means it included altering 11 tires, a damaged brake pedal, cleansing fouled spark plugs, and sleeping within the automobile when it obtained caught within the mud.

These inaugural journeys proved it may very well be completed and impressed rival groups of motorists to show the journey right into a race.

Issues actually obtained shifting a couple of decade later when transcontinental freeway plans have been devised. It might then take a few years to see these plans come to fruition, however cross-country journeys fairly rapidly obtained a lot simpler and sooner.

Erwin George “Cannon Ball” Baker

A person named Erwin George Baker, whom everybody knew as “Cannon Ball” Baker, set the coast-to-coast document for driving a automobile throughout the nation from New York to Los Angeles in 1933. Baker spent the vast majority of his profession prepping for it by driving transcontinentally on a bike. On the time, the roads he drove have been totally unpaved.

In Might 1914, he set out on his Indian bike to interrupt the transcontinental document, beginning in San Diego. The newspaper accounts from the time revealed that he meticulously prepped for this trip — he “laid out his routes forward of time, planning what roads and cities to journey via and even planting tanks of fuel forward of him in distant areas to keep away from gasoline bother.”

Baker efficiently set the document and arrived in New York after 11.5 days of driving. The endurance Baker wanted to finish this feat is the endurance that has carried via the entire Cannonball Run makes an attempt that adopted.

53:30 — A Report That Stood for 38 Years

In 1933, Baker tried his final coast-to-coast drive throughout the USA, finishing the journey in 53 hours and half-hour. To know how spectacular this time was, do not forget that simply 19 years earlier, it took him practically 12 days to do the identical factor.

Behind the wheel of a Graham Car, Cannon Ball Baker made historical past. In fact, on the time, this drive was not referred to as the Cannonball Run. It wasn’t even a race. It was a singular, momentous drive that impressed the Cannonball Run as we all know it.

After his demise, Baker was inducted into quite a few motorsports halls of fame. The Motorsports Corridor of Fame of America remembers Baker’s unmatched impression: “Within the American lore of Roaring Twenties bravado, mud-splattered willpower over horse tracks and nation roads and the relentless quest for brand new data, none will ever examine to the one and solely Cannon Ball.”

Though the 1933 document has been crushed many instances over, it stays true that Cannon Ball Baker’s affect won’t ever be forgotten.

The First ‘Official’ Unsanctioned Races: Brock Yates & the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Sprint

In 1971, 38 years after Baker’s document, Brock Yates made the race a family title. He referred to as it the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Sprint. Yates — the senior editor for Automotive and Driver Journal on the time — Brock Yates Jr., Steve Smith, and Jim Williams set out from New York Metropolis in a 1971 Dodge Customized Sportsman van, often called “Moon Trash II.”

Similar to when Cannon Ball Baker made the journey, this drive was not but a race, nevertheless it grew to become the blueprint for the inaugural race that Yates would put collectively later that 12 months.

This unsanctioned avenue race was held in 1971, 1972, 1975, and 1979. It started in New York Metropolis — and Darien, Conn., as soon as — and ended on the Portofino Inn in Redondo Seashore, Calif. Within the perplexing spirit of the Cannonball Run, this race was each framed as a celebration of the U.S. Interstate Freeway System and a protest in opposition to strict site visitors legal guidelines, particularly the 55mph pace restrict enforced on main highways.

The principles have been that you just made your personal guidelines. In a March 1972 Automotive and Driver characteristic, Yates stated that the parameters of the Cannonball Run have been as follows: “All rivals will drive any automobile of their selecting, over any route, at any pace they choose sensible, between the start line and vacation spot. The competitor ending with the bottom elapsed time is the winner.”

A Day to Keep in mind: November 15, 1971

The primary race occurred on November 15, 1971. A characteristic from the March 1972 subject of Automotive and Driver Journal, written by Brock Yates himself, sums it up: “These rattling fools, they went and did it.”

The fools in query? Properly, that might be Dan Gurney and … Brock Yates. Six automobiles left the Crimson Ball Storage in New York Metropolis, all headed west towards the Portofino Inn in Redondo Seashore. Just a few hours in, two extra automobiles joined in, making for a fleet of eight automobiles crammed with “23 lunatics.”

On November 15, 1971, Dan Gurney and Brock Yates co-drove a Kirk F. White Ferrari Daytona coup to the end in 35 hours and 54 minutes — notably, solely 53 minutes sooner than the second-place group. On this race, Gurney and Yates beat seven different groups who have been all trying to win. Of the eight groups, half of them obtained rushing tickets.

Funnily sufficient, a big motor van participated on this race. Invoice Broderick, alongside Pal Parker, drove a 27-foot Travico motor dwelling. Unsurprisingly, they completed final at 57 hours and 25 minutes.

Yates determined to each host and take part in such an occasion as a “whimsical gesture of defiance of the routine of latest site visitors legal guidelines.” On the finish of Yates’ personal 1972 characteristic, he wrote, “Nobody who ran, not Gurney, not Adamowicz, not anyone, obtained a dime for the race, making it some type of milestone in fashionable automotive annals.”

1972 & 1975 Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Sprint

On November 13, 1972, Steve “Yogi” Behr, Invoice Canfield, and Fred Olds gained the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Sprint with a time of 37 hours and 16 minutes. Whereas this group beat the opposite racers, they didn’t beat Gurney and Yates’ 1971 document. They raced in a Cadillac Coupe DeVille — the primary American automobile to win the Cannonball Run.

Nevertheless, the document didn’t stand for lengthy. In 1975, Jack Might and Rick Cline drove a Ferrari Dino in 35 hours and 53 minutes, at a mean pace of 81 mph, to assert the brand new document.

‘Last’ Cannonball Run in 1979

Within the 1979 Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Sprint, Dave Heinz and Dave Yarborough beat the document by 3 hours and a pair of minutes. Driving in a Jaguar XJS, the group achieved a time of 32 hours and 51 minutes with a mean pace of 86 mph. Notably, not like any of the opposite makes an attempt, this run started in Darien, Conn.

Automotive and Driver contributing editor Fred M.H. Gregory gave an account of The Final Cannonball in a 2002 article. He revealed that on this race, there have been a whopping 46 groups concerned, all taking off at 10-minute intervals.

Apparently, Yates’ automobile for this run was a Dodge ambulance with a Magnum 440 engine. Inside moments of departure, the ambulance broke down and wanted repairs that took greater than an hour. Nonetheless, Yates nonetheless accomplished the race however was nowhere close to beating the document.

And whereas Yates used the guise of an ambulance, one other group (Lou Sellyei and Gary Arentz) merely put a cooler inside their Jaguar XJ-S. When pulled over for rushing, they stated, “We’re speeding to save lots of a baby’s sight, officer.” They have been each physicians, however the contents of the cooler, properly, have been pig’s eyes.

Brock Yates, the organizer of the unique Cannonball Run, doesn’t formally acknowledge any data after 1979. Yates commented, “I ended the race as a result of I knew in the end that anyone was going to get killed.” However Yates left the Cannonball floodgates open. “If individuals wish to attempt it, the roads are open,” he stated.

Cannonball Run Underneath a New Title: The U.S. Specific

The U.S. Specific was held from 1980 to 1983. Whereas the race was tried for 4 years, the document was not crushed till Doug Turner and David Diem beat it in 1983.

Within the documentary “APEX,” one of many interviewees famous, “By the point you bought to the U.S. Specific, it was solely probably the most hardcore individuals.”

Inaugural 1980 U.S. Specific

Simply because it did prior to now, the race started in New York and led to California. Within the case of the 1980 U.S. Specific, it started in Brooklyn and led to Santa Monica. The winners of the 1980 race have been Rick Doherty and Will Wright coming in at 33 hours and 9 minutes. That point, as spectacular because it was, didn’t beat the 1979 document of 32 hours and 51 minutes held by Heinz and Yarborough.

Apparently sufficient, the co-driver, Will Wright, was a well-known sport designer. Wright’s experience in know-how translated properly to the preparation wanted for a Cannonball document try.

1981 U.S. Specific

In 1981, although they didn’t beat the document, David Morse and Steve Clausman drove a Porsche 928 on a route that was totally on I-80 to take dwelling the win. This race started in Lengthy Island, N.Y., and completed in Emeryville, Calif. The automobile was outfitted with a large gasoline tank. Clausman was an expert driver and Morris was a businessman.

When reflecting on their experiences within the documentary “APEX,” they spoke of how necessary it was for the driving force and co-driver to enhance each other. Clausman, each significantly and jokingly, stated, “It’s most likely the stupidest factor I’ve completed in my life.”

1982 U.S. Specific

Info concerning the 1982 U.S. Specific appears to be practically nonexistent. With that, we have been unable to search out who was concerned, a lot much less who gained the race.

In a video interview, David Morse, the 1981 winner of the U.S. Specific, stated, concerning the 1982 race, “Every little thing that might go mistaken did go mistaken. The freeway patrol of assorted states had been notified not solely in regards to the race however about our automobile particularly. The officer would know me by title.”

He recounted what the police stated to him, “We’ve been instructed there may be an unlawful automobile race taking place, and we’re right here to sluggish you down, or, arrest you.” Morse gathered that somebody had alerted the authorities about his automobile particularly as revenge for his successful the 1981 race.

1983 U.S. Specific

In what would change into the ultimate U.S. Specific, Doug Turner and David Diem beat the Cannonball Run document, taking the win in 32 hours and seven minutes. Their document stood for over 20 years till 2006.

Turner and Diem have been the primary individuals to make use of a aircraft as a scouting software throughout their drive. Due to that, their try was met with some scrutiny as many individuals noticed using a aircraft as dishonest. However whereas many individuals have been unsure if a small aircraft or perhaps a helicopter might make it throughout the USA in 32 hours, Turner and Diem managed to get a automobile throughout the USA in that point.

Apparently, a documentary titled “32 Hours 7 Minutes” was created however by no means launched. You’ll be able to view an unofficial trailer. There have been and are many lawsuits and disagreements surrounding the discharge of this documentary, and it was finally by no means launched to the general public. It’s technically obtainable on DVD however goes for upward of $100 on Amazon.

The Finish of the U.S. Specific

The 1983 U.S. Specific ran right into a little bit of a roadblock — a literal police roadblock. When the “Cannonball Run” film was launched in 1981, the police have been instantly very conscious of the underground race. Any time a automobile could be rushing, in line with the documentary, “APEX,” police would suppose, “Wow, it may very well be Cannonball coming via!”

So, why did the race finish simply as a group lastly broke the document? Because the race grew to become publicized, legal responsibility elevated. Thus, the Cannonball Run below the title the U.S. Specific ended for good, and the document of 32 hours and seven minutes stood for over 20 years.

Extra Cannonball: Totally different Names

After the U.S. Specific ended, the legacy of organized transcontinental races continued. Within the spirit of Cannonball, drivers continued with transcontinental occasions together with One Lap of America, The 2904, and the C2C Specific.

The 2904

Also called the Transcontinental Motorized Vehicular Match of Effectivity and Endurance, The 2904 is an unofficial race that goes from, you guessed it, New York Metropolis to California that was began by John Ficarra.

The catch? It’s a must to do the race in a automobile that prices not more than $2,904. This contains the automobile, gasoline, meals, tolls, repairs, and tickets. If you are going to buy extra security tools, that doesn’t depend in opposition to you within the price range.

The 2904 started in 2007 and has occurred eight instances since then, up till 2017. In 2015, the document for The 2904 was set at 32 hours and 5 minutes in a 2002 Mercedes S55. In fact, Ed Bolian was behind the wheel and he cataloged his total expertise. You’ll be able to try the total listing of The 2904 occasion winners right here.

C2C Specific

The C2C Specific is a Cannonball Run particularly for traditional automobiles that began in 2016. Ed Bolian participated within the inaugural race in a “Bluemobile.” In January 2020, Ed Bolian posted a video titled New Yr’s Particular: The Last Operating of The C2C Specific.

The Washington Publish describes the C2C Specific as, “5 automobiles, 13 guys, numerous power drinks and a pair of,900 miles of asphalt: Welcome to the C2C Specific.”

New Period of Particular person Cannonball Runs

With the tip of the U.S. Specific, the Cannonball Run grew to become a person endeavor with single groups making the run to attempt to break the general document. And whereas many makes an attempt have gone unpublicized through the years, the groups which have damaged the document have largely been extraordinarily vocal about it — after the statute of limitations is up, in fact.

2006 Cannonball Run Report of Alex Roy & David Maher

In 2006, Alex Roy and David Maher beat the Cannonball Run Report with a time of 31 hours and 4 minutes in a BMW M5. The small print of their feat weren’t launched till Roy launched his memoir, “The Driver,” in 2007.

In 2019, the documentary “APEX” was launched with actual footage and interviews surrounding each the 2006 run and the 1983 U.S. Specific race.

Utilizing an immense quantity of know-how, Roy and Maher determined they might masquerade as climate watchers in the event that they have been pulled over.

This win didn’t come with out its struggles. Alex Roy’s first try in April 2006 was minimize quick when his M5’s gasoline pump failed in Oklahoma. However that didn’t cease him from trying the run once more, leading to his 2006 document.

2013 Cannonball Run Report of Ed Bolian, Dave Black, and Dan Huang

Ed Bolian, together with Alex Roy, is maybe probably the most outspoken participant of the Cannonball Run. If there have been to be an honorary skilled on this matter, it will doubtless be Bolian.

In 2013, Bolian, Dave Black, and Dan Huang drove a 2004 Mercedes-Benz CL55 AMG throughout the nation in 28 hours and 50 minutes, an astonishing feat to interrupt the 30-hour mark. Bolian selected this automobile due to its understated appears, making it extra prone to go unnoticed, which is strictly what a Cannonballer desires. Their common pace was 98 mph, and the automobile had 67 gallons of gasoline capability. In complete, the group solely stopped for 46 minutes.

Bolian mirrored on the preparation of the 28:50 drive and what the drive meant to him personally in his video, 5 years in the past we set the Cannonball document. He talked about how, as a excessive schooler, he was given the chance to interview Brock Yates for a challenge in automotive journalism.

Bolian instructed Yates, “At some point, I’m going to beat the Cannonball Run document.” When he stated that, Yates admitted that he didn’t suppose that it may very well be completed. Since that second, Bolian had got down to uncover what it will take to beat this document.

When talking in regards to the expertise of the drive itself, Bolian stated, “Every little thing went in addition to it might.” Bolian additionally commented that he “hopes that he shattered Roy’s document by such a stark margin that it discourages would-be Cannonballers from trying to interrupt his document, and it’s not only a matter of his personal legacy.”

2019 Cannonball Run Report of Arne Toman, Doug Tabutt, and Berkeley Chadwick

Regardless of Bolian’s hope, it wasn’t lengthy earlier than the document was lowered once more. On November 10, 2019, Arne Toman, Doug Tabutt, and Berkeley Chadwick drove a 2015 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG sedan throughout the nation in 27 hours and 25 minutes. This new document was just a bit over 1 hour sooner than the 2013 document.

Within the video We Broke the Cannonball Report, Arne Toman says, “To me, Cannonballing is the last word expression of freedom. As a child, I noticed the film, I learn the articles, and it was one thing that was ceaselessly on my thoughts. In 2006, we had completed the One Lap of America, which is the occasion Brock Yates turned Cannonball into as soon as he stopped doing the cross-country runs.”

Toman stated that when he heard of Bolian’s 2013 document, he was “each excited and gutted.” He noticed Bolian’s time as unbeatable. However Arne didn’t get discouraged, as an alternative deciding to arrange for his try. A lot of Toman’s time went into researching the very best gasoline switch system to attenuate time.

Doug Tabutt remarked, “Don’t simply meet your heroes, beat your heroes.” And, Arne and Doug did simply that. The co-drivers truly met via Bolian. The remaining is historical past.

You’ll be able to learn extra about their journey within the Highway & Observe article, These Guys Simply Drove an E63 AMG Throughout America in a Report 27 Hours 25 Minutes.

COVID-19 Pandemic Cannonball Run Period

Many individuals hunkered down and stayed dwelling throughout the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the U.S. in March 2020. However, others took to the highway. Is {that a} sensible or honest thought? Properly, one would possibly ask, has any of this ever been a “sensible” or “honest” thought?

The Cannonball Run’s record-breaking makes an attempt have by no means ended. Cannonball data have been damaged at an unimaginable fee throughout the peak of the pandemic.

The emotions behind this race have all the time been that of immense preparation, innovation, and endurance. What, then, does it imply when drivers are making the most of an unprecedented time? Does that match the spirit of the Cannonball Run?

The primary confirmed new Cannonball document throughout the pandemic occurred in April 2020. Then, the document was damaged once more in Might. Then, the solo document was set later in Might — and, on the time, regarded as the general document.

Throughout the 5 weeks from April to Might 2020, Cannonballers took benefit of open roads as a result of international pandemic. Is it honest? A tough query to reply, because the “equity” of an unsanctioned avenue race might be questionable to start with.

April 9, 2020 Cannonball Run Report of Group “Captain Chaos”

Ed Bolian introduced a brand new Cannonball document on April 9, 2020. When Bolian mentioned whether or not or not the rumors have been true of this preliminary document being damaged amid COVID-19, he stated, “Sure, it’s true … type of.” He then went on to say, “I’m saying proper now that it wouldn’t be me. And I’m saying proper now, it was not me.”

Bolian spoke of the group that held the brand new Cannonball Run document in April. He recounted, “A group had gone from the Crimson Ball Storage to the Portofino Resort and Marina in a 2019 Audi A8 with a time of 26 hours and 38 minutes, an UNBELIEVABLE time that beat the November 2019 time of Arnie and Doug of their E63.”

When talking in regards to the group, Bolian famous, “They didn’t wish to be often called the important thing violators of all of those shelter-in-place rules. No person needed to be on the market placing anybody’s lives in peril.”

The nameless group, dubbed “Captain Chaos” by the Cannonball group, set a brand new outright document of 26 hours and 38 minutes on April 4, 2020, in a 2019 Audi A8L. The group stored their identities and particulars of the run below wraps for over 3 years, to ensure that the statute of limitations on their site visitors violations to elapse.

The group and particulars of the Cannonball Run have been uncovered on the SwitchCast Podcast, with host Arne Toman. The three-person group consisted of Chris Allen, James Allen, and Kale Odhner. Group captain Allen is an achieved endurance racer and the automobile used was his father’s leased Audi. The group did use spotters, stabilized binoculars, a radar detector, Waze, and a few trunk-mounted marine gasoline cells to perform their document run. You’ll be able to hearken to all the small print right here.

The document run was one of many least costly ever and likewise a document that was held for the shortest period of time in historical past — about 40 days.

Early Might 2020 Cannonball Run Report of Arne Toman & Doug Tabutt

Quick-forward to Might 2020. The April 2020 Cannonball Run document was as soon as once more crushed. Based on Bolian, the brand new document was below 26 hours, the automobile averaged over 120 mph for a lot of the drive, and the group had over 30 spotters. Bolian believed this document was the tip of the “COVID-19 Cannonball Period.”

It was later revealed that this was Arne Toman and Doug Tabutt’s new 25-hour and 39-minute outright document.

On Bolian’s well-known YouTube Channel, VINwiki Automotive Tales, it was introduced on Might 14 that there had been one other New Cannonball Report. Ed stated, “Take into account that it took six years and dozens of extraordinarily well-prepared occasions for anybody to beat 28 hours, 50 minutes. Within the span of 5 weeks, it was simply crushed seven instances.”

Might 6-7, 2020 (Solo & Rental) Cannonball Run Report of Fred Ashmore*

Whereas the premise of the Cannonball Run basically is unfathomable for most individuals, doing the drive fully alone is much more unbelievable.

In a mind-boggling feat, Ashmore rented a 2019 Ford Mustang GT from Avis for 17 days for $700. He then loaded it up with quite a few gasoline tanks — 127 gallons onboard in complete. “If I might take these two different individuals out and change them with gasoline,” Ashmore stated, “I might do it.” (As quoted in an October 2020 GQ article.)

He solely stopped one time for fuel, in Kellyville, Okla., touring the normal southern Cannonball Run route, over 2,806.2 miles. He averaged 12.3 mpg and about 109 mph. The run solely value him about $3,000 in complete.

Ashmore thought his run was completed when he sat at a California agriculture checkpoint for 20-plus minutes, however in the long run obtained waved via with out subject. He additionally had a run-in with a police officer close to Gardenia, Calif., the place he escaped arrest by exiting rapidly and looping round a couple of instances earlier than getting again on monitor. All the run was overseen from afar by Ashmore’s brother, who helped with calculations, climate, site visitors, and so on.

First reported by Angelo Melluso of Highway & Observe, Fred Ashmore made this solo try on Might 6-7, 2020, in a document time of 25 hours and 55 minutes. That story has since been up to date, to align with Benjamin Preston’s story on Highway & Observe that places Ashmore’s run into query — largely based mostly on this detailed report.

A VINwiki video of Ashmore sharing the story of his run was additionally launched, taken down, after which put again up with a disclaimer. A lot of different YouTube interviews with Ashmore speaking about his run have additionally been revealed.

You learn that proper — a rental automobile with a single occupant simply set the quickest recognized Cannonball Run time (publicly recognized on the time). In the long run, it was truly the solo and rental automobile data that Ashmore had set, because the early Might 2020 Toman/Tabutt run was ultimately revealed as the general document.

Ashmore purchased the automobile a couple of months later from a dealership, after monitoring it down, and owns it at this time. He named the automobile “Kilroy.” You’ll be able to comply with Ashmore’s automotive adventures on Instagram right here.

However, there may be numerous drama, egos, and mistrust amongst the Cannonball group surrounding Ashmore and his run. A core group of the “fraternity of lunatics” that make up the Cannonball group have discredited Ashmore’s run, others locally haven’t discovered a substantive cause to not imagine him.

I, Bryon Dorr, have talked to Ashmore straight — the place I obtained the small print you see right here — in addition to others within the “fraternity of lunatics” and heard either side of this story. There are compelling causes to imagine and to not imagine Ashmore’s run to be respectable. However, in the long run, Ashmore has not been in a position to produce any strong proof of his run to me or anybody else.

That is an ongoing saga and one which I’ll proceed to comply with up on to make sure that this Cannonball document story is as correct as attainable. A minimum of, as a lot as reporting on a secretive and unlawful avenue race will be.

2023 U.S. Specific Rebirth

Forty years after it was final run, the U.S. Specific was reborn. On October 27, 2023, 15 groups left the Crimson Ball Storage in New York, with 13 ending on the Portofino in California. A brand new aggressive occasion document was set with a time of 30:56, and the worst time of the occasion was 39:13. The organized occasion was placed on by Taylor Hull, with the permission of the unique occasion organizer’s (R.I.P. Rick Doherty) household.

The occasion was invite-only, with Hull hand-picking the members. Solely 1983 or older automobiles, with period-correct engines, have been permitted. Groups might go away the Crimson Ball anytime they needed between 6 p.m. and midnight on October 27. Just a few groups with newer automobiles additionally made noncompetitive runs whereas operating sweep for the occasion, to assist out any groups that had points alongside the way in which.

Jay Roberts was the official timekeeper, with groups every getting a paper time card that was manually punched — with a battery-powered traditional time clock — and signed at every finish of the route. Jay flew between New York and California with the time clock.

The pristine security document of aggressive coast-to-coast occasions stays intact. However sure, a couple of automobiles have been stopped with mechanical points, and some have been slowed down by getting “spirited driving awards” (higher often called rushing tickets).

New (Brief-Lived) Aggressive Occasion Report: 31:36

Taylor Hull’s 1970 Dodge Charger group, together with Hunter Robinson and Andrew Rodgers, was the primary automobile to reach on the Portofino throughout the 2023 U.S. Specific, setting a brand new aggressive occasion document time of 31 hours and 36 minutes.

This new document would even be the shortest-lived aggressive occasion document as properly, as precisely 1 hour later it was bested.

Aggressive Occasion Report: 30:56 by Group Operation 69

With a brand new aggressive occasion document of 30 hours and 56 minutes, Group Operation 69 — Cameron Davis and Aaron Tulin — rolled into the Portofino in a 1979 Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9, averaging about 92 mph throughout the nation. The previous Merc hit 69,000 miles on the odometer on the 2023 U.S. Specific, therefore the group title.

The automobile is a U.S.-spec model with Euro headlights, bumpers, and period-correct wheels. The large modification is a change from the three-speed auto with out overdrive to a six-speed handbook transmission with two overdrive gears. This provided higher gasoline economic system (10-11 mpg, in comparison with 8). It additionally allowed the automobile to cruise fortunately at 130 mph at 3,000 rpm in sixth gear. Electrical cooling followers changed the clutch fan below the hood, which elevated energy.

Modifications didn’t cease there, nonetheless. To drastically enhance vary, two 19-gallon gasoline cells, pumping into the principle tank, offered 64 gallons complete of onboard capability, equating to round 650 miles of vary per fill-up.

Off the entrance bumper hung 4 driving lights. Out again, there was the power to change between two totally different lighting patterns and a flipper plate that switches between classic and present tags. Inside there have been two telephones operating Waze and Freeway Radar apps, a Garmin GPS for monitoring time and pace, an adjunct change panel, a change for a valved muffler, extra methods monitoring gauges, and a radar detector.

Factoid: The route of the early ’80s U.S. Specific, and earlier Cannonball Runs, was 150 or so miles shorter than fashionable routes. Two-lane roads like previous Route 66 had for use; at this time, highways like Route 10 and 44 are used. The previous route was properly over 2,900 miles, whereas the brand new routes are simply over 2,800. Hold that in thoughts when evaluating previous instances and common speeds to fashionable ones.

The place Does the Cannonball Run Go From Right here?

Most of those new general Cannonball Run data have arisen throughout a time when, fairly actually, the whole world was shut down. Does this imply the brand new Cannonball Run data will likely be unbeatable? Does that imply it’s the finish of an period? ”It might destroy the pursuit,” Bolian stated.

Once more, Bolian acknowledged that, on the finish of the day, “There aren’t actual guidelines” in the case of the Cannonball Run. How might there be?

That is additionally the issue with speculating about the way forward for the Cannonball Run — as its historical past has proven, the occasion is sophisticated and unimaginable. The way it evolves from right here is anybody’s guess. It’s additionally as much as people to form, versus any governing physique.

The Place That First Popularized the Cannonball Run Now Thinks … It’s Not Cool Anymore

Eric Tingwall described the Cannonball Run as a “feat of nothingness” within the Automotive and Driver article, Cross-Nation Cannonball Velocity Information Are Dumb. Within the headline, he acknowledged that Automotive and Driver initially popularized this race, as Brock Yates was the senior editor for the journal when he created the race in 1971.

However Tingwall says, “We’re older and wiser at this time — not that very same journal that after campaigned in opposition to making automobiles safer. Driving throughout the nation is totally different now, too.” And he does have some extent. The ’70s and ’80s have been a special animal when it got here to driving than the current day.

On the finish of the article, Tingwall requested a tough query: “If proper now is just not an excellent time to jeopardize harmless lives by indulging in a egocentric and hole pursuit of notoriety, what makes that acceptable in higher instances?”

Notably, this opinion, so staunchly in opposition to the Cannonball Run, got here straight on account of the various makes an attempt made throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Although Tingwall speaks of the race, no matter COVID-19, as a “egocentric” and “hole pursuit,” maybe his emotions wouldn’t have been as intense if these makes an attempt weren’t made throughout this unprecedented time.

How Do You Determine the Guidelines When There Are No Guidelines?

Ed Bolian mentioned the professionals and cons of trying the Cannonball throughout a pandemic in a video posted on March 24, 2020. For instance, Waze, a navigation software generally utilized by the groups, is just not working as properly as a result of fewer individuals are on the highway. With that, an apparent professional is that there’s much less automobile site visitors on the highway.

“Groups have determined now’s the right time to chase their hopes and goals,” Bolian stated. He acknowledged the benefit of trying the Cannonball Run throughout this time however expressed blended emotions on the “okayness” of it.

With all this being stated, Bolian acknowledged that it will make no sense for him to sentence any of those drivers. “That might be like a cocaine seller telling a heroin seller that he’s only a horrible, horrible particular person,” he stated.

‘Don’t Break the Legislation Whereas Breaking the Legislation’ — Molly’s Sport

Bolian went on to interrupt down the complexities surrounding the record-breaking makes an attempt and success throughout this unprecedented time of COVID-19. He stated, “The thought of driving quick throughout the nation is considerably redeemed by the nod to historic precedent — the truth that it is a factor that actually occurred. There have been some entertaining films about it, and it’s a part of American automobile tradition.

“The truth that we get away with one thing deviant and law-breaking hinges upon the precept that folks suppose it’s okay as a result of these individuals are including their names to the historical past of Cannonball. I don’t suppose the general public urge for food is able to conceive that indulgence.”

The complicated nature of qualifying these new instances for the Cannonball Run boils all the way down to the concept data are each goal and subjective, Bolian concluded. The circumstances surrounding driving throughout COVID-19 will most likely — hopefully — by no means be the identical circumstances for anybody sooner or later.

Ed outlined all of the controversy in his movies concerning the latest data. Then, he ended on a constructive word: “A very powerful factor to me is to acknowledge that the most important and most important a part of the pursuit’s historical past is that previously fifty years, there have been no accidents involving different automobiles and no vital accidents.”

He continued, “And that has not occurred in any of those latest drives.” Bolian completed by saying two phrases concerning the latest data: “They depend.”

Yow will discover all of Ed Bolian’s movies on VINwiki concerning the Cannonball Run on the video playlist, Cannonball Run Associated Automotive Tales.

The Unofficial Cannonball Run Report Guide

Whereas there are not any guidelines, there are a couple of parameters. The entire drivers started in New York and led to Los Angeles. Usually, the race begins someday after midnight.

On this part, you will see a full listing of the Cannonball document holders. Throughout the listing, you will see their instances, their names, and the automobiles they drove. If the knowledge was obtainable, we’ve additionally outlined how every automobile was arrange, any distinctive methods that have been used, and any main points with the runs.

The one different unofficial Cannonball Run document listing is a spreadsheet revealed by Ed Bolian of VINwiki fame. Yow will discover his listing right here.

The Drive That Began Every little thing (1933)

53:30 Erwin George ‘Cannon Ball’ Baker

Higher often called Cannon Ball Baker, Baker is, you guessed it, the person behind all of this. In 1933, Baker drove a Graham-Paige mannequin 57 Blue Streak 8 from New York to Los Angeles. He accomplished the drive in 53 hours and half-hour. This grew to become the document time for driving throughout the USA. Baker’s time held for practically 4 a long time.

Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Sprint (1971-1979)

35:54 Dan Gurney & Brock Yates

On November 15, 1971, Dan Gurney and Brock Yates co-drove a White Ferrari Daytona coupe in 35 hours and 54 minutes. On this race, Gurney and Yates beat seven different groups. Notably, Gurney and Yates by no means exceeded 175 mph and had a mean pace of 80 mph.

On March 1, 1972, Automotive and Driver Journal launched a characteristic on the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Sprint. The article described intimately the automobile that gained the race: “This group left at 12:32. Their Ferrari was entered by exotic-car impresario Kirk F. White of Philadelphia. It was completely inventory (what may very well be modified?), and no additional tools was carried.

“A blinding blue paint job, full with beautiful pinstriping plus a patchwork of sponsor decals, made the automobile about as inconspicuous as Hugh Hefner’s DC-9. Nearly all people was satisfied the automobile could be a large favourite with regulation enforcement officers.”

Whereas the seven different automobiles racing all took an analogous route, Dan and Brock took a special one.

Yates wrote, “Reasonably than run Interstate 78 from northern New Jersey to the intersection of the Pennsy Turnpike at Harrisburg, its crew minimize northward throughout New Jersey’s Route 46, via Netcong and Hackettstown, to Interstate 80 due west throughout Pennsylvania. From there, they minimize southwest throughout Ohio from Akron to Columbus, intersecting with the traditional route.”

35:53 Jack Might & Rick Cline

Within the 1975 Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Sprint, Jack Might, and Rick Cline beat the document held by Dan Gurney and Brock Yates by one single minute. They drove throughout the USA in a Ferrari Dino 246 GTS in 35 hours and 53 minutes.

32:51 Dave Heinz & Dave Yarborough

Within the 1979 Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Sprint, Dave Heinz, and Dave Yarborough beat the document by 3 hours and a pair of minutes. Driving in a Jaguar XJS, the group achieved a time of 32 hours and 51 minutes with a mean pace of 87 mph.

Notably, not like any of the opposite makes an attempt, this run started in Darien, Conn.

The U.S. Specific (1980-1983)

32:07 Doug Turner & David Diem

In a Ferrari 308, Doug Turner and David Diem completed the run at 32 hours and seven minutes, 44 minutes sooner than the quickest Cannonball Run on the time. This was the “official” cross-country document till 2006.

The Ferrari 308 was designed to be refueled rapidly and had put in kill switches for brake lights. Turner and Diem spent months strategizing the very best route. Their common pace was 89.89 mph, however they typically drove over 125 mph.

The Cannonball Run Report Holders (2006-Current)

31:04 Alex Roy & David Maher

In 2006, after 23 years, Alex Roy and David Maher set out in a 2000 BMW M5 and beat the document, operating 31 hours and 4 minutes. The BMW M5 had a high pace of 155 mph however may very well be pushed to 190 mph with a software program improve. Whereas at instances they exceeded 150 mph, the common pace of the run was 90.1 mph.

The automobile was armed with three giant antennas, GPS navigation models, police scanners, night time imaginative and prescient so they may drive with out headlights, a number of cameras, and a 16-gallon gasoline cell. Additionally they had a small airplane following them the whole time with a radio communication system to maintain an eye fixed out for police and different obstacles. No person slept, and so they made six gasoline stops all through the whole run.

28:50 Ed Bolian, Dave Black, and Dan Huang

In 2013, Ed Bolian and Dave Block drove a 2004 Mercedes-Benz CL55 AMG throughout the nation at an unimaginable time of 28 hours and 50 minutes. Their common pace was 98 mph and the automobile had 67 gallons of gasoline capability. In complete, the group solely stopped for 46 minutes.

27:25 Arne Toman, Doug Tabutt, and Berkeley Chadwick

On November 10, 2019, Arne Toman, Doug Tabutt, and Berkeley Chadwick drove a 2015 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG sedan throughout the nation in 27 hours and 25 minutes, just a bit over one hour sooner than the 2013 document. The automobile was detuned to 700 wheel horsepower.

That they had many devices to help them together with radar detectors, a police scanner, a aircraft crash avoidance system, and brake/tail mild kill switches. Together with that, they used a thermal scope mounted on a gimbal on the roof which, in line with the group, proved to be slightly unhelpful.

26:38 Chris Allen, James Allen, and Kale Odhner

In April 2020, Chris Allen, James Allen, and Kale Odhner drove a 2019 Audi A8 sedan throughout the U.S. in 26 hours and 38 minutes. Notably, their automobile was outfitted with a pair of purple plastic marine gasoline tanks ratchet-strapped within the rear storage. The run’s common pace was 106 mph.

25:39 Arne Toman, Doug Tabutt, and Dunadel Daryoush

In Might 2020, the group of Arne Toman, Doug Tabutt, and Dunadel Daryoush drove a 2016 Audi S6, disguised as a Ford Taurus Police Interceptor, to a brand new document of 25 hours and 39 minutes. A 110 mph common pace for the whole run was achieved, with most speeds reaching simply shy of 175 mph. Over 30 spotters have been used to attain this run. The group left Manhattan at 6 p.m.

The automobile was modified to place out about 600 horsepower via modified turbos, an upgraded warmth exchanger, and a customized tune. A trunk-mounted 45-gallon gasoline cell, plus the automobile’s 22-gallon inventory tank, helped present the wanted vary and lowered gasoline stops.

A number of police-evasion modifications have been additionally put in on the automobile. These included radar detectors, laser diffusers, a CB radio, and a brake mild kill change. To high it off, a roof-mounted thermal digital camera was used to identify wildlife and police on the perimeters of the highway forward.

For Tabutt’s first-hand detailed account of this document run, try this story.

Different Cannonball Run Information

Together with the normal Cannonball Run general document, there have additionally been quite a few different particular Cannonball Run data. Whereas the principle rule of the Cannonball Run is that there are not any guidelines, these class data have a couple of self-imposed guidelines to adapt to the classes.

Cannonball Run Solo Report

The solo Cannonball Run document (together with the Diesel and Non-COVID data) is held by Chris Stowell with a time of 27 hours and 16 minutes. It was achieved on August 25-26, 2024, in a 2015 BMW 535 diesel. The automobile had an ECU tune, sq. tire setup, and an auxiliary gasoline tank within the trunk — 40 gallons of gasoline on board for an 800-900 mile vary.

An Insta360 radar detector with a laser jammer was the one police detection machine used, together with Google Maps operating on a smartphone and a DriveSmart Garmin GPS unit. Stowell left the Crimson Ball Storage at 2 a.m. on Monday morning, which allowed him to keep away from virtually all site visitors in each NYC and LA.

A 105mph common pace was achieved over the two,803.1-mile document run, with simply 32 minutes stopped — 15 of which have been a site visitors cease in Oklahoma, which resulted in a warning.

The earlier solo Cannonball Run document was held by Carl “Yumi” Dietz with a time of 27 hours and 54 minutes. It was set in a 2016 Cadillac ATS on April 4-5, 2020.

If Fred Ashmore can show his claimed time of 25 hours and 55 minutes from June 2020 in a rented 2020 Ford Mustang GT, he’ll get this document.

Solo Nonstop Cannonball Run Report

Jay Roberts set the brand new Solo Nonstop Cannonball Report at 33 hours and 45 minutes in September 2022 in a 2017 Toyota Prius. He was impressed by the VINwiki movies, on-line assets, and plenty of books on the Cannonball and simply needed to have a go himself.

His first try was throughout the 2021 Musketball, however that try was a lot slower than was acceptable to him — largely as a consequence of a semi-truck crash in Colorado that created site visitors.

Roberts’ Prius was outfitted with the inventory 11-gallon and three 32-gallon gasoline tanks, for a complete of 107 gallons. He didn’t cease for gasoline on the whole cross-country run and nonetheless had about 17 gallons left when he arrived on the Portofino.

Whereas he did have a radar detector and the JBV1 app operating on an Android telephone, he largely relied on a digital group of spotters in a personal radar detector on-line group to assist him keep out of bother and on monitor. He did get pulled over as soon as — for about 5 minutes — for rushing however wasn’t issued a ticket, one way or the other.

He used a funnel and a small gap within the floorboards to alleviate himself on the run in order to not make any lavatory stops. He did make one cease the place he exited the automobile on the run — which he referred to as a security cease — with the intention to clear the bugs off the windshield.

Roberts says he averaged 84 mph on the run and obtained 32 mpg. He drove 100-105 mph a lot of the run, to stability pace with gasoline economic system, in addition to to beat his goal time of a sub-34-hour Cannonball Run.

Coast-to-Coast-to-Coast Cannonball Report

The primary recognized C2C2C document was set in 1971 with a time of 90 hours by Ed Bruerton and Tom Bruerton in an AMC AMX.

In Might 2020, on the identical weekend because the Toman/Tabutt general document, Chris Clemens and Mark Spence drove a 1999 Mercedes SL500 over 5,600 miles spherical journey from New York to Los Angeles to New York to set the brand new Double Cannonball document at 74 hours and 5 minutes.

On the drive west, the group was in a position to make use of lots of the identical spotters that helped Toman and Tabutt to an general Cannonball Report. The group did, nonetheless, get pulled over as soon as for rushing, and issued a ticket, on the drive west.

There have been numerous makes an attempt of C2C2C data since, particularly in 2022. The present document stands at 65 hours and 19 minutes and was set on April 22-24, 2022, by Bennett Wison, Chris Ruppmann, and Grady Leno in a 2012 Mercedes S500. Solely every week previous to that document, and solely 9 minutes slower, the document had been set in a 2008 Saab 9-5 Aero by Nik Krueger, Wesley James, and Mark Spence.

Cannonball Run Motorbike Report

The Cannonball Run bike document is the place all of it started all the way in which again in 1914 with Erwin George “Cannon Ball” Baker’s 11.5-day transcontinental run.

Alan “the stalwart Californian” T. Bedell rode a Henderson bike from Los Angeles to New York in 7 days, 16 hours, and 16 minutes in 1917 to impressively beat Cannonball’s document.

The document is rumored to have modified fingers a minimum of seven instances through the years.

On April 20, 2019, Calvin Cote set a brand new bike cannonball document with a time of 35 hours and 6 minutes. He was driving a 2012 BMW K1600 GTL, with a customized 15-gallon auxiliary gasoline tank. You’ll be able to watch a GoPro video of his total run right here.

Alex Jones set one other Cannonball Run bike document on Oct. 17-18, 2021, aboard a 2014 Yamaha FJR1300 at a time of 32 hours and 52 minutes. It’s chronicled in a 2021 Highway & Observe story.

Ross “Beau” Earnest set the present Cannonball Motorbike document on April 21, 2024, aboard a 2008 Yamaha FJR1300, with a time of 32 hours and 32 minutes. Beau averaged 86.5 mph on his over 2,800-mile journey, which began April 19 on the Crimson Ball Storage. He took the southern route via Texas and Arizona to keep away from storms in Colorado.

He solely stopped for gasoline 5 instances, as he was operating a 13-gallon gasoline cell. The bike was outfitted with an Adaptiv laser jammer, a Valentine V1G2 radar detector, a seat by Russell Day Lengthy, a few cellphones, and a Nite Trip thermal digital camera.

Beau’s driving jacket pockets have been crammed with beef jerky and some 40-ounce water bottles to maintain him fueled and hydrated. Just a few GPS monitoring apps, together with Joiner, which was operating dwell and monitored by among the Fraternity of Lunatics, helped validate Beau’s document run.

With a lot of buddies driving their very own bikes forward of Beau on numerous sections of the document run, he was in a position to keep away from any main climate, site visitors, or regulation enforcement points. Nevertheless, his Bluetooth helmet comms failed close to Oaks, Missouri, and he needed to trip the remainder of the run to the Portofino with out audio comms. He acquired texts however couldn’t reply very properly at these speeds.

Cannonball Run Diesel Report

The present Cannonball Run diesel document (which can also be the Solo and Non-COVID data) was set on August 25-27, 2024, by Chris Stowell in a tuned 2015 BMW 535 diesel with a time of 27 hours and 16 minutes. A formidable 105 mph common pace was achieved over the two,803.1 mile document run. (For extra particulars and a video of this run, see the Solo document part above.)

The previous Cannonball Run diesel document was set on April 4, 2020, by Sean G. Petr, Jason Adkins, and Mark Spence. The group drove a 2014 Volkswagen Passat TDI throughout the nation in an impressively quick 28 hours and half-hour. A really spectacular common of 25.5 mpg was achieved over the two,852-mile journey, with an equally spectacular 100.07 mph common.

Cannonball Run 3-Wheeled Car Report

The three-wheeled automobile document is held by Alex Roy and Zach Bowman is 41 hours and 49 minutes. They set the three-wheeled Cannonball Run document in a Morgan 3 Wheeler in 2015.

Cannonball Run EV Report

The electrical automobile document started in 1968 with the Nice Transcontinental Electrical Automotive Race that was deliberate by college students at MIT and Caltech. In 1986, the Caltech group gained with 210 hours and three minutes spanning from August 26 to September 4.

The present document holders are Ryan Levenson and Josh Allan in a rented (off Turo) Tesla Mannequin S Lengthy Vary in a time of 42 hours and 17 minutes, which was set on October 22, 2021. The one automobile “modifications” have been overinflated 19-inch Tesla Tempest wheels, and the group solely used Waze for site visitors and regulation enforcement detection.

This newest document beat the earlier document by over 2 hours — Kyle Conner, Drew Peterson, and Tijmen Schreur driving a Porsche Taycan 4S (press loaner) in January 2021 in a time of 44 hours and 25 minutes. This document will proceed to fall rapidly as new EV tech is altering. Longer vary, sooner charging, and sooner EV automobiles are all on the close to horizon.

Cannonball Run Semi-Autonomous Car Report

The semi-autonomous automobile document started in 2015 when a Delphi self-driving automobile went coast-to-coast from San Francisco to New York over the span of 9 days.

Later that 12 months, Alex Roy, Carl Reese, and Deena Mastracci set the precise semi-autonomous and electrical Cannonball data in 57 hours and 48 minutes driving a Tesla Mannequin S P85d electrical sedan. Roy stated the two,995-mile run was completed 96.1% utilizing autopilot.

The next 12 months, on August 24, 2016, Alex Roy, Warren Ahner, and Franz Aliquio reset the semi-autonomous Cannonball Run document of simply 55 hours, in a 2016 Tesla Mannequin S90d.

A full 8 years later, the document has been as soon as once more reset, however with an unlikely automobile. On April 13, 2024, Jay and Gypsy Roberts set the semi-autonomous Cannonball Run document at 43 hours and 18 minutes in a 2017 Toyota Prius outfitted with a Comma.ai driver help system. This run is the primary to have a verifiable hands-free driving time, with a 98.416% hands-free run.

Cannonball Run Photo voltaic Report

The Cannonball Solar group designed and constructed the ‘Solar Strider’ photo voltaic automobile particularly to make a Cannonball run. It took two makes an attempt within the span of three years, however the 5 particular person group set the Cannonball run solar-powered document on July 21, 2024, at 4:42 p.m. PT. The document now stands at 13 days, 15 hours and 19 minutes.

The earlier document, and the one different recognized Cannonball photo voltaic try, took 57 days. It was achieved in a Tesla Y with a trunk filled with transportable photo voltaic panels in 2023. You’ll be able to try the Photo voltaic Cannonball Run YouTube channel to see all the small print of the run.

Total Coast-to-Coast Information

Apart from the Cannonball Run, which is from the Crimson Ball in New York Metropolis to the Portofino in California, there may be additionally an outright coast-to-coast, or transcontinental, document that’s hotly contested. This route is shorter — at about 2,565 miles. It’s normally from Jacksonville, Florida, to San Diego. It’s referred to as the “Southern Route,” “Southern Run,” or “Previous Spanish Path.”

Coast-to-Coast Total Report

In a Christmas miracle, Arne Toman, Doug Tabbutt, and David Simpson in a 2015 Mercedes E63s AMG — on December 25-26, 2018 — set a mind-boggling cross-country driving time of 24 hours flat. They managed this unimaginable time even after spending properly over a half-hour complete on the aspect of roads in three states getting pulled over for rushing, and receiving two substantial tickets.

Coast-to-Coast Solo Report

Bronson Justice set the solo outright document at 25 hours and 35 minutes in a Dodge Charger on October 4, 2020.

Coast-to-Coast Nonstop Report

The nonstop document is at the moment at 27 hours and 13 minutes by Steve Brown in a 2014 GMC Sierra on March 21, 2020.

Coast-to-Coast Semi-Autonomous Report

In April 2024, Jay Roberts and Mason Dibley established a semi-autonomous Spanish Path/coast-to-coast document of 32 hours 56 minutes, with 97.432% hands-free driving in a 2017 Toyota Prius with Comma.ai driver help system.

Coast-to-Coast Motorbike Report

A coast-to-coast bike document was set by Axe Dekruif in a time of 33 hours and 10 minutes. It was completed on a BMW S1000RR with an additional gasoline tank whereas ingesting a Crimson Bull/Gatorade combination in a CamelBak, and utilizing a Flir thermal imaging digital camera for night time driving. Axe averaged 72.6 mph on his cross-country run and produced a documentary (No Limits — No Regrets) on his journey.

In June 2022, a brand new coast-to-coast bike document was set at 28 hours and 42 minutes by Andrew Pieper on a 1999 Honda Blackbird 1100xx.

The present coast-to-coast bike document was set on August 26-27, 2023, at 28 hours and 28 minutes by Jacob Scroggs on a Harley-Davidson. Scroggs’s route from Jacksonville, Florida, to San Diego lined 2,375 miles, at a mean of 83.3 mph.

Cannonball Run Motion pictures & Books

Movies

The Gumball Rally (1976)

This film is impressed by the 1975 Cannonball Run document by Jack Might and Rick Cline that broke Yates’ and Gurney’s document by a mere 60 seconds. Whereas “The Gumball Rally” is totally fictional, the movie is hilarious, speedy, and a beautiful watch.

The Cannonball Run (1981) & Cannonball Run II (1984)

Whereas each of those movies are fully fictional, the fictional nature contributes to the magnificence of the race itself. Watching these films won’t offer you any historic context, however they’re a enjoyable watch with well-known actors and actresses together with Burt Reynolds and Farrah Fawcett. “The Cannonball Run” and “Cannonball Run II” are bought as a field set on Amazon.

APEX: The Secret Race Throughout America (2019)

Shifting forwards and backwards between the views and experiences of these concerned within the 1983 U.S. Specific and the 2006 unsanctioned Cannonball Run, this movie transports the viewer right into a front-row seat for the notorious race. Starting with a quick historical past of the Cannonball Run, the movie then shifts into first-person recounts of the races.

Greater than something, this movie reveals the preparation and willpower it took for the 2006 group of Alex Roy and David Maher to efficiently beat a document held by Doug Turner and David Diem that stood for practically 20 years.

You will notice the lengths and strategies that Roy and Maher used. They’d cover behind 18-wheelers, flip off their headlights to keep away from being seen, and keep in fixed contact with a small airplane hovering over them.

Throughout the run, at one level, the radio fully stopped working. On the identical time, you see the humanity of each Roy and Maher, just like the second after they cease off at a Burger King drive-thru to get meals whereas on the Cannonball Run. In fact, it’s possible you’ll surprise, “Why didn’t they only pack meals?” However who is aware of, whenever you need hen fries, you need hen fries.

You should buy the movie, “APEX: The Secret Race Throughout America” to stream by way of Prime Video or iTunes. The APEX web site notes, “APEX shatters the myths surrounding the transcontinental document and reveals never-before-seen footage from the Cannonball, U.S. Specific, and fashionable runs.”

Books

Cannonball! World’s Best Outlaw Highway Race by Brock Yates

Printed in 2003, “Cannonball!” was the primary e-book written in regards to the Cannonball Run.

Within the Nineteen Seventies, Brock Yates was the senior editor of Automotive and Driver Journal. However, that was not the one factor he was as much as — Yates created the Cannonball Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Sprint.

Not solely is that this e-book filled with unimaginable tales of the Cannonball Run, nevertheless it additionally incorporates pictures from many legendary moments. Written by one of the well-known automobile journalists whose impression continues to be reaching automobile fanatics at this time, “Cannonball!” is certain to impress.

The Driver: My Harmful Pursuit of Velocity and Reality within the Outlaw Racing World by Alexander Roy

Alexander Roy beat the Cannonball Run Report in 2006 after the document stood for practically 20 years. “The Driver” is Roy’s memoir, reflecting on all of his daring races the world over.

The entire races in his life ready him to beat the Cannonball document, driving from New York to Los Angeles in 32 hours and seven minutes. This e-book offers a compelling and deeply fascinating have a look at the story behind Roy’s motivations and experiences.

FOR THE RECORD: 28:50 A Journey Towards Self-Discovery and the Cannonball Run Report by Ed Bolian

Printed in 2017, Ed Bolian, a natural-born storyteller and racer, writes a memoir that speaks about greater than the logistics surrounding beating the Cannonball Run document. This e-book intertwines fascinating automobile tales and Bolian’s grappling together with his religion, and it explores what led him to have the will to change into the following record-holder for the Cannonball Run.

Actuality Is Extra Fascinating Than Fiction

To most, the prospect of collaborating on this race would possibly as properly be a fairytale … or a nightmare. The Cannonball Run is a really actual race that has stood the take a look at of time due to some loopy, pushed individuals who maintain eager to beat the document.

After studying this text, maybe you wish to go on a Cannonball Run bender and skim each e-book and watch each film you could find. Or, maybe you wish to scratch that racing itch of yours, a technique or one other. When you love the joys however hate the precise hazard, we advise refining your driving abilities at a efficiency driving college, at a monitor day, or on the pc or simulator. Quenching your want for pace in these retailers gained’t put the crosshairs of the regulation on you, like a Cannonball Run will.

When requested what outlined the Cannonball Run, Alex Roy answered, “Politics. Defiance. Endurance. Velocity. Battle. No stopping aside from gasoline and repairs. A route from coast-to-coast. An icepick within the face of conference.”

The Cannonball Run is an instance of when the realities of life find yourself being extra fascinating than fiction.