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"fun and entertainment around the world through the language of the motorcar." ? that is not encyclopedic
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In 1933, [[motorcycle]] racer [[Erwin George Baker|"Cannonball" Baker]] crossed the United States from coast-to-coast in approximately 54 hours. In the 1970s, [[Car and Driver]] founder and editor [[Brock Yates]] started the ''[[Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash]]'' in his own honour. The second race was won by Yates and [[Dan Gurney]], a former [[Formula One]] and [[24 hours of Le Mans|Le Mans]] driver, driving a [[Ferrari]] Daytona. They needed about 36 hours to transit from [[New York, New York|New York]] to [[Los Angeles, California|L.A.]] These events inspired the 1976 movies ''[[The Gumball Rally]]'' and ''[[Cannonball (film)|Cannonball]]'', as well as sequels including ''[[Cannonball Run (film)|Cannonball Run]]'', ''[[Cannonball Run II]]'', etc. The "Cannonball" race eventually was canceled in 1979 due to a combination of media attention and pressure from political influences and police organisations who were concerned about road safety.
In 1933, [[motorcycle]] racer [[Erwin George Baker|"Cannonball" Baker]] crossed the United States from coast-to-coast in approximately 54 hours. In the 1970s, [[Car and Driver]] founder and editor [[Brock Yates]] started the ''[[Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash]]'' in his own honour. The second race was won by Yates and [[Dan Gurney]], a former [[Formula One]] and [[24 hours of Le Mans|Le Mans]] driver, driving a [[Ferrari]] Daytona. They needed about 36 hours to transit from [[New York, New York|New York]] to [[Los Angeles, California|L.A.]] These events inspired the 1976 movies ''[[The Gumball Rally]]'' and ''[[Cannonball (film)|Cannonball]]'', as well as sequels including ''[[Cannonball Run (film)|Cannonball Run]]'', ''[[Cannonball Run II]]'', etc. The "Cannonball" race eventually was canceled in 1979 due to a combination of media attention and pressure from political influences and police organisations who were concerned about road safety.


Drawing inspiration from the 1970s race, the aforementioned movies, as well as the movie ''[[Smokey and the Bandit]]'', [[Maximillion Cooper]] revived the spirit of the old races in the summer of 1999 by combining the racing element with nightly parties and layovers at luxury hotels. The "Gumball 3000" has since captured public attention through celebrity participation and widespread coverage including [[CNN]], [[MTV]], the [[BBC]], ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'' magazine, ''[[FHM]]'' magazine, and George Gurley from ''Vanity Fair'', who rode with 2003 Winner [http://www.gumball144.com/ Alexander Roy] through [[Morocco]] during the 2004 Rally.
Drawing inspiration from the 1970s race, the aforementioned movies, as well as the movie ''[[Smokey and the Bandit]]'', [[Maximillion Cooper]] revived the spirit of the old races in the summer of 1999 by combining a rally with nightly parties and layovers at luxury hotels. The "Gumball 3000" has since captured public attention through celebrity participation and widespread coverage including [[CNN]], [[MTV]], the [[BBC]], ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'' magazine, ''[[FHM]]'' magazine, and George Gurley from ''Vanity Fair'', who rode with 2003 Winner [http://www.gumball144.com/ Alexander Roy] through [[Morocco]] during the 2004 Rally.


==Rally==
==Rally==

Revision as of 10:21, 11 May 2007

Before the start of the Gumball 3000 in Pall Mall, London, 30 April, 2006

The Gumball 3000 is an annual 3000 mile (5000 km) international rally that occurs on public roads, typically in Europe. Although denied by the organisers, the controversial rally is considered by many a race on public roads[1], as the drivers often violate speed limits during the rally[2]. During the history of the rally, many participants have been fined by the police in countries they passed through[3], cars have been confiscated[4] and the 2007 rally was cancelled after participants in the rally were involved in a fatal accident[5].

Founder of Gumball 3000

Gumball 3000 was founded in 1999 by Maximillion Cooper. Maximillion invited 50 of his most eccentric friends to take part in a 6 day 3000 mile drive around Europe, partying every night. The event started off with a wild party with some of Londons A-list including Kate Moss, Guy Ritchie, Billy Zane, Chris Eubank, Dannii Minogue and Monica Lewinski.

History

In 1933, motorcycle racer "Cannonball" Baker crossed the United States from coast-to-coast in approximately 54 hours. In the 1970s, Car and Driver founder and editor Brock Yates started the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash in his own honour. The second race was won by Yates and Dan Gurney, a former Formula One and Le Mans driver, driving a Ferrari Daytona. They needed about 36 hours to transit from New York to L.A. These events inspired the 1976 movies The Gumball Rally and Cannonball, as well as sequels including Cannonball Run, Cannonball Run II, etc. The "Cannonball" race eventually was canceled in 1979 due to a combination of media attention and pressure from political influences and police organisations who were concerned about road safety.

Drawing inspiration from the 1970s race, the aforementioned movies, as well as the movie Smokey and the Bandit, Maximillion Cooper revived the spirit of the old races in the summer of 1999 by combining a rally with nightly parties and layovers at luxury hotels. The "Gumball 3000" has since captured public attention through celebrity participation and widespread coverage including CNN, MTV, the BBC, Esquire magazine, FHM magazine, and George Gurley from Vanity Fair, who rode with 2003 Winner Alexander Roy through Morocco during the 2004 Rally.

Rally

1999

The original rally featured 50 of Cooper's friends, and travelled from London, to Rimini, Italy and back, passing through Paris, with a stop at the Chateau d'Esclimont. Lapping the LeMans race circuit, a checkpoint followed at the Mas du Clos Ferrari Museum, before moving on to Monaco Grand Prix circuit in Monaco, the Ferrari Factory in Maranello, the Ambras Palace in Austria and the Hockenheim Grand Prix Circuit in Germany before returning to London to cross the finish line on Park Lane. The winner drove a 1963 Jaguar E-Type. Other drivers included actors Billy Zane in a 1965 Aston Martin DB5, Jason Priestley in a Lotus Esprit V8 and Dannii Minogue in a Porsche Boxster.

2000

The second rally was held in May 2000. The race began at Marble Arch in London and continued to Stansted Airport, where all cars and people were airlifted to a private airport in Spain. The race then progressed through Bilbao, Cannes, Milan, Hotel Bühlerhöhe Castle near Baden-Baden (Germany), the Nürburgring GP circuit and Hamburg before returning to London. Notable entrants included drum and bass legend and James Bond villain Goldie in an Aston Martin V8, It girl Tara Palmer-Tomkinson in a Jaguar XK8, Great Train Robber Bruce Reynolds in a Bentley, the indie band Placebo in a Lagonda, the Happy Mondays all crammed into a 2+2 Jaguar, and Maximillion Cooper in the famous Bentley Arnage 1WO.

2001

The third rally, held in April 2001, featured 106 cars, including Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O and part of the cast of Jackass driving a 1989 Jaguar XJ6; F1 World champion Damon Hill driving a Lamborghini; comedian Vic Reeves in an Mercedes-AMG; Lord Montagu of Beaulieu in a Blower Bentley and Maximillion in an original Shelby Cobra. The race progressed from Hyde Park Corner in London to Berlin, Malbork, Vilnius, Saint Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen before returning to London. Several participants were carjacked in Latvijas and the racers were banned from London on the return trip. Kim Schmitz finished first in his Mercedes Brabus SV12 Megacar. Select portions of the race were broadcast as an hour-long Jackass Gumball 3000 Special on MTV and received the highest viewer ratings of the year.[citation needed] Ruby Wax also broadcast coverage of the event for terrestrial TV in the UK on BBC1, and wrestled with Chris Pontius of the Jackass crew.

2002

The fourth rally was held in April 2002, the first to be held outside of Europe. Beginning in New York and finishing at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, the rally passed through a checkpoint at the White House in Washington DC before stopping in Memphis, Tennessee for lunch in Elvis Presley's Mansion, Graceland. After receiving a Dallas Cowboys welcome in Texas, stops were made at the Cadillac Ranch; Santa Fe, New Mexico; the Grand Canyon; and Las Vegas, Nevada before the final stop at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills where Hugh Hefner and playmates awarded trophies. Entering the contest were 175 cars, including a 1960s Corvette painted in the Stars and Stripes that received an award for best car, the 1959 Ferrari California Spider similar to one used in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off that was bought at a cost of over $1m just to take part in the Gumball, as well as American muscle cars and modern day supercars. Fashion designer Donna Karan, models Amy Wesson and Rachel Hunter, and actor Matthew McConaughey were among the competitors. The winners were Nicholas Frankl and Nick Connor, who, despite being arrested and imprisoned for multiple safety infractions, were released on bail and flew to the finish line in prison attire.

2003

The fifth rally was held in May 2003, with more than 100 cars beginning in San Francisco, California with a finish line in Miami, Florida. The rally passed through Reno, Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, Tucson, Arizona, White Sands, New Mexico, San Antonio, Texas, Houston, Texas, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Featured entrants included Jackass' Ryan Dunn racing a rental car alongside skateboard legends Tony Hawk and Bam Margera in a Dodge Viper, Bucky Lasek, Motocross World champions Travis Pastrana and Carey Hart, and supermodel Jodie Kidd. Cars included a mix of Ferrari F50s and 360s, Lamborghini Murcielagos, a Koenigsegg CC supercar and Jesse James' customized VW Eurovan. Alex Roy won the Gumball Spirit Trophy in his Team Polizei BMW M5, outfitted with German Police equipment. The "Fastest Wheels" award was presented to Rob "Lonman" Kenworthy in a Porsche GT2, with the "Special Award" presented to Richard and Sue Rawlings, owners of a heavily modified Chevy Avalanche.

2004

The sixth rally was held in May 2004 in Europe, fielding 192 cars. The rally began at the Eiffel Tower in Paris and transitioned to Biarritz, Madrid, and Marbella before crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Africa. In Marrakech, Morocco, entrants were guests of the King before returning to Spain for the Barcelona Grand Prix and finishing at Cannes for the film festival. Former boxing world champion Chris Eubank drove a truck, while The Pianist Academy Award winning actor Adrien Brody favoured a Porsche, the 'Ai Ya' Boys rented a Winnebago RV, and Rob and Big Black of MTV2 drove the race in a rental car. Kim Schmitz won the race in a Mercedes CL. Gary Lutke and John Docherty won the coveted Spirit Trophy in a Citroën 2CV, and the Style Award was presented to Alex Roy's Team Polizei 144, dressed as Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The Safety Award was presented to Torquenstein for surviving a near fatal Dodge Viper crash in Morocco. Former Champion jockey Richard Dunwoody and journalist Clement Wilson entered in a Volvo V70R and wrote an account entitled "Our Gumball Rally" published by Virgin Books, and the race is documented on the Gumball 3000 DVD.

2005

The seventh rally originated at Trafalgar Square on May 14, 2005, and progressed 3000 miles from London to Brussels, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, and onto to Dubrovnik in Croatia. The cars then were transported by ferry to Bari, Italy, followed by a transit of the Targa Florio circuit in Sicily, before heading north to Rome and Florence. The finish line was in Monaco's Casino Square prior to the F1 Grand Prix. Participants included Daryl Hannah, rock stars and supermodels driving vehicles ranging from the Dukes of Hazzard General Lee to Ferrari Enzos and Mercedes SLRs.

Known to be heading towards London, five drivers were arrested on May 9, 2005 by the Catalonian traffic police when caught speeding between Sagunto and Tarragona. According to the police statement, one of the organizers was among those arrested. The story was published in Spain's newspapers on 10 May 2005.

The Spirit Trophy was awarded to Sue Bellarby and Kathy Huddart, whose Caterham 7 broke down just shy of the finish line. The two were transported to the finish line by Gumball legend Alex Roy in his "Guardia Civil" Team Polizei BMW M5 who finished 2nd dressed as a Spanish cop. The year's unofficial winners were Greg and "Kalbas" in a Mercedes 2004 CLK-DTM, who edged out a week-old Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren because a tire was destroyed just short of the finish line.

2006

2006 start in London

The 2006 rally was the most ambitious of any Gumball 3000 rally , starting in London and finishing in Los Angeles just 8 days later. The organizers flew all 120 cars from Europe to Asia and on to the USA in 3 Antonov An-124's and an Iceland Air passenger Boeing 757. The rally began on April 29, 2006 in Pall Mall, London, and continued on to Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade. The drivers then boarded a plane in Serbia and landed in Thailand for the race's second leg between Phuket and Bangkok. The final leg occurred in the United States between Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, via Las Vegas, where Snoop Dogg performed live at the Gumball party.

Entrants included Jackass stars Ryan Dunn and Bam Margera, driving Margera's 'Billy Idol' customized Lamborghini Gallardo; Tony Hawk Mike Vallely, and Rooftop Escamilla in a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8; blink 182's Travis Barker drove his Rolls Royce Phantom with DJ Swizz Beatz; Dirty Sanchez used a Japan-Tuning style Nissan S15 Silvia; Dan Joyce, Matthew Pritchard, and Love Actually star Martine McCutcheon drove a pink Range Rover; and American television host Matt Johnston drove his custom 2006 Dodge Charger, among Gumball's regular assortment of eccentrics, celebrities, millionaires and billionaires from all over the world.

Team Polizei's Alex Roy & Michael Ross dominated Gumball 2006, earning 1st place overall (tied with Team Torquenstein), and arriving in 1st place in Belgium, Vienna, Budapest, Furnace Creek and Beverly Hills, even beating Gumballers that skipped the intermediate checkpoints. Team Polizei, suffering from both Ed Leigh's sabotage and accident damage in Thailand, did not participate in the Thailand leg and made a surprise visit to the Burmese border, where pictures were taken with border guards who thought Team Polizei were UN inspectors.

Meanwhile Torquenstein returned from the extraordinary events of the 2004, and rather than using a Dodge Viper, was driving a rally ready Ford GT, hence the Tork GT. Modifications included a smoke screen, three GPS units and much more. Torquenstein and navigator Dr Gruene placed 2nd in Belgrade, 8th in Thailand and tied for 1st place on the final stage with the Team Polizei Bentley driven by Alex Roy and Michael Ross.

The Spirit Trophy was won by Damian Williams, Richard Blackburn & Ezra Chapman of Team 15, who crashed a camouflage Rolls Royce Phantom at approximately 160mph just north of Belgrade. The team allegedly rode 500+ miles in a cab across Thailand, then received a brand new Rolls Royce Phantom in Salt Lake City and drove to the Beverly Hills finish line. Upon arriving at the Playboy Mansion with the twisted grille from the first Phantom, Hugh Hefner presented the duo with a fitting trophy, a Gumball machine.

2007

The 2007 route was scheduled to travel from London to Istanbul, via Amsterdam, Munich, Venice, Dubrovnik, and Athens. Over 100 contestants were scheduled to drive through 16 countries in 8 days. The entrance fee for the 2007 rally was GB£28,000 (US$55,060) for first-time drivers. [6]

Upon arrival in Holland, On April 29, the Dutch police awaited the participants with 14 police cars and 7 unmarked cars. Seven pilots including rapper Xzibit lost their driver's licence for speeding with over 50 km/h more than allowed and two cars were confiscated. The Dutch government has forbidden streetraces by law, although rallies that are performed within the law (i.e. participating in a rally without a competitive element) are not forbidden.[7][4] The next day, the German police stopped about 70 cars for speeding violations; they were escorted off to the airport. A police spokesman told the media that the information about the racing route had been available on the official Gumball 3000 website.[8] Following the complications with the German police, the Gumball drivers were flown to Istanbul, but the Antonov planes set to bring their cars was diverted to Athens.[9] The drivers were then flown to Athens the next day, but four teams (Team Polizei, Team Turkish Taxi, Team Aytac, and Team 15) chose to drive the distance in other vehicles. [10]

On May 2, a convoy of four Gumball 3000 vehicles was involved in a traffic accident near the town of Struga, Republic of Macedonia. The Techart Porsche 911 Turbo of Nick Morley and Matthew McConville hit an oncoming Volkswagen Golf, reportedly at a speed of more than 200 km/h. According to media reports, they tried to escape the country afterwards in a BMW M6 with Russian car number plates via the nearby border post. However, they were stopped and arrested by the police, and will be held in custody until their trial has begun. [11] The casualties reported in the accident were the 67-year old driver of the other vehicle, who died on his way to the hospital, and Margarita Cepunjoska, wife of Vladimir Cepunjoski, who died in hospital from injuries sustained in the crash on May 4.[12] [13][14] The rally was cancelled because of the accident on the evening of May 3. The following statement was released by Maximillion Cooper on the official website, explaining his decision to cancel the rally[15]:

"Following our earlier release reporting yesterday's accident - As a sign of respect we have decided that this year's Gumball 3000 Rally will not travel any further and will end in Bratislava this evening, May 3rd 2007.

As the organisers of the rally we feel that it should be stopped as a mark of respect to Vladimir Cepulyoski who died today after an accident involving one the participating drivers.

We are very saddened by what has happened and feel that it would be wrong to continue. On behalf of Gumball 3000, we once again extend our deepest sympathies to his family and we are doing everything we can for them.

This is the first time anything like this has happened in 9 years of travelling through over 40 countries with 1000's of drivers and it is with deep regret that I make this announcement."

Nicholas Morley was released from custody on £17,000 bail, but was later re-arrested in Skopje while attempting to leave the country using a private jet.[16]

According to the Gumball participants of Team Polizei, Alex Roy and Michael Ross, the race organisers initially continued the rally despite the incident, making the statement that "Gumball is often the subject of wild rumours" during the drivers briefing on 3rd May. [17] In a later official statement the organisers stated that the clear details of the incident and confirmation of a fatality didn't occur until some hours after the briefing, at which point the decision to cancel the remainder of the rally was made. [18]

Winners

Gumball 3000 does not publish time-based figures for participants, who, by their entry contract, are legally barred from time-based competition. The main award is the so-called Spirit of the Gumball Trophy, which is awarded to the competitor that came out of the race as the most positive and uncontroversial.

However, unofficial time-based results are commonly compiled and verified on the internet by fans through ALK/Copilot GPS timelogs/tracks, from eyewitness accounts, and from the official forums of the Gumball 3000. In 2005, Gumball 3000 signed a sponsorship deal with ALK-Copilot who provided, publicly-available method of tracking Gumball participants en route in near-real time. Each car was provided with a bluetooth-enabled GPS Navphone with a transponder, making it easier to track Gumball participants.

Official Spirit of the Gumball Trophy Winners

Year Winners Team Car Comment
1999 Luke Craft & Dylan Murray 1999 Light Car Company Rocket
2000 Tom Brudenell Bruce 2000 Ferrari 550
2001 Jackass' Johnny Knoxville, Steve O, Chris Pontius 1989 Jaguar XJ6
2002 Mark Croker & Rory Sweet Ferrari F50
2003 Alex Roy & David Maher Team Polizei 2000 BMW M5
2004 Gary Lutke & John Docherty Citroen 2CV
2005 Sue Bellarby & Katie Huddart Caterham 7
2006 Damian Williams, Richard Blackburn & Ezra Chapman Rolls Royce Phantom
2007 -- -- -- Rally cancelled

Unofficial winners

Year Winners Team Car Comment
1999 Chris Eubank 1996 Peterbilt Truck
2000 Peter Malmstrom Porsche 924 'nitros'
2001 Kim Schmitz Brabus Mercedes Benz CL 3000
2002 Rob Kenworthy Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG
2003 Will Phillips and Kent Reynolds Mitsubishi Rental Car First to cross the finish line
2004 Rob Kenworthy Won 5 out of 8 stages then went to jail for 4 days in Spain.
2005 Remy Gelas & "Kalbas" Mercedes-Benz CLK-DTM
2006 Alex Roy & Michael Ross Team Polizei Bentley Continental GT
2007 -- -- -- Rally cancelled.

Commercial Items

DVD's/VHS

CDs

Coinciding with the release of Gumball 3000 The Movie, a soundtrack was released[19]:

  1. Fool's Paradise - UFO
  2. Chocolate Lovely - Amon Tobin
  3. Mission Improbable - Herbaliser
  4. Groovin' With Mr Bloe - Mr Bloe
  5. To Kiss You - Howie B
  6. Time 2 Build - Herbaliser
  7. Rock'n'Roll Lies - Razor Light
  8. Spandex Man - Mr Scruff
  9. Wayward Bob - Bonobo
  10. Popsicle - Cujo
  11. Superstars - Loose Canons
  12. Rich - The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
  13. Angelica - Lamb
  14. Tres Amigos - UFO
  15. You Are The Sun - Magic Eye
  16. Departure - Cabbage Boy
  17. Shattered Soul - Herbaliser
  18. Psyche Rock - Pierre Henry and M. Colombier (Fatboy Slim Malpaso Mix)
  19. Vehicle - Chet Baker

Games

A PS2 video game was released, called Gumball 3000. [20]

References

  1. ^ "Gumball: 'It's not a race, it's a rally'". Budapest Sun. May 12, 2005. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  2. ^ "Police catch Gumball racers red-handed". Flanders News. 30 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  3. ^ "Gumball Rally Racers Flagged Down by German Police". DW-WOrld.de. 01 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b "Cars seized as Gumball 3000 hits Holland". Dutchnews.nl. 01 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Gumball cancelled after fatal accident". visordown.com. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  6. ^ "Gumball rally kicks off". Metro. April 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  7. ^ "Justitie wil autorally's verbieden" (in Dutch). nu.nl. 2007-04-30. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  8. ^ "Polizei stoppt 70 Luxuswagen bei illegalem Autorennen". FAZ.net news (in German). Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 2007-04-30. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  9. ^ "Gumballers arrive in Athens". GTspirit.com. 1 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
  10. ^ "Team Polizei driving to Athens". GTspirit.com. 1 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
  11. ^ "2 nicked for Gumball 'hit & run'". The Sun. May 04, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "Gumballers Nick Morley And Matthew McConville Arrested After Hit-And-Run Fatality". Jalopnik. 3 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  13. ^ "Briton reported for accident near Struga gets 30-day temporary detention". MakFax. 3 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  14. ^ "Gumball Rally takes second victim" (in Macedonian). MakFax. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  15. ^ "A Statement from Maximillion Cooper". Gumball 3000 Official website. 3 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  16. ^ "Gumball death driver is held at airport". The Observer. 6 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-10.
  17. ^ Alex Roy & Michael Ross (May 5th, 2007). "An Open Letter Regarding the Tragedy in Macedonia". Retrieved 2006-05-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ Gumball3000 (May 6th, 2007). "Official Gumball 3000 statement". Retrieved 2006-05-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ "Gumball 3000 The Soundtrack". amazon. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  20. ^ "Gumball 3000 (PS2)". GameSpy. Retrieved 2007-05-04.

External links

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