4 ms·

For people who don't follow this, records for the cannonball run are usually always a few years old (people wait to announce hoping the statue of limitations ex

by ep103 9y ago

For people who don't follow this, records for the cannonball run are usually always a few years old (people wait to announce hoping the statue of limitations expires, or at least makes it less likely). That said, its unlikely to change too much, most recent records were done in wildly expensive cars (retrofitted with additional gas tanks, radar, police scanners, etc), and usually include aerial support for the entire trip to scan for speedtraps and the like.

maxxxxx 9y ago
In short, it's a bunch of reckless rich assholes who have no respect for other people on the road. Go on a proper racetrack and show what you can do there.
- lfowles 9y ago
  A racetrack would be a completely different test of skill. From what I understand a cannonball run is largely planning and endurance. Edit: Not to discount the idea that it is reckless to do it on public roads...
  - maxxxxx 9y ago
    The main skill of Cannonball is to be more reckless than others and see what you can get away with. I don't want to meet some sleep deprived and probably drugged up "racers" on the road. If they want endurance they can do a 24 hour race. If they want a difficult track they can go to the Nuerburgring in Germany and do the 24 our race there. Or just try it in the wet.
    - ep103 9y ago
      Why doesn't the rest of humanity meet my expectations of what is acceptable?
    - dsfyu404ed 9y ago
      No, the main skill is planning. Whether or not you're endangering other people it's hard to cover lots of miles quickly on roads with other people. Nobody who's serious about a good time is going to be on a crowded road. It's a waste of time. You have to balance your route planning between weather, peak commuter hour, shortest route, fuel stops, speed traps, etc, across a few thousand miles and a few time zones. The biggest risk to "others" is that when traveling much faster light traffic you have little margin for error if someone in that traffic does something dumb.
      - default-kramer 9y ago
        > The biggest risk to "others" is that when traveling much faster light traffic you have little margin for error if someone in that traffic does something dumb. The speed limit exists partially because "dumb things" are inevitable. A driver who ignores this inevitability is at least as guilty as the driver who did the "dumb thing."
        dsfyu404ed 9y ago
        In a theoretical world that doesn't include ticket revenue and "think of the children" speed limit is a function of road design and some reasonable average vehicle/driver/conditions. They are an output rather than an input. You don't just assign a speed limit. It's based on the road and condition. In the real world US speed limits outside of urban areas are laughably low for reasonably attentive drivers in clear weather and light traffic. In an well maintained sedan there is no reason why one cannot drive at triple digit speeds on the vast majority of the US interstate highway system if traffic conditions are light enough to permit it. The biggest risk from traveling much faster than other traffic on limited access highways is rear ending someone who changes lanes without a signal. Speed limits exit not because "dumb things are inevitable" but because dumb things are far less common when traffic is moving a close to uniform speed and providing a suggested speed that most drivers find reasonable most of the time helps traffic flow more uniformly and safely. Furthermore, the rules of the road provide massive redundancy. That's why a margin for error exists. By going much faster or slower than other traffic you are getting rid of the margin. If you're going fast you're depending on other people to not move unexpectedly. If you're going too slow you're depending on other people to be driving slow enough and paying attention enough The person who changes lanes without signaling while going 50 in a 60 where everyone goes 70 can only claim the moral high ground over the person who rear ends them because they were going 80 and couldn't compensate adequately so long as the latter party doesn't have a dash cam.
reaperducer 9y ago
It's not a real Cannonball Run unless you do it in a Trans Am with a tractor trailer full of Coors.
- ep103 9y ago
  That would be the http://www.the2904.org http://www.the2904.org : )

by ep103 9y ago

maxxxxx 9y ago

In short, it's a bunch of reckless rich assholes who have no respect for other people on the road. Go on a proper racetrack and show what you can do there.

lfowles 9y ago
A racetrack would be a completely different test of skill. From what I understand a cannonball run is largely planning and endurance. Edit: Not to discount the idea that it is reckless to do it on public roads...
- maxxxxx 9y ago
  The main skill of Cannonball is to be more reckless than others and see what you can get away with. I don't want to meet some sleep deprived and probably drugged up "racers" on the road. If they want endurance they can do a 24 hour race. If they want a difficult track they can go to the Nuerburgring in Germany and do the 24 our race there. Or just try it in the wet.
  - ep103 9y ago
    Why doesn't the rest of humanity meet my expectations of what is acceptable?
  - dsfyu404ed 9y ago
    No, the main skill is planning. Whether or not you're endangering other people it's hard to cover lots of miles quickly on roads with other people. Nobody who's serious about a good time is going to be on a crowded road. It's a waste of time. You have to balance your route planning between weather, peak commuter hour, shortest route, fuel stops, speed traps, etc, across a few thousand miles and a few time zones. The biggest risk to "others" is that when traveling much faster light traffic you have little margin for error if someone in that traffic does something dumb.
    - default-kramer 9y ago
      > The biggest risk to "others" is that when traveling much faster light traffic you have little margin for error if someone in that traffic does something dumb. The speed limit exists partially because "dumb things" are inevitable. A driver who ignores this inevitability is at least as guilty as the driver who did the "dumb thing."
      - dsfyu404ed 9y ago
        In a theoretical world that doesn't include ticket revenue and "think of the children" speed limit is a function of road design and some reasonable average vehicle/driver/conditions. They are an output rather than an input. You don't just assign a speed limit. It's based on the road and condition. In the real world US speed limits outside of urban areas are laughably low for reasonably attentive drivers in clear weather and light traffic. In an well maintained sedan there is no reason why one cannot drive at triple digit speeds on the vast majority of the US interstate highway system if traffic conditions are light enough to permit it. The biggest risk from traveling much faster than other traffic on limited access highways is rear ending someone who changes lanes without a signal. Speed limits exit not because "dumb things are inevitable" but because dumb things are far less common when traffic is moving a close to uniform speed and providing a suggested speed that most drivers find reasonable most of the time helps traffic flow more uniformly and safely. Furthermore, the rules of the road provide massive redundancy. That's why a margin for error exists. By going much faster or slower than other traffic you are getting rid of the margin. If you're going fast you're depending on other people to not move unexpectedly. If you're going too slow you're depending on other people to be driving slow enough and paying attention enough The person who changes lanes without signaling while going 50 in a 60 where everyone goes 70 can only claim the moral high ground over the person who rear ends them because they were going 80 and couldn't compensate adequately so long as the latter party doesn't have a dash cam.

reaperducer 9y ago

It's not a real Cannonball Run unless you do it in a Trans Am with a tractor trailer full of Coors.

ep103 9y ago
That would be the http://www.the2904.org http://www.the2904.org : )