8 ms·
The Cannonball Run record has been broken seven times in five weeks
- mwnivek 6y agoHere are the speeds converted to miles per hour, for reference: According to Bolian, who has been in contact with the new record holders, the time to beat is now less than 26 hours. A sub 28-hour Cannonball Run was once unthinkable. While he has not disclosed the exact time, that frame of reference means the drivers would have had to achieve an average speed of at least 173km/h (107 mph) for the 4507km (2801 mi) journey. Accommodating for fuel stops, the team’s peak and cruising speeds are probably far in excess of that figure. Bolian states that the new record holders averaged 193km/h (120 mph) when crossing “several” States. It is unknown what car the new record holders used.
- hprotagonist 6y agoi mean gas is dirt cheap and the roads are empty; what better time than now?
- smokelegend 6y agoThe open road is open once more... Note, if you get caught at these high speeds on public roads, you will be arrested and vehicle impounded. Most of the time police officers will draw their weapons when making vehicle stops of this nature. Most state laws have a zero tolerance policy for vehicles exceeding 90mph on public roads. But if you got bail money, GODSPEED
- protomyth 6y agoI would bet that most traffic on I-90 in South Dakota is at or over 90mph given the speed limit is now 80mph. Heck, North Dakota, not exactly a bastion of enforcement, decided against going higher specifically because of South Dakota. Idaho, Wyoming and Utah have 80mph limits and Texas has road at 85mph. A lot of plain states are not hyper about speed limits. 120mph is going to get you in trouble, badly, but 90 might not even get you stopped.
- jdhn 6y agoI drove on that 80 MPH stretch of I-80 between the Utah/Nevada border, and even the big rigs were going at least 5 over. I honestly think that as long as you're not going 10 over, the police are just there to make sure that if you crash somebody is there to help.
- jeffreyrogers 6y agoThis matches my experience as well.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- dharmab 6y agoThere are long stretches of road throughout Utah where 110+mph is easily feasible. Sightlines all the way to the horizon.
- jdhn 6y agoOh absolutely. I'd say that this holds true for most states west of the Mississippi.
- kyuudou 6y agoOr if you run out of gas or have to pullover for engine problems.
- 6y ago
- joncrane 6y agoI think it's interesting that the community which supports and follows the Cannonball Run appeared to be mostly against the first 26 hour run (the Audi pictured in the article). At least the most vocal part. My question is, do you actually PREFER that people reach reckless speeds in more crowded conditions?
- alwayseasy 6y agoThe risks are different. This type of drive can divert law enforcement ressources when the country is fighting a pandemic.
- perl4ever 6y agoIt seems doubtful that it does. I mean, the people driving at high speed can't be making up for, numerically, the people who aren't driving?
- jpmoral 6y agoHow about not driving at reckless (your word) speeds on public roads? I'd be happy to see sanctioned events but I doubt that would happen.
- VectorLock 6y agoThats pretty much what RoadRally is. https://www.scca.com/pages/what-is-roadrally https://www.scca.com/pages/what-is-roadrally
- serf 6y agoas someone who has participated in roadrally (and other scca events), 'Gumball' style road-rallys are nothing like the sanctioned events. SCCA roadrally events are about pace-setting and arriving just on time, not fast OR slow. Because of that, the setting is much more about clinical analysis, and less about having the worlds' fastest cars and the highest speeds. Very little about SCCA RoadRally is anything like any other motorsport, actually. It's closer to a scavenger hunt most of the time.
- fragmede 6y agoSemi-relatedly, the California Highway Patrol reported an 87% increase in speeding tickets for > 100pmh as compared to 2019. https://twitter.com/CHP_HQ/status/1253087393567014912 https://twitter.com/CHP_HQ/status/1253087393567014912
- m463 6y agoIn the first week or so of the lockdown, going out on lightly-traveled freeways and people were going really fast. I don't know if it was because there weren't many other cars out there, or because "we're all gonna die, abandon law and order!"
- blunte 6y agoFor much of my younger life, my morning commutes in Texas were in the 100-125mph range. If you knew where to look, and you didn't accidentally pass a cop. you were fine. So basically, if you get caught by a human, it's because you took a risk by running through a blind area at high speed. You don't do that more than one time in your life unless you are stupid or have the right contacts to help you keep your license.
- perl4ever 6y agoHave you considered the effect of an out of state license plate?
- klenwell 6y agoIsn't that a felony? Years ago when I was in college I talked to a post-doc or visiting professor from Germany who got am aerial speeding ticket for going really fast on some desolate part of the I5 on his way from San Diego to San Francisco. He said it turned out to be much more serious than he expected (coming from the Land of Chocolate and the Autobahn) and it was a pain in the ass to sort out.
- trhway 6y agomy understanding [IANAL] that speeding more than 30mph falls under "reckless driving" which is a misdemeanor. It is a serious PITA, especially for immigrants. Felony is much more than something "to sort out", it is more like a catastrophe.
- sonofgod 6y agoThese new records are likely to be unbeatable once traffic returns to normal. I wonder whether that'll cause the demise of the Cannonball Run? That said, in computer speed runs, it's generally said that once someone says a run is unbeatable, it'll be beaten...
- mydongle 6y agoWhy don't they just invalidate runs that happen during something like a pandemic?
- denlekke 6y agothere's no one to invalidate them ! even validating them is a game of trust as it's illegal and most of the only other people interested are competitors who are reluctant to be beaten. the vinwiki guy has made himself out to be an arbiter because he gets more views on his youtube channel and app subscribers from it
- calimac 6y agoDude is heavily involved in community and well equipped to take the role of arbiter of the record for this generation.
- gbin 6y ago"other people interested are competitors who are reluctant to be beaten". So this! Ed became a kind of a de facto PR for the run but his bitterness seeps through his reporting all the time...
- kyuudou 6y agoThere'll probably be a "second wave" of COVID-19, don't worry.
- blunte 6y agoIt still amazes me that the US, with all its red light cameras, doesn't adopt the European speed cameras that create a lot of tickets (at significant fines) for relatively minor speeding infractions. Top Gear did a test years ago to see just how fast you would need to go to defeat a speed camera, and it was well beyond what the Cannonballers would be running. You just can't fool a high speed camera easily. Of course, you can black out your drivers license, but you'll still risk the human patrols. On the other hand, if the roads are empty, and nobody gets hurt... who cares! Film it, please.
- sandworm101 6y ago>> You just can't fool a high speed camera easily. There are some tricks. If you have staff, people prepping the road ahead of you, then you just slow down for the cameras. I suspect that these recent records are being supported by the same people, the same camera/cop location data. I'm interested in what tech might be used by this team. I've been waiting for SDR dongles to transform into radar detectors/jammers. Cop cars emit so many different dedicated frequencies that anyone with a dongle and a laptop should be able to build a very functional "copdar".
- denlekke 6y agomaybe not what the above commenter meant but some euro speed camera systems compare pictures and the time they were taken from multiple cameras to get average speed. so imagine a camera that logs every on and off ramp of i-80 and if you the times you enter and exit indicate an average speed above the speed limit, you get a ticket.
- sandworm101 6y agoIf you know where those are, you just don't let them read your plate. There are products out there that can turn your license plate "off" with the flick of a switch. But if you are modifying car for a cannonball run you can build one yourself. Google "smart glass". Remember too that many US states do not require front plates. So it is not unusual for a car to be seen without one, leaving only the rear plate to worry about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85AVojj7rJ0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85AVojj7rJ0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ6rLhkZ3Hg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ6rLhkZ3Hg And here is one on a lambo being prepped for a run: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcUgxSizDRQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcUgxSizDRQ
- VectorLock 6y agoGiven that I can get around easier at 5pm in a major metropolitan area than I could at any other time of day 3 months ago I'm hardly surprised.
- anonu 6y agoNot to be a wet blanket here, but what's the point? Bicycle across America... That's cool. Very impressive at any speed. Break the speed limit laws and potentially put others at risk... Not cool...
- RickJWagner 6y agoYeah, I get it. For us oldsters, there is a little cool-ness associated with the CannonBall Run from an old (but popular) movie. But it is a stupid thing, for sure.
- ethbro 6y agoStatic speed limits that apply to all drivers identically are a joke. Because not all drivers are identically skilled. So either you recognize the absurdity inherent in our speed laws, or you think the system is reasonable. The Cannonball Run isn't for the latter.
- Pxtl 6y agoThe laws of physics are the same for everyone. E_k = 1/2 m*v^2. If something were to happen, whether the drivers' fault or not, there would not be enough time to react and everyone involved would die.
- dahart 6y agoWhy would different skill levels imply there shouldn’t be a ‘static’ speed limit? I’m not seeing the connecting logic. What is the alternative, and how do you propose to enforce a dynamic speed limit that adapts to the drivers’ skill level? Who determines skill level, and how do you determine skill level, and why would we want a public system where people are near the limits of their skill level? Also curious - are you sure that skill level is the primary cause of traffic accidents and fatalities? Do you have any data on that? How does it compare with race drivers who’ve died in crashes, are those due to skill level? I don’t think speed limits are “static” because of skill level. I presume speed limits are static because 1) physics - energy of impact is proportional to the square of your velocity. Double the speed is 4x the damage / chance of death. 2) There’s safety in a low speed differential in traffic regardless of the limit. It’s safer to pass at 5mph faster than it is to pass at 60mph faster. 3) It’s fair to all, in the sense that the same rule applies to everyone, and enforceable.
- Ididntdothis 6y agoWhat are these guys trying to prove? Who the biggest and irresponsible asshole is? If you want to go fast, go to a race track and race against real drivers. If you don’t like tracks, do rallye.
- sandworm101 6y agoIt's strange how in other areas such behavior is encouraged. Where is the anger when people try to set speed records on boats? Every time some rich idiot gets into trouble on the high seas, other people have to risk their lives to save them. Setting aside rescue personnel, many innocent bystanders have also been killed by racing yachts. 2018: "One Fisherman Killed, 9 Saved After Boat Collides With Ocean Race Yacht" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjrq0NDL8r4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjrq0NDL8r4 "On the night of 19 March 2007, while around 22 kilometres (14 mi) offshore from Guatemala, Earthrace collided with a local fishing boat. No Earthrace crew were hurt, but one of the three crew members from the fishing boat was never found." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MY_Ady_Gil#2007 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MY_Ady_Gil#2007 2012 "A yacht involved in a race off the coast of California and Mexico apparently collided at night with a much larger vessel, leaving three crew members dead and one missing, a sailing organization said early Sunday." https://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/2698368-collision-suspected-in-yacht-race-tragedy/ https://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/2698368-collision-s... And if you want to compare statistics, how many people died on Titanic as it was racing across the Atlantic? Including that tragedy would probably make ocean racing more dangerous than the cannonball run even on an hourly basis.
- rdl 6y agoI think it's probably a function of how big the risks are to themselves vs. others (both relatively and absolutely). I don't think ocean yacht races are as dangerous to bystanders as pirate road races are to even an order of magnitude, probably several.
- sandworm101 6y agoThat speaks to the danger factor, but the OP wanted to know why they do take these risks. I'd say that those on the cannonball run have exactly the same motivation as Ellen MacArthur. She was knighted for setting an around-the-world yachting record, making her an official hero, but in terms of motivation she is no different than these people trying to break the across-the-us driving record. Different vehicles, different legal regime, but same drive to be the fastest.
- 11thEarlOfMar 6y agoGetting it into the 26 hour range is important for take off and landing. I haven't seen details, but you'd likely want to leave New York at 3:00 AM and thereby arrive in LA at 2:00 AM, avoiding the heaviest city street traffic. I know from personal experience that roadways are the lightest overnight Sunday-Monday. Maybe depart on Sunday 3:00 AM and arrive Monday 2:00 AM.
- craftinator 6y agoSo it's sort of like a contest to see who can be the biggest asshole then?
- downerending 6y agoI'd say acting in utter disregard to human life is a bit worse than merely being an asshole. I'm pretty okay with life imprisonment for these guys.
- craftinator 6y agoI pitched an idea for punishment for this behavior a while back (I'm in Portland, where street racing is a major issue right now), and got downvoted like crazy for it, but I'll try again here. Each time they are caught, surgically remove one finger. Either they'll take the hint that people want them to stop, or if they keep it up they won't be able to grip the steering wheel. Win-win.
- W-Stool 6y agoFor anyone who is trying to understand what the Cannonball Run is all about and resorts to some of the movies inspired by it, the reference movie is "The Gumball Rally". The actual "Cannonball Run" movies with a laundry list of "stars" were, frankly, not so great.
- pravda 6y agoWhat? Any movie with Dom DeLuise in it is a great movie!
- nfoz 6y agoMeanwhile, in Canada: teenager charged with going 308 km/h (191 mph) in his dad's car on Toronto highway. https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/05/10/ontario-police-19-year-old-charge-stunt-racing/ https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/05/10/ontario-police-19-ye...
- Exmoor 6y agoThe USA just managed to edge them out: https://www.heraldnet.com/news/stanwood-man-arrested-after-driving-192-mph-on-u-s-2/ https://www.heraldnet.com/news/stanwood-man-arrested-after-d... Having driven the stretch of road in this article many times, the idea of going more than three times my typical speed on it makes me break out into a cold sweat. It is not flat, not straight, and is directly adjacent to oncoming traffic. Other articles indicated the driver failed a DUI test as well.
- crashbunny 6y agoHow do you claim the record and not incriminate yourself? A few people in Australia have been fined for uploading a photo they took while driving to social media. One was a politician who was stopped at some road works. He uploaded it to facebook and some people complained he broke the law. So he went to a police station voluntarily and I guess made a statement and was issued a fine. (You can't touch your phone even if stationary, or in a drive through, car park, etc)
- diafygi 6y agoIn the past, a team would wait until the statue of limitations had lapsed before publishing their evidence. https://jalopnik.com/alex-roy-reveals-transcontinental-run-claims-record-310735 https://jalopnik.com/alex-roy-reveals-transcontinental-run-c...
- DrScump 6y agoIn many states, the statute of limitations clock stops running when you leave the state, so you could find the expiry date still hasn't arrived if you come back.