New Cannonball Run Record

[Viper 12,112]

Time of 27 hours and 25 minutes

Article here: https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a30085091/these-guys-just-drove-an-e63-amg-across-america-in-a-record-27-hours-25-minutes/

Summary here: https://jalopnik.com/extremely-illegal-record-for-cross-country-cannonball-r-1840172968

[RoundRobin 828]

[Orange&White 5,539]

If you’re gonna be a bear, be a GRIZZLY
 

 

[Lat22 4,018]

That’s impressive. I’ve always wanted to do the Fools Roll from Austin to Vegas, but I’m afraid that I’ve grown up too much. ☹️

[RPM 26,360]

37 minutes ago, Lat22 said:

That’s impressive. I’ve always wanted to do the Fools Roll from Austin to Vegas, but I’m afraid that I’ve grown up too much. ☹️

Same here. Things are a lot easier now with Waze.

[Macanudo 13,017]

3 hours ago, Viper said:

Time of 27 hours and 25 minutes

Article here: https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a30085091/these-guys-just-drove-an-e63-amg-across-america-in-a-record-27-hours-25-minutes/

Summary

3 hours ago, Viper said:

Time of 27 hours and 25 minutes

Article here: https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a30085091/these-guys-just-drove-an-e63-amg-across-america-in-a-record-27-hours-25-minutes/

Summary here: https://jalopnik.com/extremely-illegal-record-for-cross-country-cannonball-r-1840172968

SR-71 sled drivers laugh at their 27+ hour road trip.

[52-80 19,262]

100mph+ total moving average is pretty ridiculous to sustain.  on a good stretch of interstate its (almost) nothing to do that for 1, 2, 3 hours but encounter anything slow for even a little bit and those values drop fast

[El Diablo 4,232]

I'm more of a Death Race 2000 fan but this is pretty cool too.

[Francisco 2.0 32,431]

Unreal.

 

 

 

Quote

The plain Jane-looking silver AMG sedan was custom-built for the record attempt, and not just by being fast. Sure, it puts down about 700 horsepower to the wheels (according to Toman), thanks to an ALPHA 9 package with upgraded turbos, downpipes, intercoolers and intake (the brakes and suspension are all factory AMG stuff and work just fine at any speed). But there was also a built-in Net Radar radar detector, a windshield-mount Escort Max 360 radar detector, an AL Priority laser jammer system and an aircraft collision avoidance system—a bit of gear usually used in airplanes to help them avoid hitting other airplanes. In this case, the technology was meant to help the trio find highway patrol aircraft. The car was equipped with brake light and taillight kill switches, and Toman had all of its flashy carbon fiber trim covered with silver vinyl, which he also used to change the appearance of the taillights. At first glance, the AMG looked more like a mid-2000s Honda Accord from the rear, not like a car that would be cruising at 160 mph or faster.

 

Quote

For navigation and further police detection, they ran Waze—a popular traffic-avoiding and hazard-detecting app—on an iPad and an iPhone. For the GPS data they would later need to prove that they'd actually finished in the time they said they did, they ran two dash-mount Garmin GPS units and one of those GPS tags tracked by a third party. They also had a police scanner and a CB radio, each of which had a big whip antenna mounted at the back of the car.

"Probably the most trick thing I had was a thermal scope on a roof-mounted gimbal that could be operated via remote control by the back seat passenger," Toman said, explaining that although it was great for seeing deer, they removed the large black device from the car during daylight hours to avoid attracting attention. "We picked up a cop warning on Waze and we were able to see the heat signature of the car sitting on the side of the road."

 

Edited December 4, 2019 by Francisco 2.0

[Parliament 14,334]

Wish they used something American, but still.  Badass.

[Wally Fairway 5,589]

9 hours ago, RPM said:

Same here. Things are a lot easier now with Waze.

And having some "scouts" along the way doesn't hurt either

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,977]

I looked up the record for a motorcycle. Just under 38 hours, done solo. I'm not sure which is more impressive.

[Prepuce of Doom 21,106]

2 hours ago, Wally Fairway said:

And having some "scouts" along the way doesn't hurt either

The network of scouts is probably the most important factor in terms of beating previous records. Past attempts have used private aircraft, but having 18 different Bandits along the way to scope out cops and run interference at getting people to change lanes (and presumably warn when an impossible bottleneck was ahead) has got to be the quantum leap of this effort. 

[blacklab 11,955]

Woohoo E63 AMG!

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,977]

Fair enough. An hour is about all that's really comfortable on my 48, but it has no fairing or windshield and only like an inch and a half of rear suspension travel.

[Deej 76,944]

6 hours ago, Prepuce of Doom said:

The network of scouts is probably the most important factor in terms of beating previous records. Past attempts have used private aircraft, but having 18 different Bandits along the way to scope out cops and run interference at getting people to change lanes (and presumably warn when an impossible bottleneck was ahead) has got to be the quantum leap of this effort. 

18? How is that possible? There's only one Bandit.

[Prepuce of Doom 21,106]

And The Snowman can't do 193, either. 

[RPM 26,360]

On 12/4/2019 at 5:48 PM, BurntEyes said:

Ride 3 hours on a motorcycle and drive 3 hours in a car and get back to me.

 

On 12/4/2019 at 5:58 PM, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Fair enough. An hour is about all that's really comfortable on my 48, but it has no fairing or windshield and only like an inch and a half of rear suspension travel.

Rode a Suzuki 750 from DFW to Seattle via California when I was in the military. Started raining when I hit El Paso and didn't stop until I got to Vancouver, Wa. At least I had a windshield (not a full fairing).

[F250 28,826]

On 12/4/2019 at 7:52 AM, Francisco 2.0 said:

Unreal.

 

 

 

 

 

Very impressive but could it do this?

[HornPhD 1,368]

Burt Reynolds’ character (J.J.) was named after the younger brother of a very good friend of mine. /csb

[Uncle Nate 2,097]

Quote

"Probably the most trick thing I had was a thermal scope on a roof-mounted gimbal that could be operated via remote control by the back seat passenger," Toman said, explaining that although it was great for seeing deer, they removed the large black device from the car during daylight hours to avoid attracting attention. "We picked up a cop warning on Waze and we were able to see the heat signature of the car sitting on the side of the road."

 

Edited December 6, 2019 by Uncle Nate

[Buzzrock 14,947]

My neighbor held the previous record. He’s genuinely happy for the record breakers.

[Prepuce of Doom 21,106]

Deconstructing the idea of using a truck:

https://hooniverse.com/random-thoughts-on-choosing-your-cannonball-run-vehicle/

[fattyflattie 4,638]

On 12/6/2019 at 9:44 PM, Buzzrock said:

My neighbor held the previous record. He’s genuinely happy for the record breakers.

That’s a nice hood. Bolians house is sick with all those garages. 

*i know it was 3 guys. Would just be cool if it was EB. 

Edited December 12, 2019 by fattyflattie

[horn4life 3,783]

I averaged just over 71 miles an hour from Destin to Austin one trip including pit stops for gas and wife and kids peeing.  I got very lucky in not getting a ticket as I was stuck behind a truck and was about to shoot the gap and there was the po po.

[DaggerHorns 3,100]

Not bad for a Nazi sled.

[Guest Lobo]

What is the agreed upon departure spot in New York for record keeping?  These guys left Murray Hill (wisely at 1:00a, so you get to L.A. before morning rush hour starts), but I would think leaving right from the last access to the Holland or Lincoln Tunnels or George Washington bridge could shave 15 minutes off right there.  Even in the middle of the night, it takes a bit to cross the island horizontally with stoplights and commercial deliveries clogging up lanes.  Since the record attempts are digitally documented nowadays, how is the starting point determined?  Where and when you leave Manhattan can make a huge difference right out of the gate, time you probably can't make up later on.  

And obviously you need to end at some ocean point in Los Angeles, but again...the end spot makes a big difference as well.  If you can get into the entire Inland Empire/L.A. Metro before 4:00a, you should be missing all morning traffic.  They finished in Redondo Beach.  I'm assuming you have some options for the end point as they are probably checking in real time after they get through around Ontario, to see which E-W highway to take and then where between Santa Monica to Newport Beach to finally stop.  And in there somewhere too is the risk of some little beach strip of roads being a clusterfuck with morning surfers and pilates class attendees jamming up the local arterial roads at 5:30a.  It's the last hour that the tech in their ride really comes into play since that's the make or break part of the trip.

But anyway, I still think the starting point makes a massive difference.  You can fuck yourself back by 20 minutes leaving the wrong part of Manhattan.  

[Mighty fine 169]

I think they still use the same route as the original Cannonball races. 31st street in New York to Portofino Hotel in Redondo Beach

[Mighty fine 169]

Meant to say start/ stop locations; I imagine the actual routes vary.

[conVINCEd 21,469]

5 minutes ago, Mighty fine said:

Meant to say start/ stop locations; I imagine the actual routes vary.

Yes.  I believe it is a specific garage in NY to that specific hotel in LA.

[NeverMarryAStripper 21,943]

The original Cannonball Baker Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Classic that was started by Car and Driver magazine and run during true 70s started at the Red Ball Garage on 31st street and ended at the Portofino Inn in Redondo Beach

[Guest Lobo]

Gotcha.  That insures consistency. I like it.  

we raced back from Daytona Beach to the Alamo in ‘96.  I only won because I knew what to when we got to outskirts of Houston.  /csb 
 

I wonder who’ll top this next.  Doing this in 24hrs is like the 4 minute mile.   You can only shave so much via stops, time of day, and speed.  I think fuel and routes are the biggest variables.  

Edited December 13, 2019 by Lobo

[NeverMarryAStripper 21,943]

I think I remember one of the entries from the 75 race that was some Polish guys in a van that carried enough fuel to make the trip nonstop.

[Guest Lobo]

A Speeding van full of polish guys and 300 gallons of fuel.  There’s a joke in here somewhere.  

[HornsOverIthaca 2,335]

“This racing movie with Dom DeLuise told us that yes cannonballs can run.  Cannonballs can run... Burt, you might want to guess this.”

[Viper 12,112]

6 minutes ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

I think I remember one of the entries from the 75 race that was some Polish guys in a van that carried enough fuel to make the trip nonstop.

How many of them did it take to fill the tank up?

[NeverMarryAStripper 21,943]

I also seem to remember that the first all woman team crashed and didn’t finish.

My roommate and I wanted to enter our freshman year at UT, but couldn’t come up with the money. We were going to take my Chevelle SS.

[fattyflattie 4,638]

Bolian has mentioned a few times that by the time people can afford to make a real go at it, they are at a point in their lives where the risks might outweigh the glory. There’s always the types of guys like those that just beat it tho. But I bet that does weed out a bunch of people. 

[Hagbard Celine 10,934]

On 12/13/2019 at 11:26 AM, Lobo said:

I wonder who’ll top this next.  Doing this in 24hrs is like the 4 minute mile.   You can only shave so much via stops, time of day, and speed.  I think fuel and routes are the biggest variables.

There is still a lot of room for improvement.  A fleet (dozens) of Snowmen running false-flag interference through the midwest, and literally "taking one for the team" to clear all smokies.  Then, a small squadron of Decepticons with all of the same equipment, running in front of the primary vehicle, in addition to the local spotters used on this run.

It looks to me like there is still 2+ hours that can be carved out by driving on infrared and running dark at 250mph from Omaha to Denver, Grand Junction to Vegas, and Vegas to Cajon Junction.  Again, the only way this is safe is with dozens of support vehicles.

[Guest Lobo]

Is there a rule that says you can't have a police escort through a portion of this thing?  In exchange for some $10,000 donation to the Policeman's Benevolence Association Orchestra in the name of a Robert Cobb.  

These guys did a top out of 194 IIRC.  I wonder what their speed portional breakdown  was during night driving.  I'm guessing ~140 or so.  You can't do much higher than that simply because those western roads aren't built for that shit.  Unless you wanna go way out of your way up north where it flattens out a bit, or deep south IH-10/IH-8.  after Houston/El Paso.  There's gotta be some secret sauce whereby you're light and fast enough to run at ~40mpg at those high speeds with no more than 500 pounds of passengers.  With an extra fuel cell to minimize your stops.  But in the end, I think a light enough vehicle is best even if it means smaller fuel capacity with two extra stops.  Those stops really aren't that long and of course enable you to piss.  And route selection is still tricky, even with real time GPS, because by the time to readjust and make your way to the new extended route---you may have burned your time savings.  Real time is nice, but knowing what that road is gonna be like when you actually get there is still part art, part science.  Local knowledge Spotters are key in that case, but even then.   I guess the other wild card is semi trucks.  Radio'ing ahead to get them to move over and get out of convoy mode on mountainous highways would be extremely helpful.  If you get in advance contact with a few dozen of those guys as you're approaching their own runs, and just give them some generic codeword specific to their flag, wouldn't raise any eyebrows for folks listening in.  Only radio chatter from our fleet team of operators that anybody gives a shit about it is anybody mentions running drugs or people.  Speeders and stoned drivers usually get a pass.  

This is like an orienteering competition on steroids.  You gotta figure out what path to take and what to sacrifice to get there in exchange for shaving time off.  And they really don't as much as you'd think about the physical aspect of it.  Maintaining focus and reflexes at that speed, exhausting your body down (the physical act of driving isnt' that straining but the toll it takes on your mind will beat your body down over 27 hours), probably not eating/hydrating worth a shit the whole way, leg cramps, bowel irritability from sitting in the same position for over a day.  It's not that hard overall, we've all done long runs in cars, but at those speeds with everything else going on in the vehicle (comms, spotting, scanning, route plotting, etc.)...that's gotta be a high level to keep your heart and brain at for 27 hours.  
 

I love this story the more I learn about it, and I can't wait to see how the next team beats the record.

Edited December 15, 2019 by Lobo

[NeverMarryAStripper 21,943]

The original race was cool, just a bunch of guys in basically some regular cars trying to outwit the law. This latest stuff is like most movie reboots, a pale shadow of the original.

[Prepuce of Doom 21,106]

Disagree on all counts.

[Guest Lobo]

10 minutes ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

The original race was cool, just a bunch of guys in basically some regular cars trying to outwit the law. This latest stuff is like most movie reboots, a pale shadow of the original.

And the police have faster cars, better technology to jam the jammers, airplanes, civil forfeiture abuses, etc.  But yeah, I get your point.  To me, it's still a battle of endurance, route planning, and a few gambles here and there (i.e., do we hop down to IH-8 or stay on course?).  

One thing these guys should worry about is publicly advertising their collaborative network of spotters, blockers, and fall guys which transcends multiple state lines with pre-meditated communication and planning.  Some group of douchebag cops and Assistant D.A.'s could decide to pinch these guys and make a RICO case out of it.  And yes, i know that's far-fetched but everything we're seeing in America right now points to police acting more and more rationally and narrowing the confines of their power,   right?  

[Prepuce of Doom 21,106]

I don't necessarily disagree with your main concern, but here's an article of interest about a surprisingly sensible cop:

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a30210151/a-cop-who-runs-cannonballs-explains-why-speed-alone-doesnt-kill/

[Francisco 2.0 32,431]

Taking advantage of Covid-19 to break the record by 45 minutes. Allegedly.

Quite a bit of controversy with this run, even if it's legit:

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a32092440/26-hour-38-minute-cannonball-record-coronavirus/

 

Quote

Only a few months have passed since we reported that the New York-to-Los Angeles Cannonball record was broken. It's allegedly been broken again. The 26 hour, 38 minute time—which beats the record set in November by more than 45 minutes—appears to be legitimate, according to Ed Bolian, a Cannonball insider and driver who set his own 28 hour, 50 minute record in 2013. Alex Roy, who set the first modern NYC-to-LA record in 2006, also said the new claim is credible based on his analysis of multiple sources.

 

Quote

All we know about this new set of scofflaws is that there were three, maybe four of them, and that they were driving a white 2019 Audi A8 sedan with a pair of red plastic marine fuel tanks ratchet-strapped into its trunk. They started at the Red Ball Garage in New York City at 11:15 pm on April 4, and ended less than 27 hours later at the Portofino Hotel & Marina in Redondo Beach, California, the traditional start and end points of a Cannonball attempt.

Quote

It did not escape many long-time Cannonballers that an immobilized workforce and hard times might create ideal road conditions for fast driving thanks to much lower traffic volumes. Musing in online chat groups ensued. But most decided that it was better to cast their lot with the rest of humanity and stay home. Most, but not all.

 

Quote

A handful of people who had driven in the C2C Express and the 2904—Cannonball Run offshoots from recent years that featured a menagerie of low-buck, mostly vintage beaters—had planned to run a no-holds-barred Cannonball on April 4, along with some others who also had the trans-continental record bug. Among that group—self-selected for reasons of safety and to avoid publicity—it would have been open to any car, with no limit on budget, a vast departure from the cost-capped events they had run in past years. But with the COVID-19 death toll rising and more state governments calling for people to stay at home, the event-that's-not-really-an-event was rightly scrubbed.

 

[Macanudo 13,017]

Man, gotta think this is a good time to try it.  Would think Highway Patrol would not be out in force.

[Parliament 14,334]

I'll allow it.

[conVINCEd 21,469]

What are the worst legal consequences you could face for a Cannonball Run attempt?  Would it be various grades of misdemeanors, or would some felonies come into play?

[Prepuce of Doom 21,106]

Many (most?) states have a super speeder enhancement that puts things into felony territory, usually around 30-40 over the posted limits. Not to mention any sort of fleeing/eluding, reckless endangerment, equipment violations (laser jammer in an illegal state, any concealment done to the license plate, illegal scanners, etc.) and anything else that a clever patrol officer could think up. 

[conVINCEd 21,469]

3 minutes ago, Prepuce of Doom said:

Many (most?) states have a super speeder enhancement that puts things into felony territory, usually around 30-40 over the posted limits. Not to mention any sort of fleeing/eluding, reckless endangerment, equipment violations (laser jammer in an illegal state, any concealment done to the license plate, illegal scanners, etc.) and anything else that a clever patrol officer could think up. 

Is this a new thing?  Are the super speeder things really felonies?  I got pulled over doing 110 in a 65 in college and the cop wrote me up for 89 so I could still take defensive driving.