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Gumball 3000: where speed and exotic cars meet to party
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All manner of high performance exotics grace Gumball 3000 events. Photo: AP/Andy Wong
When you combine a collection of wealthy individuals who have a penchant for speed and exotic sports cars, you get what is known in some circles as Gumball 3000. For a decade participants have driven across 40 different countries on public roads, often at high speed and in most cases loving every minute of it. Today’s events are typically 6 days and cover some 3,000 miles but like any kind of high speed antics on public road ways, the odd competitor comes unstuck and often with spectacular results.
The concept is actually not a new one and modern Gumball rallies have their origins in the exploits of motorcycle racer “Cannonball” Baker, who traversed the USA coast to coast in around 54 hours in the 1930’s. According to website (www.gumball3000.net/), similar events began in the 1970’s, inspired by Baker’s exploits, but were axed as a result of political and police pressure. Gumball 3000 began when 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 gone on to receive considerable media and public attention due to celebrity participation and coverage on everything from MTV to Vanity Fair, who rode with 2003 Winner Alex Roy through Morocco on the 2004 Rally. (www.gumball3000.net/)
According to the official website the event is more than just a race event. 'Since 1999 Gumball 3000 has successfully combined art, automobiles, music and film to create a unique aspirational lifestyle brand. Headed by Maximillion Cooper and Julie Brangstrup, the Gumball 3000 Group now operates eight companies with offices in Europe and the United States. The brand has grown organically from its origins as a notorious car rally, into a successful global lifestyle and entertainment group. In 2007, Forbes magazine valued the Gumball 3000 brand at over $200 million.' ( http://www.gumball3000.com/company/detail/2)
Unfortunately the event is not without its critics. While the organizers are not without some sense of responsibility, travelling at high speed is illegal in most countries and a heavy police presence usually accompanies the events. In 2007 the event was marred by the deaths of two people during a rally in the Republic of Macedonia. A Porsche 911 Turbo collided with an oncoming vehicle killing the driver and his wife, the first such deaths in the event’s history. The event was cancelled out of respect for the two deceased, but the two rally participants were later arrested trying to leave the country illegally.
The event is usually thick with less tragic accidents, where only pride and a very expensive motor vehicle is destroyed. British super model Jodi Kidd was interviewed on Top Gear a few years and let slip that a Koenigsegg in reached 242mph during an American event. Often drivers find themselves on the wrong side of the law as the You Tube video highlights below and probably deservedly end up behind bars. Still, it is fantastic to see so many wonderful exotics together and being driven, more or less, as nature intended.
Nathan can be contacted at pricklyhedgehog@yahoo.com and welcomes your comments and suggestions.
For more info: http://www.gumball3000.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gumball_3000 www.topgear.com
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