Has anyone ever completed a UK Cannonball Run?
Discussion
Are you talking about a timed John o Groats to Lands End Race?
I imagine so. But probably in the 80s/90s when there were less Cameras. Obviously when the M25 was constructed rumours emerged of Races. (sadly some were using stolen Cossies et al) I heard something around 40-45 mins for that.
I imagine so. But probably in the 80s/90s when there were less Cameras. Obviously when the M25 was constructed rumours emerged of Races. (sadly some were using stolen Cossies et al) I heard something around 40-45 mins for that.
Rich_W said:
Are you talking about a timed John o Groats to Lands End Race?
I imagine so. But probably in the 80s/90s when there were less Cameras. Obviously when the M25 was constructed rumours emerged of Races. (sadly some were using stolen Cossies et al) I heard something around 40-45 mins for that.
Isn't the M25 something like 118 miles a lap. If so, 40-45 mins does not compute............I imagine so. But probably in the 80s/90s when there were less Cameras. Obviously when the M25 was constructed rumours emerged of Races. (sadly some were using stolen Cossies et al) I heard something around 40-45 mins for that.
Heaveho said:
Isn't the M25 something like 118 miles a lap. If so, 40-45 mins does not compute............
About 150mph+ the whole way around? Expect you'd run out of fuel!Would certainly be possible but pretty unlikely, or maybe it really was just a free for all on the M25 back in the day?
When I had bikes and read the mags, ( in the early to mid-80s ) there was a regular contributor who annually tried to beat his own Lands End to J O'G record on a GPZ750 Turbo. Seem to remember him managing it in 12 hours or thereabouts, but this would include ( as he told it ) blasts up the hard shoulder at anything up to 150 mph when he was being otherwise held up by traffic, and being glad when it rained, as it helped cool the overheating rear shock! Dunno how true all this was..........
lonman Thursday 2nd November 2006 on PH said:
Back in 2002 (funnily enough, in the GT2!!) i did a lap in 45 mins and something seconds. No video evidence though. (146ish average). To be fair though, we did it for a laugh, not for a record, so anyone with a 150mph motor, would, in theory, be able to beat it.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=202995&i=20My Dad completed the 'Cannonball Run 8000' in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
He was the 'winner' in 2004 and 2007.
I know officially it is a rally and not a race, so he was the 'first to arrive'.
In 2004 he won it in a 996 Carrera 4S arriving 40 minutes before the next driver.
One of the photos from his trip computer was pretty impressive (especially the remarkable MPG):
Obligatory 'top speed photo' (though, we actually got it to 185mph at one point):
In 2005, he was 200 miles from the finish line when the car broke down (presumably it couldn't handle 6 hours at 180mph!) and he spent hours waiting for a recovery truck as he watched dozens of other drivers pass him - he is certain he'd have finished first if he didn't break down. He ended up finishing (roughly) 20th.
The car sported different livery that year:
Then in 2006 once again just a few hundred miles from the finish line he was caught by police, luckily only doing 15mph or so over the limit, but the delay cost him over an hour and he finished 4th (I think).
I don't have photos from that year.
Then in 2007 (after selling the knackered C4S, buying a 996 Turbo X50 and selling it 3 months later) he ended up finishing 1st again in his SL55 AMG which had its boot converted to a second fuel tank for extended range at max speed:
There was also a photo somewhere of him hitting 200mph clock speed but I can't find it.
Sorry for poor photo quality, old pics, can't find the high res copies anywhere!
He also completed the 'Rabbit Run' in 2007 or 2008 (not sure which year).
His pack 'won' all of the rounds, largely because him sitting at 200mph for hours on end knocked up his packs average speed quite a lot!
On the way home he also 'caught the rabbit', something which I don't think had ever been done before. (IIRC it was the events own car that leaves 2 hours earlier than anyone else).
He doesn't compete in those events anymore though due to fear of having his car crushed by French policemen!
He was the 'winner' in 2004 and 2007.
I know officially it is a rally and not a race, so he was the 'first to arrive'.
In 2004 he won it in a 996 Carrera 4S arriving 40 minutes before the next driver.
One of the photos from his trip computer was pretty impressive (especially the remarkable MPG):
Obligatory 'top speed photo' (though, we actually got it to 185mph at one point):
In 2005, he was 200 miles from the finish line when the car broke down (presumably it couldn't handle 6 hours at 180mph!) and he spent hours waiting for a recovery truck as he watched dozens of other drivers pass him - he is certain he'd have finished first if he didn't break down. He ended up finishing (roughly) 20th.
The car sported different livery that year:
Then in 2006 once again just a few hundred miles from the finish line he was caught by police, luckily only doing 15mph or so over the limit, but the delay cost him over an hour and he finished 4th (I think).
I don't have photos from that year.
Then in 2007 (after selling the knackered C4S, buying a 996 Turbo X50 and selling it 3 months later) he ended up finishing 1st again in his SL55 AMG which had its boot converted to a second fuel tank for extended range at max speed:
There was also a photo somewhere of him hitting 200mph clock speed but I can't find it.
Sorry for poor photo quality, old pics, can't find the high res copies anywhere!
He also completed the 'Rabbit Run' in 2007 or 2008 (not sure which year).
His pack 'won' all of the rounds, largely because him sitting at 200mph for hours on end knocked up his packs average speed quite a lot!
On the way home he also 'caught the rabbit', something which I don't think had ever been done before. (IIRC it was the events own car that leaves 2 hours earlier than anyone else).
He doesn't compete in those events anymore though due to fear of having his car crushed by French policemen!
Edited by TREMAiNE on Thursday 21st January 22:02
Holy sh!t, he's a brave bloke........in 2009, I spent two hours at a Gendarmerie and had to talk my out of a ban for an alleged 101 mph offence in northern France.
Also gave myself a bit of a fright in our then new GT-R not long before that........battling with a bloke in a 911 in what I thought was Italy, at speeds up to 170, only to suddenly find I'd been in Switzerland for about 10 minutes! Calmed down pretty sharpish.
Also gave myself a bit of a fright in our then new GT-R not long before that........battling with a bloke in a 911 in what I thought was Italy, at speeds up to 170, only to suddenly find I'd been in Switzerland for about 10 minutes! Calmed down pretty sharpish.
I owned and organised The Cannonball Run Europe between 2006 and 2013.....that was a fun time 
http://youtu.be/CGw-rDdmADY
http://youtu.be/CGw-rDdmADY
Edited by Lordbenny on Friday 22 January 10:29
Heaveho said:
....only to suddenly find I'd been in Switzerland for about 10 minutes! Calmed down pretty sharpish.
That could have ended badly! My dad was banned from driving in Switerzland from overtaking someone in a tunnel 20mph over the speed limit. I think you'd have been publicly hanged for that speed!
TREMAiNE said:
That could have ended badly! My dad was banned from driving in Switerzland from overtaking someone in a tunnel 20mph over the speed limit.
I think you'd have been publicly hanged for that speed!
It's their own bloody fault, all the road signs were still in Italian.......still, I doubt I'd have come up smelling of roses if I'd used that as a defence!I think you'd have been publicly hanged for that speed!
There was run circa 2004 ish ( might be out with my year on that) that was called "Outrun" .
Was set up by a guy called Steve if i remember rightly who took part in the Gumball Rally with a Yellow caterham R500 (K-series) ..
The 'Tour' started At Brooklands Race Track around lunchtime start, , Next checkpoint was the Lizard, Then i remember Breacon Beacons and doing the 'devils staircase' , Got to lake district by breakfast time, Up to Fort William, across to Inverness, then down to edinburgh.. (yep that was non stop!! with a stop in lakes for breakfast) think we had been driving over 30+hrs none stop! .. Then next day
was pretty much zig zagging back down to finish back at Brooklands!
I remember there been a Aston , Lotus Elan , the R500 and some guys in a Audi a4!
I think it only ever ran the once though.. there was another event ran under the Outrun moniker which was a through the night blast from i think it was Dunnet Head to the Lizard .. again the R500 but rember someone with a Lancia Delta doing that one!
Was set up by a guy called Steve if i remember rightly who took part in the Gumball Rally with a Yellow caterham R500 (K-series) ..
The 'Tour' started At Brooklands Race Track around lunchtime start, , Next checkpoint was the Lizard, Then i remember Breacon Beacons and doing the 'devils staircase' , Got to lake district by breakfast time, Up to Fort William, across to Inverness, then down to edinburgh.. (yep that was non stop!! with a stop in lakes for breakfast) think we had been driving over 30+hrs none stop! .. Then next day
was pretty much zig zagging back down to finish back at Brooklands!
I remember there been a Aston , Lotus Elan , the R500 and some guys in a Audi a4!
I think it only ever ran the once though.. there was another event ran under the Outrun moniker which was a through the night blast from i think it was Dunnet Head to the Lizard .. again the R500 but rember someone with a Lancia Delta doing that one!
PJR84 said:
There was run circa 2004 ish ( might be out with my year on that) that was called "Outrun" .
Was set up by a guy called Steve if i remember rightly who took part in the Gumball Rally with a Yellow caterham R500 (K-series) ..
The 'Tour' started At Brooklands Race Track around lunchtime start, , Next checkpoint was the Lizard, Then i remember Breacon Beacons and doing the 'devils staircase' , Got to lake district by breakfast time, Up to Fort William, across to Inverness, then down to edinburgh.. (yep that was non stop!! with a stop in lakes for breakfast) think we had been driving over 30+hrs none stop! .. Then next day
was pretty much zig zagging back down to finish back at Brooklands!
I remember there been a Aston , Lotus Elan , the R500 and some guys in a Audi a4!
I think it only ever ran the once though.. there was another event ran under the Outrun moniker which was a through the night blast from i think it was Dunnet Head to the Lizard .. again the R500 but rember someone with a Lancia Delta doing that one!
top lurking...Was set up by a guy called Steve if i remember rightly who took part in the Gumball Rally with a Yellow caterham R500 (K-series) ..
The 'Tour' started At Brooklands Race Track around lunchtime start, , Next checkpoint was the Lizard, Then i remember Breacon Beacons and doing the 'devils staircase' , Got to lake district by breakfast time, Up to Fort William, across to Inverness, then down to edinburgh.. (yep that was non stop!! with a stop in lakes for breakfast) think we had been driving over 30+hrs none stop! .. Then next day
was pretty much zig zagging back down to finish back at Brooklands!
I remember there been a Aston , Lotus Elan , the R500 and some guys in a Audi a4!
I think it only ever ran the once though.. there was another event ran under the Outrun moniker which was a through the night blast from i think it was Dunnet Head to the Lizard .. again the R500 but rember someone with a Lancia Delta doing that one!
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