Here’s a nice article from 1981 about the Cannonball (Cannonball Baker pictured above) and how Brock Yates got it started. Although Yates was certainly a businessman before he was a romantic, he was responsible for initiating the cross-country rally as an idea. The Cannonball, however much of a lark, spawned the US Express, and more generally, the concept of the underground cross-country dash. The last page is missing, but you get the idea. (If the text is too small to read, click "full size" below the pop-up imagee, and then you can zoom in for a less strenuous viewing experience).
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(photo taken by Michael Hollander at the US Express)
US Express and Cannonball photographer, Michael Hollander, has passed away from cancer. Included is footage from the ‘75 Cannonball, the finish of the ‘83 US Express, and a recent interview Cory did with him for 32 Hours 7 Minutes. Although the time had not been officially calculated (Hollander tells Diem and Turner their time was 32:15), Hollander is the one to announce in ‘83 that a new record had been set, which turned out to be the impetus for this film. I’ve included some words from Rick Doherty, US Express organizer and Cannonball participant, as well as Davey Johnson, a friend of Michael’s:
Continue reading ‘Michael Hollander, Cannonball Express Photographer, Passes Away’
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“Again my mind drifted. ‘Why am I doing this?’ Other people aren’t doing this. There is a herd instinct in the world, but some people have less of it than others do. Those others are fond of telling us stragglers that we are crazy. Maybe we are, and maybe we aren’t. Could it be that pure accomplishment and not ‘public acceptance’ is the true measure of success? To some, only results count; style means nothing. But I prefer to believe that style is very important. The main thing is how you conduct yourself and and your affairs. Style sets you apart.
“The Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash demands style. It is an adventure that allows ‘individuals’ to rebel against a society that would make us all alike and uniform.”
Continue reading ‘Jack May waxes philosophical about the Cannonball’
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Some of the guys that ran the Cannonball were clever and tricky. Some were just insane. This is from an article about the 5th Cannonball:
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Brock Yates and Hal Needham, accompanied by Brock’s wife, Pamela, and a doctor friend named Lyle Royer, ran the 1979 Cannonball in an ambulance. Yes. It’s true. Their souped-up Dodge “TransCon Medivac” carried a modified 440 Chrysler Magnum, high-speed shocks and sway bars, a 60 gallon fuel tank, and a whole crap-load of flashing lights, medical gear, stickers, uniforms, etc.
Continue reading ‘The Shambulance’
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Imagine coming across this puppy while searching for free pencil-sharpeners in the Daily Examiner and saying, "yeah, jeez, that does sound like a good idea. Count me in!" I can’t imagine that because I’m soft, but I do think it’s pretty cool that this was just slotted in there with the rest of the junk you might want to fill your attic with.
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Putting oneself through a sleepless high-speed coast-to-coast dash is a Herculean challenge to both mind and body. The men and women who competed in the transcontinental races in the 70’s and 80’s all shared an unequivocable passion: to push themselves to the utter limit of their sport. One racer, George Egloff, stands out to me (and to most of the other competitors) as a sort of icon in the sport of long distance driving….
Continue reading ‘George Egloff: The Lone Rider’
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What? I don’t look serious to you?
Alex had a night-vision thermal camera installed into the grill of the M5. The initial thought was driving at night, sans lights of any sort, using only an in-dash screen, and thus obtaining ultimate stealth. This turned out to be super dangerous. Surprise! The camera wasn’t deemed useless, though, as they could still spot a cop hiding in a highway median in the dark of night. Another more aggressive option that some drivers employed back in the Cannonball and Express days was night vision goggles/binoculars. The maniac pictured above used infra-red goggles while at the wheel in the 4-ball rally, an early 80’s Express knock-off run from Boston to San Diego. Call me crazy, but this, for some reason, also looks incredibly dangerous.
photo: [Road-Race Outlaws, The Plain Dealer, 9/18/83]
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Polizei 144A - 2000 E39 BMW M5
Most of you car-folk out there have heard of the Cannonball Run races that took place throughout the 70’s. But you are much less likely to have heard of the US Express, another coast to coast race that existed for four years following the last Cannonball in 1979. Very little information exists about it today due to the highly secretive and serious nature of the race, but it is this race upon which 32 Hours 7 Minutes is based.
Continue reading ‘Congratulations! Your Application To The Most Secretive Underground Illegal Car Race Of All Time Has Been Accepted…’
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