“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.”
Jack May ran the Cannonball in 1975 with racer Rick Cline. I find interesting his definition of style, which seems not to be looking or acting cool, but instead maintaining a sense of responsibility and professionalism within the context of something inherently rebellious. Pretty sweet. It seems to me the guys who ran the races back then (both the Cannonball and the U. S. Express) prided themselves on being safe and aware, leaving uber coolness as an afterthought.
If that isn’t zen enough for you, get a load of his closing statement:
“I’ll move no mountains, expect to bridge no rivers. But maybe I will be a gentleman, a sportsman, true to my own self, and with some style prove again what cannot be too often proved: if anything at all is meant for us here, we are meant to live life, and there is no fool like he who does not face life: a dead lion is a much greater thing than a live mouse: and eagles do not catch flies.”
. . .and Jerry was the only man in history to have played the perfect note. Pretty dank. Here is the whole article for those interested in going a bit deeper.
A fantastic read thnx..
Good Read Jack. Damn Rabbits. Funny how things haven’t seemed to change much at all in 31 years. God Bless (racing across) America!
“It is nice knowing you hold a world’s record.” True indeed…. but its also nice knowing you did it with a hot blonde in the back seat documenting the entire adventure!
It seems that when Brock Yates asked to former Cannonballers
for testimonies to be included in “Cannonball!”, Jack May sent
him this article… and that, for whatever reason, Yates decided
to cut off some paragraphs. He was probably out of space
because this extended version is just as thrilling as the
short one (or he was a little bit jealous that someone else
could also write well).
Wow! What a story! Amazed that they weren’t tripping out after no sleep for that long plus the amount of concentration required to drive at those speeds non-stop!
Good to see the story kept alive.
I took several pictures of Jack and his car this week as he rolled it out of the gargage next to my office for a car show here in town. I’d submit a picture if there was a way to upload on the website.