The excess and dangerous antics of those involved in drives such as the the Gumball 3000 Road Rally Race shed bad light on the “sport” of road rallying.
People have been killed, authorities pointed fingers, and the vastly wealthy participants posted nearly every moment of the often-dangerous action on YouTube.
Of course, most in the car community know Gumball is but one drop in a pond filled with various types of cross-country racing. Some events, like The Great Race, aren’t even about speed at all. Instead, drivers look to get to their destination in precisely the right amount of time, and participants earn penalty points for each second they are late or early to their destination
The race covers a huge swath of the country– this year’s race started in Missouri and ended in Santa Monica, California– and much of the fun lies in the strict rules that govern drivers.
Everything from GPS, maps, and mapping devices are banned; even the tachometer must be removed or covered up. Rather, drivers are handed a sheet of instructions each day that help them make it from point A to B in precisely the right amount of time.
Vehicles must be from 1972 or older but that caveat didn’t stop the 130 participants who took part in this year’s nine-day, 2,400-mile race rally. Six Corvettes even turned up for the action (1963 Corvette Sting Ray Split window, 1968 Sting Ray convertible, 1959 Corvette hardtop, 1965 Corvette convertible, 1956 Corvette convertible, and a 1965 Corvette coupe).
Best of all, entrance fee is just $5,000. That’s a lot of coin, but it’s a whole lot more bearable than the $100,000 it costs to roll in Gumball 3000.
Fortunately, you’ll have plenty of time to save, as The Great Race 2016 is already sold out. In the meantime, check out Super Chevy for more on this year’s race.
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