Dual Transcontinental Duel: Crisscrossing at Record Speeds

Alex Roy, David Maher, and Cory Welles hold the east/west U.S. transcontinental driving record finishing with an astonishing time of 31:04 from NYC to L.A., but tradition established the start/finish points. Why can’t the sprint be from any eastern coastal town to western coastal town?

The sea-to-shining-sea run is historically infamous, but why don’t we have a border-to-border run too? I predict that in the coming years someone will establish a north/south time from Blaine, WA - to Imperial Beach, CA (or thereabouts), and that that same person(s) will then go for the dual transcontinental title by attacking Roy’s time.

Audi R8 Audition: Codename Blackbird

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXIzsU3AtBs
With military stealth and precision this Audi R8 makes its mark on the U.S. Interstate as its namesake, the SR-71, does from the air. Alex Roy gives us a run-through of the components including:
¨ Uniden 996D Scanner
¨ GPS Units
¨ Brake & Taillight Kill Switches
¨ Strobe Lights
¨ AirBox CM3 Broadband WiFi
¨ Tablet PC
¨ Bluetooth GPS Units
¨ Cobra CB Radio w/ PA
¨ Whelen Sirens
¨ Valentine 1 & Passport 9500ci Radar Detectors
¨ Blinder M-45 Laser Jammer
¨ K-band and Laser Radar Guns
¨ Garmin Nuvi 760s
¨ Mounted Cameras w/ SD Cards
¨ Capristo Exhaust w/ Straight-thru Bypass
¨ Liquid-cooled Infrasonic Wave Pulse Generator

One has to wonder what the mission will be, and why all the gear, secrecy, and expense? It’s one of two things… a US road rally like the one coming May of ‘09 from L.A. to Miami, or it’s a preparatory effort to challenge the 31:04 Transcontinental Record.

The unveiling occasion it will need ogling fanfare, and enemy competition. The exhaust is definitely a crowd pleaser; otherwise one would opt for stealth. The Pulse Generator and Radar Guns are for competitive intimidation, because if either of these slowed or stopped a fellow rally driver - the retaliation would be brutal.

The car is catching both praise and flack across the internet, but its audition tape has been accepted and we all want the car come out of hiding in May to put its technologic neck on the line. As for the owner’s stealth - someone should run the NY personal license plate “AGENT” and finally put a name/face with this stunning car.

Gumball: Guts and Gadgetry

Road Rally veteran Ashley Van Dyke, relied on the tools and skills of Eric Ward to win the U.S. leg of the 2008 Gumball 3000. One tool was the Valentine One radar detector; with custom upgrade to exclude all X band warnings, and the addition of a Ku band upgrade that she said “most the guys haven’t even heard of” speaking of fellow rally participants (V-1 upgrade link below).

Not everything required tech gadgets, as Van Dyke said “the most useful thing was a pair of binoculars… Eric could do ramp checks from a distance, so we could mash-it when others would hesitate”.

All told the team consistently arrived at check-points hours before their counterparts, and attributes their success to smart gadgetry, and driver/co-pilot instinct.

http://www.radardetectors-plus.com/Manuals/Valentine1/How%20to%20reprogram%20V1.pdf

You’re-ine Troubles: A Rally Driver’s Road-side Manner

Road Rallies are fraught with potentially harmful activities that are disregarded by participants. Meanwhile, the police and public hold their breath as one of these events speed through their town. But, there’s one more thing to add to this speed vs. safety pissing match… where/when do these guys relieve themselves?

It’s well-known that participants pee in bottles then toss them out of their speeding vehicles. The rally format has an unspoken expectation that getting from point A to point B does not include potty breaks, but nobody has been ticketed for the activity.

When asked how the women manage this situation Ashley Van Dyke said “I go into the rally dehydrated, and make sure to not drink more than 1/3 of a liter of my water between gas fill-ups”. Despite this hardship Van Dyke performs consistently at the top of the field.

So, the next time the Gumball 3000, Players Run, Bull Run etc. come through your town - make sure to notice the cars, but watch-out for flying pee bottles.

Gumball 3000s Team Latvia Out For a Spin

What is Gumball 3000 vetran Team Latvia, doing in El Mirage, California? The 11th installment of the famed “it’s a rally, not a race” supercar event isn’t to begin until May 1st 2009 in L.A., but it looks like they are doing desert practice runs prior to the event.

Captured in stunning video - Oto Godfrey, Janis Bazevics, Paul Watson, Didzis Rutmanis & Michelle Wiggins create a real movie-esque BMW duel featuring a 400HP M5, and 700HP M6. Dust billows from the Bimmers as they slide at speeds over 150MPH. Truly a driver’s dream, but a detailer’s nightmare – two thumbs up.

See the entire film at http://video.terabass.com/video/flv/html/m5_vs_m6.html

Alex Roy, Runs Coast to Coast… Again.

Noteworthy ex-Gumball 3000 participant Alex Roy, of Team Polizei 144, hit the road for a cross-country jaunt after being semi-retired from endurance driving for the past two years.

In 2006 Alex and David Maher set a new transcontinental record from NYC to L.A. with their nonstop time of 31:04 averaging 91MPH. Saturday morning Alex Roy, Davey G. Johnson, Tim Ferriss, and mid-point addition Rene Villeneuve; set out on a less aggressive assault across the continent lasting approximately 41 consecutive hours, and averaging about 67MPH.

With the E39 BMW M5 fully stickered, like NASCAR meets German Police car, it’s no wonder that Alex was pulled over and detained for several hours entering Oklahoma. December weather also threw its icy curveball at the crew as they entered Thoreau, NM where a police detour and ice-jammed front fender (in need a beating) further delayed their progress.

With their arrival in L.A. one can only wonder what’s up? Could they be at a final screening of Cory Welles’ upcoming film they contributed to “32 Hours 7 Minutes”, or just visiting family for the holidays?