Gumball 3000 Rally Update: No flying under the radar this year

The organizers of the Gumball 3000 rally — the road rally inspired by the forgettable 1970s auto epic of (nearly) the same name — have an interesting public relations challenge this year. Last year's rally (held in Europe) was canceled after a fatal car crash in Macedonia. That incident and other run-ins with law enforcement officials on the Continent are drawing the kind of attention to this year's event that rally drivers and their sponsors may not appreciate.

The rally, which hits the road in San Francisco on Saturday at 10 a.m., has the attention of law enforcement. The San Francisco Police Department is taking extra steps to deal with the event. "We're very well aware of it and we'll be monitoring what's going on," a department spokesperson said.

The first official rally destination is Los Angeles, but only the rally drivers will know the exact route. As they make their way from San Francisco to L.A. and then San Diego, and then over and up to Las Vegas (on Monday), the authorities will still be watching. Fran Clader, a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol, said, "The CHP is very much aware of the rally." Additionally, she said, "affected CHP divisions can be expected to deploy special enforcement teams, extra patrol units and air assets along the route to ensure rally participants obey traffic laws and get where they're going safely."

So is all publicity good publicity? As long as no one (else) gets hurt, I suppose.

— Joni Gray

Photo: Stephen Osman / Los Angeles Times

Related Up to Speed post: 2008 Gumball 3000 Rally goes to Hollywood

Comments

[dutch]

Three is an entrant in an Audi R8 streaming live video via cell phone when they have coverage: http://www.justin.tv/adam_jackson

Based on video from around 3 to 4p PDT today of their car and others, including a bronze/brown pickup truck entry, Porsche's and an Audi, several entrants are doing bursts significantly about the speed limit.

[Mike]

At least you could have shown a CHP officer with a radar/LIDAR device instead of a Sheriff's Deputy in the photo.

[Sarah Taylor]

Yesterday, Saturday, my husband, Paul Horabin and I were driving back from Falllen Leaf on South I-5. While stopping for gas at a Valero station about 90 miles outside of L.A., we saw 2 cars from Gumball 3000. One was pulling out as we were coming in, so we didn't get a good look. It looked like a MB Maybach, maybe. It had lots of stickers all over it. You could see it clearly heading south on the 5 towards L.A.

As Paul got out to pump gas, the other car, a silver porsche, pulled in quickly at the pump next to us. Two drivers got out. One guy was kind of heavy set, light brown/blonde hair pulled back in a pony tail, wearing shorts and a T shirt. The other guy was older with dark curly hair. They seemed to be in a rush and asked us, "Is there a racetrack around here?" We told him we weren't from here, but as they frantically entered their zip code I.D. at the pump, they told us the race was from San Francisco to Beijing. The guy with the ponytail ran across the parking lot, turned his back to everyone and pee'd on the side of the road. My husband knew a little about this race, I was clueless. We told him about seeing the other car head south on the 5.

I have to say, these guys seemed rather confused about where they were going. We gave him our well used AAA roadside map of California and wished them good luck.
The dark hair guy waved thanks as we pulled out.

We got back on the road and Paul immediately looked up all the info about the race on his iphone. As he read all of the details out loud, I realized how big this event is, and how cool it is that we saw part of it firsthand. We are musicians and really dig that John Mayer is in the race this year..and I am really sorry we didn't take photos with our phones!!!!

[heaveysetconfusedpeeing guy]

DEAR MAP LADY HORABIN,

I AM THE HEAVY SET GUY THAT MET YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND ON THAT SATURDAY. I AM THE DRIVER OF THE SILVER PORSCHE. THE RACE TRACK WAS NAMED BUTTONWILLOW, BUT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE TOWN BUTTONWILLOW WHERE WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE.WHY??? THE MAP DIDNT HELP US THERE BUT DID COME IN HANDY WHEN WE DROVE THE PCH. THANKS AGAIN FOR IT. AND BY THE WAY- WOULDN'T YOU RATHER PEE OUT IN THE DESERT THAN HAVE YOUR HANDS TOUCH ANYTHING AT THOSE NASTY RESTOPS???
KEEP HANDING OUT MAPS AND LOOK OUT FOR US ON THE NEXT RALLY. WE MADE IT 2ND PLACE TO VEGAS!!!