gumball 3000?

[t-topV6]

anybody ever heard of the gumball 3000, the biggest street race/rally in the world IIRC. starts in the U.S. this year...and finishes in china at the Olympics.
If only I had enough money to buy a lambo, afford the entry fee of $120,000, and then risk being caught by the cops for who knows what (wreckless driving, speeding, street racing)... it would suck to be arrested and have you brand new car taken away in another country.
"2008

The 2008 10th Anniversary Gumball 3000 Rally will take place in August. Cars with neutralized carbon emissions are preferred and proof will be required. The entry fee is £60,000 ($120,000US). The start line will be San Francisco, proceed through checkpoints in Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, flight to Nanjing (Drivers stopping over in Pyongyang), Shanghai, and finally finishing in Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games. Celebrities officially confirmed this year include:

* David Hasselhoff - former star of Baywatch and Knight Rider
* Rob Dyrdek - skater and star of MTV's Rob & Big
* Alfonso Ribeiro - Actor best known as Carlton Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
* Tyson Beckford - Actor and model
* Joel McHale - Presenter of The Soup on E Channel
* Pete Wentz - Musician with band Fall Out Boy
* Jermaine Dupree - Rapper / Producer
* Loomis Fall - Drummer from punk band Wax, contributor to MTV's Jackass, and drummer for Scream for Me
* Chris Pontius - star of MTV's Jackass and Wildboyz
* Bam Margera - skater and star of MTV's Jackass, Viva La Bam, and Bam's Unholy Union
* Bucky Lasek - vert skater and multiple X-Games gold medal winner
* Cory Nastazio - BMX rider
* Mike 'Rooftop' Escamilla - BMX rider
* Willy Santos - skater
* Paul Gray - Musician for the band Slipknot
* Tony Hawk - skater
* Antonio Esfandiari - Poker Player
* John Mayer - Singer / Songwriter / Guitarist"
-wikipedia

I LOL'ed when i learned Tony Hawk and David Hasselhoff where in it this year... i wonder what they are racing in.... 2002 a ferrari F-50 won :rock:

anyway, i just thought it was interesting, my girlfriends brother saw some of the starters while they were in San Fransico.... saw some crotch rockets, a porsche 911, and ferrari fly by em.

videos:
cool cars doing stupid stuff during the gumball 3000, cops included :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHHfjxjp0So

[dangerz]

Re: gumball 3000?

Imagine the kind of money you need to have to drop $120k on a race that's only going to cost you even more money in the end when you need to restore your car.

[notsonic]

Re: gumball 3000?

the race for 2009 is going to be from la to miami (or thereabouts.)

i think pricing is "only" $45k. theres no air travel involved. but there is a playboy mansion party.

id love to do it but thats a lot of cash to drive around with other people on public roads. i do that every day for free.

[tmon930]

Re: gumball 3000?

last time people from jackass drove in the gumball, they had an hour long show on it. http://vodpod.com/watch/369683-jackass-gumball-3000

it sounds like a good time, but i would never pay that much to do something like that. i've heard the proceeds go to charity though.

[onspeed]

Re: gumball 3000?

i thought they weren't doing gumball anymore after that crash in 07 with the 911 and VW...