The 2904, the LeMons of Cannonball.
November 26th, 2009 CycloneDoing the Cannonball run from New York to Los Angeles is something that has always been a dream of mine. It’s definitely on my automotive bucket list and will be something I’ll do one day. I’ve always had an interest in doing this rally every since I learned of the Gumball 3000 races. A few years ago I was following the story of Alex Roy and his BMW M5 and the 31 hours and 4 minute trek he made across the country.
Meet the 2904, a Cannonball run type race with a catch, you have a $2,904 budget. This budget includes buying the car, getting the car race ready, fuel, etc. Bottom line is at the finish line you can not exceed $2,904.
I happened upon an article by the St. Louis News which follows a team called ‘Cookin’ with Gas’ and their Ford Crown Vic Interceptor over the 2904 mile journey from NYC to LA. The article tells their story including picking up the car, the troubles they had along the way and even talks about one of the drivers sex toy business.
At 3:48 p.m. November 7, Team Interceptor is off and running. We get our time stamp from the Red Ball Garage on East 31st Street, the Cannonball’s famous starting place. After lurching through Manhattan’s knot of stop-and-go traffic, we ascend from the Holland Tunnel into New Jersey — then promptly make a wrong turn.
There’s a hush in the car as the GPS system decides how to reroute us. “Recalculating,” the robotic voice says. “Turn right on Indian Place.” The voice is set to “Australian female” mode, whose name, the team decides, will be Sheila.
Within minutes, we’ve merged onto Interstate 280 and discovered that our right rear blinker doesn’t blink. But the taillights work, so we’re still street-legal.
At 4:31 p.m., someone farts and all windows slide down except the rear driver’s side, which is broken and duct-taped shut from the outside. Chris LaCon is skeptical that this feature will lend credibility to our aura of a police vehicle. But something must be working, because cars ahead of us keep peeling off into the right lane to allow us passage.
The article is a great read overall. Click here to go to the St. Louis News website and read the article in it’s entirety.