Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash
The run was intended both as a celebration of the United States Interstate Highway System and as a protest against strict traffic laws coming into effect at the time.
A remarkable effort was made by American racing legend Dan Gurney, winner of the 1967 24 hours of Le Mans.
He and Brock Yates as co-driver took 35 hours 54 minutes to travel 2,863 miles (4,608 km) at an average of approximately 80 mph (130 km/h) while collecting one fine.
[8][7][9] In 1972 the team of Steve "Yogi" Behr, Bill Canfield, and Fred Olds won in a Cadillac Coupe de Ville, the first American car to win a Cannonball.
[10] On April 23–25, 1975, Jack May and Rick Cline drove a Dino 246 GTS from the Red Ball Garage in New York City[11] in a record time of 35 hours 53 minutes, averaging 83 mph (134 km/h).
[6][14] After the original Cannonball races, Car and Driver sponsored legitimate closed-course tours, the One Lap of America.
Outlaw successors in the United States, Europe, and Australia continue to use the Cannonball name without Yates' approval.
[citation needed] The object of the Cannonball was to leave the Red Ball Garage[16][17][18] on East 31st Street in Manhattan, New York City (1979: Darien, Connecticut, at the now-defunct Lock, Stock, and Barrel restaurant, Goodwives Shopping Center[19]), typically after midnight, and drive to the Portofino Inn in Redondo Beach, California, in the shortest time possible.
[22] To the surprise of many, the hilarious reports in Car and Driver were warmly received by press and public alike rather than condemned for the race's recklessness.
memoir, Yates reports that in 1972 an all-female team of Peggy Niemcek, Judy Stropus, and SCCA racer Donna Mae Mims ("The Pink Lady") suffered a crash near El Paso, Texas, resulting in a DNF (did not finish).
Mims explains that their Cadillac stretch limousine veered off the road and rolled over after the driver fell asleep at the wheel.
[30] In 1981 the U.S. Express ran from Long Island, New York, to Emeryville, California, which borders Oakland at the east end of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge).
One unique road hazard in the 1981 run was an early snowfall that closed the Donner Pass for several hours to vehicles without chains just as the U.S. Express cars approached.
The run Ran from the traditional Cannonball Route of Redball Garage in Manhattan to The Portofino Inn at Redondo beach California.
Amongst the final event was a team of police officers in a 49 Pontiac, an ambulance driven by John Ficarra, a Lexus driven by record holder Ed Bolian, a vintage Monte Carlo piloted by current record holders Doug Tabbut & Arne Toman.
On September 15, 2019, the Cannonball route event record of 32:05 set by Ed Bolian in 2015, was broken during the 2019 running of the C2C Express.
Using the longer 1979 Cannonball Route, (from Darien to the Portofino Marina) the team was able to cover the 2872 miles in their period-accurate, minimally equipped 1979 Mustang.
The rally had multiple route options determined real time by the driving teams and generally exceed 3100 miles.
Race records indicated the team were able to reach an average speed between St. Louis to San Diego, including stops, exceeding 104 miles an hour.
An interesting development coming out of the race was the near celebrity status of Ohio State Trooper Sargent Roger Teague who apprehended four participants including Rahill and Montgomery, the eventual winners of the event.
The level of police enforcement was so intense, of the twenty seven cars that had planned to leave Boston that day, only eleven were to finish.
Chris decided to make a maiden trip for time to see what was realistic and named the event after his recently passed uncle.
[38] Another race, Australian Cannonball Cup, ran on November 2, 1984 from the outskirts of Melbourne to Fremantle in Western Australia.
