Inspired by Burt Reynolds in Cannonball Run, the Gumball 3000 is a six-day road trip involving rock stars, rich Europeans and anyone else who can afford the high entry fee. In the past five years, the event has gained notoriety for the Mardi-Gras style partying of its participants and the numerous fines for traffic violations. This year's 3,000-mile rally stretched from San Francisco to Miami. Briton Karta Healy joined 145 cars, including Ferraris and a 655 hp Koenigsegg, in a Kenworth T2000.
Here is Healy's account of the rally:
Ready?
This year I wanted to see America in all of its glory, from the ride height truckers do everyday. Kenworth saw the benefit of showing off their latest model in the high-profile Gumball 3000. My truck had a 600 hp Cummins engine, which used biodiesel in a 20% vegetable oil/80% diesel mixture. Kenworth had removed the fifth wheel mechanism, to guarantee that no trailer could be towed. My GVW was 17,750.
Get Set
I made it into the steep hills of downtown San Francisco by midday, hours before scheduled lift off of the fifth Gumball run. Already I had covered 800 miles, and was expected to drive on to Las Vegas, our first checkpoint. We got our official number: 40 and could hear various supercars screaming their way to the Fairmont Hotel for our 5 p.m. parade lap. Mayor Willie Brown led the caravan of Gumballers around the city and down the famous twisty Lombard Street. At this point, a motorcycle cop cut in front of our Kenworth T2000 and politely asked us not to attempt the descent, wisely so.
Go!
At sunset, we left the Bay Area in convoy to make our way across the snowy mountain pass to Reno, N.V. As we had a few celebrities taking part, a crowd of people swarmed the Kenworth and the cameras were flashing before we even opened the doors! Needless to say, they were disappointed not to see a famous trucker emerge from the cab.
We gambled at Circus Circus, winning loads of stuffed animals, which fit nicely in the back. It got even more surreal as we watched the sunrise while passing through Area 51 on the way into Vegas. Our next stop was the Las Vegas Speedway, a small banked oval track which the Kenworth got to test after a very fast Lamborghini spun out and crashed into the wall.
Why Trucks Rule
Throughout the journey, I was asked, "Why drive a semi?" Cops asked, tourists asked and all of our fellow Gumballers questioned our tactics. The next day, we proved our worth by passing most of them at gas stations and rest areas through Nevada and Arizona. We also found great satisfaction in seeing the others being pulled over by state troopers, as we cruised past slow and steady. We figured we had a good lead, so we detoured to the Grand Canyon. As we approached Tucson late that night we managed to come across our first and final hurdle: clearance.
An Early Ending
As we pulled off I-10 into Tucson, we descended a steep road. There happened to be a railway bridge that was unmarked overhead. Being cautious and slightly tired I could not safely judge the height from the driver's seat. I made the mistake of leaving the engine idling while I put the hazards on and jumped down from the cab. There seemed to be just a couple of inches to spare, so we crept forward just as the engine started knocking and gave up altogether. We had managed to empty two-thirds of the tanks thus far. Due to the angle of the road, the remainder of the fuel was away from the pumps and air had been pulled into the system.
We were shortly joined by a police officer who took pity on our situation and shared an hour of humor with us while we waited for the most expensive tow truck in Tucson. None of the mechanics could help us bleed the system, as it would also have to be reset by a special computer. The local Kenworth dealer was competent but closed. The next day happened to be Easter Sunday. Game Over.
The truck was there the next morning, as we quickly off-loaded our stuffed animal farm, and gave the keys to the hotel manager. Because we had to keep going, Gumball style, we jumped in a Bentley to the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. A sunny day driving through the desert with the top down, not bad. However, we missed the bobtail and so did every other Gumballer-it had become the mascot for the Rally.
In Texas we were sure to find a replacement big rig, but an early a.m. departure meant we had to rent a Ford Excursion from the hotel to complete the next two days of straight driving down I-10 to reach Miami. We were envious of the view and comfort of every trucker we passed. We continued to stop at travel centers, and even found a model T2000 in the same color at the next TA.
Although an SUV is hardly big enough to justify hanging out at travelcenters, we taped a model Kenworth to the hood of our Ford and were given the thumbs up everywhere we went.
I now have a better idea of the eternal hard work and respect, commercial drivers have for the road.
I will miss the cackle of the CB radio, I will miss the salute of pulling the leather on the horn, and most of all, I will miss the privilege of piloting an American machine across the epic American landscape.
Interested?
Want to take part in next year's Gumball 3000? It will run from Paris to Cannes, via Marrakesh, starting May 4, 2004. But be warned: the entry fee is $8,700. Go to www.gumball3000.com.
