Cops put brakes on high rollers

san francisco chronicle ^ | Friday, April 18, 2003 | Julian Guthrie

[KneelBeforeZod]

Some of the world's fastest and most exotic cars tore out of San Francisco on Thursday night for the start of a mad cross-country caper that's as much about hard driving as hedonistic partying.

But the West Coast debut of the Gumball Rally, a notorious European road race marked by eye-popping speeding tickets, five-digit bar bills and the champagne-soaked antics of the effortlessly wealthy, resulted almost immediately in a police crackdown.

[goodnesswins]

"It comes down to who is the craziest and who has the most fun," he said.

Oh, yeah.....wait until someone gets killed you idiot.

[Publius]

Death Race 2000 was a lot more interesting.

[RikaStrom]

The racers say their "good fun" has a good cause: Some of the proceeds will go to benefit cancer research.

Yeah right, like I believe this comment.

What a useless group of superrich, careless, spoiled little brats.

It's all fun and games until some one dies, and then you can bet that they'll be crying in their booze and saying how they didn't mean for anything to happen, they were just having a little fun.

/disgusted voice

[Hazzardgate]

[NEJake]

GUMBALL!!!

[NEJake]

I recall reading an article many years ago regarding Dan Gurney running NY to LA in a Porshce. It's called "Gumball" now, but I recall the true rally was dedicated to a historical racing figure... can't remember who though...(Barney Oldfield?)

[Riley]

It seems ironic that you could probably win the thing by just doing the speed limit most of the time. Maybe with winding it out a bit when you're on straight stretches of good pavement in the middle of nowhere. You'd make good time, and no one would be at risk but the racer.

[gcruse]

You mean Grand Theft Auto III is a documentary and the skills I learned can really be put to use? Hotcha!~~

[Mike Darancette]

Maybe with winding it out a bit when you're on straight stretches of good pavement in the middle of nowhere.

I've done 150 on US 95 in the middle of Nevada and been passed. I would assume that this is the route they took to Vegas.

[glorgau]

There were thirteen 911 calls alone from motorists on one small stretch of I-80 in Solano County."

The people on that road don't know how to get out of the way. I have literally put the car on cruise control at 75 and rode in the right lane for miles passing up people that were "parked" in the left lane.