The Official 2008 Gumball 3000 Rally Event Updates
#1
08-08-2008, 02:03 AM
The Official 2008 Gumball 3000 Rally Event Updates
Make sure to check the BLOG daily - www.vividracing.com/blog
Team Vivid Racing is running this years US Leg of the Gumball 3000. Starting in San Francisco on Friday August 8th, cars leave the Fairmont Hotel on Saturday August 9th. But to start the rally, we had to get to San Francisco. The 2 cars in our team consisted of our customer Jack and his buddy Matt in their Porsche 996TT and the VR Project Porsche 997TT co-piloted by professional skateboarder and recent silver medalist at the X-Games, Bucky Lasek.
Jack, Matt, and myself left Phoenix Arizona at 6am and headed out for the 12 hour drive. With little traffic and a definite long haul ahead of us, we managed to push through with no issues. A couple of drag races on the highway, some swapping of who was leading, and many tests of our radar detectors and laser jammers with the California Highway Patrol.
Needless to say, we won everyone of those battles!
We arrived to the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco exactly 12 hours after we left. As we pulled in, our bodies were use to 108F degree temperatures, were then brought on to this beautiful 70 degree city air. We parked our cars in the car park next some other Gumballer cars. Some cars we have see so far include: 2 Porsche Carrera GT's, many Ferrari 360's, a couple Porsche 996TT, BMW M6, 4 Rolls Royce Drop Heads, Maserati, Lamborghini Gallardo, and I am sure many more to come by tomorrow.
We arrived a day early which definitely gives us time to rest as the opening festivities are always packed. With an early departure Saturday morning, we can expect a full day of driving. In Gumball fashion, a 5 hour drive will be turned into a 10 hour adventure. Rumor has it we are headed to a race track... I bet Buttonwillow Raceway. These are some pictures from the drive up. Check out our gallery and blogs as we update consistantly.
Please feel free and REPOST this anywhere.
Enjoy! - http://www. vividracing. com/forums/gallery/browseimages. php?c=352
5am Departure. Jack and Matt Pictured.
Jack Cruising the I-5 in Central California
The Porsche 997TT which I solo drove about 10 hours!
Crossing the Bay Bridge
The Fairmont Hotel. 5 years early, Vivid Racing started this 2003 Gumball 3000 Rally in our Subaru WRX I.
Team Vivid Racing is running this years US Leg of the Gumball 3000. Starting in San Francisco on Friday August 8th, cars leave the Fairmont Hotel on Saturday August 9th. But to start the rally, we had to get to San Francisco. The 2 cars in our team consisted of our customer Jack and his buddy Matt in their Porsche 996TT and the VR Project Porsche 997TT co-piloted by professional skateboarder and recent silver medalist at the X-Games, Bucky Lasek.
Jack, Matt, and myself left Phoenix Arizona at 6am and headed out for the 12 hour drive. With little traffic and a definite long haul ahead of us, we managed to push through with no issues. A couple of drag races on the highway, some swapping of who was leading, and many tests of our radar detectors and laser jammers with the California Highway Patrol.
Needless to say, we won everyone of those battles!
We arrived to the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco exactly 12 hours after we left. As we pulled in, our bodies were use to 108F degree temperatures, were then brought on to this beautiful 70 degree city air. We parked our cars in the car park next some other Gumballer cars. Some cars we have see so far include: 2 Porsche Carrera GT's, many Ferrari 360's, a couple Porsche 996TT, BMW M6, 4 Rolls Royce Drop Heads, Maserati, Lamborghini Gallardo, and I am sure many more to come by tomorrow.
We arrived a day early which definitely gives us time to rest as the opening festivities are always packed. With an early departure Saturday morning, we can expect a full day of driving. In Gumball fashion, a 5 hour drive will be turned into a 10 hour adventure. Rumor has it we are headed to a race track... I bet Buttonwillow Raceway. These are some pictures from the drive up. Check out our gallery and blogs as we update consistantly.
Please feel free and REPOST this anywhere.
Enjoy! - http://www. vividracing. com/forums/gallery/browseimages. php?c=352
5am Departure. Jack and Matt Pictured.
Jack Cruising the I-5 in Central California
The Porsche 997TT which I solo drove about 10 hours!
Crossing the Bay Bridge
The Fairmont Hotel. 5 years early, Vivid Racing started this 2003 Gumball 3000 Rally in our Subaru WRX I.
#2
08-08-2008, 02:10 AM
Awesome. That looks like an absolute blast. I've been following the Gumball for years, and it's a personal dream of mine to someday have the chance to participate in an even like that! Thanks for sharing!
#3
08-08-2008, 11:51 AM
The exotic cars begin to roll in here at the Fairmont in San Francisco for the start of the US Leg of Gumball 3000. Running into Gumball 3000 founder, Maxx Cooper, he showed off his Jaguar XJ220 to us in between national media interviews with NBC, FOX, and more. We snapped some pics of some of the other cars including this Gumpert Apollo, Porsche Carrera GT, and Mercedes McLaren SLR.
Stay tuned to Vivid Racing for all the Gumball 3000 news and updates as we continue to cover this event. Don't forget to visit our Online Store for Great Specials to make your car Gumball worthy!
View all the Gumball 3000 photos here - http://www.vividracing.com/forums/gallery/browseimages.php?c=352&userid=
Stay tuned to Vivid Racing for all the Gumball 3000 news and updates as we continue to cover this event. Don't forget to visit our Online Store for Great Specials to make your car Gumball worthy!
View all the Gumball 3000 photos here - http://www.vividracing.com/forums/gallery/browseimages.php?c=352&userid=
#4
08-08-2008, 12:52 PM
Good Luck with Stage 1... Godspeed!
I'll see you in San Diego on Sunday. Matt Pryce sent me confirmation that my car will be a display car.
My son and nefew are stoked to see all the hardware.
Bill.
I'll see you in San Diego on Sunday. Matt Pryce sent me confirmation that my car will be a display car.
My son and nefew are stoked to see all the hardware.
Bill.
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#9
08-10-2008, 09:42 AM
Sorry slightly late on this....
The San Francisco to Los Angeles run was nothing more Gumball then previous years. With a 120 cars on the start, we did a parade lap around the streets of San Fran which included going down the famous Lombard street. With a crowd of at least a hundred thousand people lining the streets, the attention was truly amazing. As we headed out of San Francisco at noon, we collected our first route card which told us to go to Buttonwillow Raceway. Instead of shooting down the I5 freeway, we jumped on the 101 and headed south till we hit an unknown but truly amazing highway, Route 58. This 2 lane highway was full of mountain turns, tight switch backs, rolling straights, and even some up and down parts that literally got the car off the ground. With Bucky behind the wheel, he pushed our Porsche 997 Turbo like it had never been driven before. At one point, as a passenger, my palms were sweaty from clinching on to the door handle. As we went through this amazing landscape, we traversed the turns and hills with the Gumpert Apollo and Audi R8.
We finally got closer to the end where the I5 was visible and we caught up to Maxximillion Cooper in his Jaguar XJ220. We popped on to the I5 and headed over to Buttonwillow Raceway where we grabbed a bite to eat and got the opportunity to run the cars on the track. Team Vivid Racing driver, Jack and his co-pilot Matt, took their Porsche 996TT for some laps before we all jumped back in the car and headed south to the final destination at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. Gumball had closed off Hollywood Blvd where we parked all 120 cars which we were greeted by 1000's of spectators.
Another party ahead for the evening, we were up for a short drive with 4 checkpoints to San Diego in the morning. This journey of the US Leg was long but sensational for a driving enthusiast. Check out all the amazing photos from the first leg here - http://www.vividracing.com/forums/gallery/showimage.php?i=7903
Stay tuned for more updates, photos, and pictures to VividRacing.com.
The San Francisco to Los Angeles run was nothing more Gumball then previous years. With a 120 cars on the start, we did a parade lap around the streets of San Fran which included going down the famous Lombard street. With a crowd of at least a hundred thousand people lining the streets, the attention was truly amazing. As we headed out of San Francisco at noon, we collected our first route card which told us to go to Buttonwillow Raceway. Instead of shooting down the I5 freeway, we jumped on the 101 and headed south till we hit an unknown but truly amazing highway, Route 58. This 2 lane highway was full of mountain turns, tight switch backs, rolling straights, and even some up and down parts that literally got the car off the ground. With Bucky behind the wheel, he pushed our Porsche 997 Turbo like it had never been driven before. At one point, as a passenger, my palms were sweaty from clinching on to the door handle. As we went through this amazing landscape, we traversed the turns and hills with the Gumpert Apollo and Audi R8.
We finally got closer to the end where the I5 was visible and we caught up to Maxximillion Cooper in his Jaguar XJ220. We popped on to the I5 and headed over to Buttonwillow Raceway where we grabbed a bite to eat and got the opportunity to run the cars on the track. Team Vivid Racing driver, Jack and his co-pilot Matt, took their Porsche 996TT for some laps before we all jumped back in the car and headed south to the final destination at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. Gumball had closed off Hollywood Blvd where we parked all 120 cars which we were greeted by 1000's of spectators.
Another party ahead for the evening, we were up for a short drive with 4 checkpoints to San Diego in the morning. This journey of the US Leg was long but sensational for a driving enthusiast. Check out all the amazing photos from the first leg here - http://www.vividracing.com/forums/gallery/showimage.php?i=7903
Stay tuned for more updates, photos, and pictures to VividRacing.com.
#11
08-10-2008, 04:27 PM
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Westminster, MD
Posts: 241
Rep Power: 26 
The black 996TT had a pretty good power steering leak after running Buttonwillow. I told him to watch out, that likes to cause nice car fires. Didn't seem to care much...
#13
08-10-2008, 08:13 PM
A couple motorcycle cops pulled next to me today and said slow down. I asked was I really going that fast? (maybe 35 in a 25) He then asked if I was part of that "Bubble Gum Rally".. LOL
#14
08-10-2008, 11:00 PM
Did you tell him he had a dirty mouth and needs to "clean it up".
Last edited by vividracing; 08-11-2008 at 01:03 AM.
#15
08-11-2008, 01:03 AM
With last nights party at the one of the most well known Hollywood hotels and clubs, Gumballers were up bright and early to start their 2nd leg from Los Angeles to San Diego. At 9am we had the engines fired up and received our first route card which pointed us to PCH to head towards the Hilton in Huntington Beach. Our group of cars consisted of the 2 Vivid Racing Porsche's and a Audi RS4 Wagon powered by Pro Snowboarder Todd Richards. After a quick battle through the twisty roads of Beverly Hills, we jumped on the 405 to short cut the PCH route and get to the hotel on time. Once we arrived, we were greeted with a brunch which included a live band and a lingerie fashion show. After some time, we received our next route card which had us heading towards Vista, California to the facility of one of the best wheel makers in the business, HRE Wheels.
HRE was a brief stopped where we got to check out their facility, see how their wheels are made, and enjoy a snack. While most people hung out for a bit, we gathered a group and decided to hit up K1 Raceway which has indoor go-karting. This was an epic possey which included: Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Bucky Lasek, Todd Richards, Team Vivid Racing, film crews from Fuel TV and Dimitry, one of the producers from Jackass. We arrived at the karting track and ripped out 2 sessions. The electric go-karts moved really well and the track was demanding. Resident pro, Bucky went head to head with Team Vivid Racing driver Jack for the top time to gain start position. In the end, Bucky took 1st, Todd took 2nd, and Ryan took 3rd. The better part, they had a quick awards ceremony for us!
After we left K1, the next stop was at some super ballers house in Encinitas. But first Team Vivid Racing broke off and headed to the home of Bucky Lasek. Entering the neighborhood we ran through a little bit of water on the street. About 5 mins after we had passed through this, a water main broke and put an impassible hole in the street. Within minutes a line of cars backed up and the fire department was called. There was one more way out and we were on it! To get there we had to cut through a neighborhood and go on a dirt road for about 100 yards. The exit however was a locked gate and we needed to get out. Soon a man known as JMFH found a cinder block and broke the lock which freed us all.
We were now in route to the mega house. Rumor had it he spent $350,000 just for us to come and stop by. I had also heard that the house was $30million dollars or so. Since we goofed off at the Kart track for an hour, we arrived to this megaplex later and everyone had already left. Pulling in the driveway, we could see a guest house which dominated most of our primary residence. We pulled around the paverstone driveway which had to have been at least a 1/2 mile to finally reach the home. With his collection of Ferrari's parked on the lawn, the only other amazing thing that stood out was the eccentric architecture of this house. After grabbing a water, we were told to head straight to the hotel as the police escort from Qualcomm stadium had left at 4pm. It was now 430.
We barrelled down the I5 heading towards downtown San Diego. Just as we were to get off at the exit to go towards the Ivy Hotel, we caught up to all the other Gumballers and the police escort. We paraded through downtown San Diego and then finally reached our destination. With a TON of spectators, the jumbo screen, we 1 by 1 parked our cars and headed into the high end and trendy hotel for another night of partying.
Look out Las Vegas, we are invading you tomorrow at the Hard Rock and then the US Leg of Gumball is completed. For those going to China and Korea, good luck! Check out all the pictures from todays run here - http://www.vividracing.com/forums/gallery/browseimages.php?c=352
Don't forget to check out the Vivid Racing Store for all your high end and road rally ready performance racing parts. Vivid Racing carries all the best exhaust systems, air intakes, springs and coilovers, wheels, aero kits, and much more.
HRE was a brief stopped where we got to check out their facility, see how their wheels are made, and enjoy a snack. While most people hung out for a bit, we gathered a group and decided to hit up K1 Raceway which has indoor go-karting. This was an epic possey which included: Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Bucky Lasek, Todd Richards, Team Vivid Racing, film crews from Fuel TV and Dimitry, one of the producers from Jackass. We arrived at the karting track and ripped out 2 sessions. The electric go-karts moved really well and the track was demanding. Resident pro, Bucky went head to head with Team Vivid Racing driver Jack for the top time to gain start position. In the end, Bucky took 1st, Todd took 2nd, and Ryan took 3rd. The better part, they had a quick awards ceremony for us!
After we left K1, the next stop was at some super ballers house in Encinitas. But first Team Vivid Racing broke off and headed to the home of Bucky Lasek. Entering the neighborhood we ran through a little bit of water on the street. About 5 mins after we had passed through this, a water main broke and put an impassible hole in the street. Within minutes a line of cars backed up and the fire department was called. There was one more way out and we were on it! To get there we had to cut through a neighborhood and go on a dirt road for about 100 yards. The exit however was a locked gate and we needed to get out. Soon a man known as JMFH found a cinder block and broke the lock which freed us all.
We were now in route to the mega house. Rumor had it he spent $350,000 just for us to come and stop by. I had also heard that the house was $30million dollars or so. Since we goofed off at the Kart track for an hour, we arrived to this megaplex later and everyone had already left. Pulling in the driveway, we could see a guest house which dominated most of our primary residence. We pulled around the paverstone driveway which had to have been at least a 1/2 mile to finally reach the home. With his collection of Ferrari's parked on the lawn, the only other amazing thing that stood out was the eccentric architecture of this house. After grabbing a water, we were told to head straight to the hotel as the police escort from Qualcomm stadium had left at 4pm. It was now 430.
We barrelled down the I5 heading towards downtown San Diego. Just as we were to get off at the exit to go towards the Ivy Hotel, we caught up to all the other Gumballers and the police escort. We paraded through downtown San Diego and then finally reached our destination. With a TON of spectators, the jumbo screen, we 1 by 1 parked our cars and headed into the high end and trendy hotel for another night of partying.
Look out Las Vegas, we are invading you tomorrow at the Hard Rock and then the US Leg of Gumball is completed. For those going to China and Korea, good luck! Check out all the pictures from todays run here - http://www.vividracing.com/forums/gallery/browseimages.php?c=352
Don't forget to check out the Vivid Racing Store for all your high end and road rally ready performance racing parts. Vivid Racing carries all the best exhaust systems, air intakes, springs and coilovers, wheels, aero kits, and much more.