The Race
The object of the Cannonball Baker was to leave the Red Ball Garage on East 31st Street in New York City, later a venue in Darien, CT, (the now defunct Lock, Stock, and Barrel restaurant, located in the Goodwives Shopping Center) usually after midnight, and drive to the Portofino Inn in Redondo Beach, California in the shortest time possible. Those were the only rules. Nothing was specified as to the route, type of vehicle, or maximum speed permitted. (There was a gentlemen's agreement that the vehicle entered would be driven the entire distance - no having it transported on another vehicle, nor having an identical second vehicle stashed away, etc.) Speeding citations received along the way were the driver's responsibility and did not disqualify the vehicle (although having to stop to receive a ticket increased the vehicle's overall time).
The Cannonball Run was technically a race in that the fastest time was declared the "winner" and the results were announced in order of time, but times were not taken very seriously. And it was found that sheer speed frequently did not guarantee a first place finish.
Read more about this topic: Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash
Famous quotes containing the word race:
“There is a strange and mighty race of people called the Americans who are rapidly becoming the coldest in the world because of this cruel, maneating idol, lucre.”
—Edward Dahlberg (1900–1977)
“By the by, if the English race had done nothing else, yet if they left the world the notion of a gentleman, they would have done a great service to mankind.”
—Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–1889)