RE: Someone has done the Cannonball in 27hrs 25mins
Discussion
Given just how empty the roads are between the cities in the US, where you could sit a car at well over 100 for hours on end and not encounter much traffic and where they clearly reached speeds of 193, the reality is that they must have spent a lot of time in the urban environments actually driving pretty slowly.
If they were driving through built up areas and heavy traffic at 103mph then that’s moronic but the basic maths does suggest that they weren’t but were making time on the open, empty stretches.
At least one poster on here who has found this abhorrent has posted in the past with regards to their typical vmax on their daily commute which seems a little silly.
If they were driving through built up areas and heavy traffic at 103mph then that’s moronic but the basic maths does suggest that they weren’t but were making time on the open, empty stretches.
At least one poster on here who has found this abhorrent has posted in the past with regards to their typical vmax on their daily commute which seems a little silly.
SpeckledJim said:
The highways in the USA simply aren't barren. They link big cities. There are millions of people on them, doing 40-80mph.
Which states have you driven across? IME many of the roads across the great plains/western states are indeed barren with absolutely no one doing 40.SpeckledJim said:
The spotters aren't looking ahead for 'risks'. They're looking for the police who might catch them.
These lads are driving tired at huge speeds, feet from thousands of normal people who haven't volunteered to be chicanes in a secret time trial.
It's
ish behaviour, and whilst I can appreciate the romantic appeal of breaking the record, I can't see the difference from doing essentially the same type of driving in an underpass in Birmingham with terrible results.
Your point about probabilities is a huge brain fart I'm afraid. Simply nonsensical.
If I'm honest, I cannot fathom how it is nonsensical. It is just logic - note I am not saying that the chances of something bad happening on this run are reduced. But that the chances of something happening from this type of endeavour are low. My point is that I am not condoning people doing it. But now it is done, there's not much point getting all uppity about it, and you might as well celebrate the result.These lads are driving tired at huge speeds, feet from thousands of normal people who haven't volunteered to be chicanes in a secret time trial.
It's
ish behaviour, and whilst I can appreciate the romantic appeal of breaking the record, I can't see the difference from doing essentially the same type of driving in an underpass in Birmingham with terrible results.Your point about probabilities is a huge brain fart I'm afraid. Simply nonsensical.
You would really need to watch the whole run to be sure - but I would guess they weren't barreling through underpasses at 120mph. The massive top speed would indicate a fair range of speeds were used depending on the circumstances.
Anyway, with this response from PH, the one thing that we can all be 100% sure of - the romance of the road is dead.
RedSwede said:
I wouldn't be happy, no, with your reckless and antisocial behaviour.
But blatting across the US, at times carefully timed to avoid other people, with spotters looking ahead for risks, is different.
So, you think someone driving recklessly past your house is antisocial, but you're happy for someone to drive recklessly past other peoples houses.But blatting across the US, at times carefully timed to avoid other people, with spotters looking ahead for risks, is different.
As i said, it's all a matter of perspective.
RedSwede said:
If I'm honest, I cannot fathom how it is nonsensical. It is just logic - note I am not saying that the chances of something bad happening on this run are reduced. But that the chances of something happening from this type of endeavour are low. My point is that I am not condoning people doing it. But now it is done, there's not much point getting all uppity about it, and you might as well celebrate the result.
You would really need to watch the whole run to be sure - but I would guess they weren't barreling through underpasses at 120mph. The massive top speed would indicate a fair range of speeds were used depending on the circumstances.
Anyway, with this response from PH, the one thing that we can all be 100% sure of - the romance of the road is dead.
Indeed. You would really need to watch the whole run to be sure - but I would guess they weren't barreling through underpasses at 120mph. The massive top speed would indicate a fair range of speeds were used depending on the circumstances.
Anyway, with this response from PH, the one thing that we can all be 100% sure of - the romance of the road is dead.
I assume no-one is going to argue anything other than that the car is extremely capable of it, after all a number of them do pretty much the same speed in Germany all the time.
We’re talking about young and fit men, the two drivers being very experienced in high speed driving and endurance racing, with a couple of dozen others supporting them along the route, and a spotter in the car with his binos looking out for problems ahead.
Yes, it possible that something might have gone horrifically wrong, but you can’t say they didn’t take every chance to mitigate the risks inherent in what they were doing.
I worry that the the PH community is slowly dying - the Bloodhound project thread was bad enough - where on Earth do we get the next generation of people who will chase firsts and records just because they exist??
gazza5 said:
Most accidents occur when someone is either driving without due car and attention or quite frankly do not have the skill or enough brain matter to think of other drivers on the road.
Perhaps like, oh, i don't know, the sort of people who will recklessly speed across an entire continent simply in order to satisfy their ego's?? That sort of person you mean?;-)
As i said, i have got no problem with people extending their performance cars, in private, for short periods, where it's broadly "safe" to do so (note, "safe" is not, and never will be absolute, the faster you travel, the higher the risk becomes), but deliberately and publically flauting the law, and publicising that fact just provides the increasing majority of car "anti's" with yet more ammunition to shut down our freedoms.
(ETA: by "in private", i don't mean on private grounds (although that is of course even better) but i mean without publishing those excursions across social media like some form of badge of honour.)
Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 5th December 18:11
Arsecati said:
Cheezus kryste, so much PC whinging bo11ox on here these days - why are you still reading PH?? My claim to 'cross country America' fame is crossing from San Jose to NYC in 49 hours and 15 minutes on my own in a Honda Accord 'driveaway' in mid-March back in 96. It wasn't planned, but I was hoping to make NYC by St. Patrick's Day (4 days away), and once I got going - the madness to keep going non-stop took over.
A total distance of 3024 miles, only stopping for fuel, food, fluids and to pee (and one speeding ticket in Nevada!). To those complaining about danger to the public, I can assure there was NOTHING on those roads the entire time, apart from leaving SJ and then again in NYC.... NOTHING in between. To those on about the dangers of fatigue, well in my mid-stretch, I drove solid for 22 hours without sleep/rest until I could take no more and grabbed a couple of hours in a service stop before launching in to the last leg. Granted, that sounds utter lunacy now, but I was only 25 and lacking sense/fear: All I needed was caffeine from coffee or diet cola (no Monster or Red Bull back then!). With this attempt, there were actually THREE of these guys in the car, and the adrenaline alone would be more than enough to keep them focussed, so absolutely zero chance of the driver falling asleep at the wheel.
Incidentally, I drove over 360 miles in 24 hours yesterday taking my old 944 S2 from Dublin (Holyhead) to Sheffield and back: Over 4 and a half hours to get from Sheffield to Holyhead on the way back - a distance of only 168 miles. Crawling on those motorways for mile after mile was soul destroying - I was literally beginning to stress out with the feelings of being trapped on those b@$tard fu€&1ng roads, just trying to get back to Holyhead to catch the ferry home: trust me, there is no bloody danger of anyone trying a cross-country record in the UK..... the traffic is literally evil!!
I could go on, but I've drivelled enough. Seems no matter what the story/achievement/endeavour is - if it's got anything at all to with burning petrol or speed, it's getting shot down by the self-appointed morality police. Yes, things need to change, but FFS - are we not allowed just ONE last haven here on the internet, where we can let loose with our hedonistic pleasures of excessive speed and gargling fuel?? Can you not please just leave Pistonheads for the rest of us, so we can continue desperately hanging on to the last vestiges of a rapidly declining motoring world, before it's all gone and replaced by autonomous unicorn-fart powered electrobubbles?
With you 100% - well put, Sir. A total distance of 3024 miles, only stopping for fuel, food, fluids and to pee (and one speeding ticket in Nevada!). To those complaining about danger to the public, I can assure there was NOTHING on those roads the entire time, apart from leaving SJ and then again in NYC.... NOTHING in between. To those on about the dangers of fatigue, well in my mid-stretch, I drove solid for 22 hours without sleep/rest until I could take no more and grabbed a couple of hours in a service stop before launching in to the last leg. Granted, that sounds utter lunacy now, but I was only 25 and lacking sense/fear: All I needed was caffeine from coffee or diet cola (no Monster or Red Bull back then!). With this attempt, there were actually THREE of these guys in the car, and the adrenaline alone would be more than enough to keep them focussed, so absolutely zero chance of the driver falling asleep at the wheel.
Incidentally, I drove over 360 miles in 24 hours yesterday taking my old 944 S2 from Dublin (Holyhead) to Sheffield and back: Over 4 and a half hours to get from Sheffield to Holyhead on the way back - a distance of only 168 miles. Crawling on those motorways for mile after mile was soul destroying - I was literally beginning to stress out with the feelings of being trapped on those b@$tard fu€&1ng roads, just trying to get back to Holyhead to catch the ferry home: trust me, there is no bloody danger of anyone trying a cross-country record in the UK..... the traffic is literally evil!!
I could go on, but I've drivelled enough. Seems no matter what the story/achievement/endeavour is - if it's got anything at all to with burning petrol or speed, it's getting shot down by the self-appointed morality police. Yes, things need to change, but FFS - are we not allowed just ONE last haven here on the internet, where we can let loose with our hedonistic pleasures of excessive speed and gargling fuel?? Can you not please just leave Pistonheads for the rest of us, so we can continue desperately hanging on to the last vestiges of a rapidly declining motoring world, before it's all gone and replaced by autonomous unicorn-fart powered electrobubbles?
I do sympathise with people who had to go through the trauma of involvement in a senseless road accident and I respect their feelings towards excessive speeds on public roads, but you explained very well (just like others did) that speed and danger to necessarily have to go hand in hand - it's just unfortunate that too frequently they do.
Which leads back to your point about everyday driving on UK roads, especially at daytime. I share your frustration!
As someone who regularly does 2500 mile runs in the US and had done150,000 km in Germany I have some sense of this.
(1) the US Highways are not like I-5 in LA. Many are amazingly empty
(2) The South and South West get little bad weather and the highways are in superb condition compared to Michigan for example.
(3) these highways can handle very high speeds
(4) Why anyone would film themselves exceeding the speed limit is astonishing.
(5) Autobahns are very varied in terms of density, and even unlimited need a lot of vigilance. I was there in July and in Northern Germany know some very good stretches where 300 KM/H was quite comfortable
(6) Long ago now but here is a very quick run I did in a two-day old M6 that was dynoed at Hartge at 535 BHP. We later did a GPS run at a properly measured speed of 337. FYI it was at 4am on a Sunday, so no trucks. Can't see anything dangerous--front car was another local German M6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTMKkPxei0I
In the end I did think the PH was about speed and adventure, not resale values, fuel consumption and tailgaters.
I do understand the whole public safety argument but life has a degree of risk. The people in the IoM have it about right and it seems as if the population is not falling.
(1) the US Highways are not like I-5 in LA. Many are amazingly empty
(2) The South and South West get little bad weather and the highways are in superb condition compared to Michigan for example.
(3) these highways can handle very high speeds
(4) Why anyone would film themselves exceeding the speed limit is astonishing.
(5) Autobahns are very varied in terms of density, and even unlimited need a lot of vigilance. I was there in July and in Northern Germany know some very good stretches where 300 KM/H was quite comfortable
(6) Long ago now but here is a very quick run I did in a two-day old M6 that was dynoed at Hartge at 535 BHP. We later did a GPS run at a properly measured speed of 337. FYI it was at 4am on a Sunday, so no trucks. Can't see anything dangerous--front car was another local German M6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTMKkPxei0I
In the end I did think the PH was about speed and adventure, not resale values, fuel consumption and tailgaters.
I do understand the whole public safety argument but life has a degree of risk. The people in the IoM have it about right and it seems as if the population is not falling.
JADCampbell said:
There is a point at which very high speed becomes *really* dangerous for other road users. Just because some old Doris isn't a driving legend (like so many here like to think they are) doesn't mean she deserves to have the st scared out of her by a car passing over 100mph quicker.
I’ve posted in the past of an experience on the autobahn when I was sat at ca 120mph and a Veyron passed me at what I guessed was max ca 240mph.t scared out of her by a car passing over 100mph quicker.It’s legal in Germany in the right place.
Perplexed why people are comparing to an autobahn in Germany
On an autobahn, everyone knows it’s de-restricted and drives accordingly.
Jesse and Wilma from Ohio in their Chrysler minivan are not expecting a Mercedes to come up behind them, well into 3 figures, so are not prepared.
It’s this that raises the risk, not the speed itself.
If the American highways were de-restricted then my 49% of concern about this record would be totally removed.
On an autobahn, everyone knows it’s de-restricted and drives accordingly.
Jesse and Wilma from Ohio in their Chrysler minivan are not expecting a Mercedes to come up behind them, well into 3 figures, so are not prepared.
It’s this that raises the risk, not the speed itself.
If the American highways were de-restricted then my 49% of concern about this record would be totally removed.
Muzzer79 said:
Perplexed why people are comparing to an autobahn in Germany
On an autobahn, everyone knows it’s de-restricted and drives accordingly.
Jesse and Wilma from Ohio in their Chrysler minivan are not expecting a Mercedes to come up behind them, well into 3 figures, so are not prepared.
It’s this that raises the risk, not the speed itself.
If the American highways were de-restricted then my 49% of concern about this record would be totally removed.
How do you know that they passed other vehicles at well into 3 figures?On an autobahn, everyone knows it’s de-restricted and drives accordingly.
Jesse and Wilma from Ohio in their Chrysler minivan are not expecting a Mercedes to come up behind them, well into 3 figures, so are not prepared.
It’s this that raises the risk, not the speed itself.
If the American highways were de-restricted then my 49% of concern about this record would be totally removed.
Phew! So thankful that since my last post/visit, the comments have been mostly populated by those still able to combine logic and common sense with the reality of actually driving a modern vehicle at high speed for long periods of time: PH isn't quite dead yet!
Anyway, for those of you seriously bored, here is an extension of my post earlier about my cross-country trip 23 years ago (for those in any way interested at all!).
The 'driveaway' car I was taking cross country was a 94 Honda Accord (the year I did this trip was 96, so a pretty new car at the time). By the time I had reached Nevada after a few hours driving from San Jose, there literally was absolutely nothing in front of me for as far as the eye could see. Purely for my own amusement, I decided to see how fast the car could go (what else was I going to do when all I could see was pavement, for as far as the eye could see). The car maxxed out at a relatively pedestrian 135-140mph on the clock, but having looked at the time just before I put the foot down (around 2pm), I managed to average a speed of 120mph over the course of the next 45 minutes. Easily calculated when at 2:15 I had covered 30 miles, 2:30 I had covered 60 miles, etc., etc.
It was during this time that I discovered that cruise control on a 1994 Honda Accord didn't work above 110mph: not really relevant, but I thought it amusing to know anyway.
I would keep driving maxxed out like this until I saw a speck in the horizon, then I'd slow down to about 80-90mph (speed limit was 75mph at the time), pass the speck, then accelerate back up to max again, continuing to do so for about 45-50 minutes.
I was slaughtering time and thinking to myself: 'Cheezus, I could make NYC in 3 days at this rate!' as the next speck came in to view. Unfortunately, I paid little attention to this particular speck until WAY too late, when I finally copped the fact that the rapidly approaching 'speck' had a light bar on the roof.
F*@&,
I planted the middle pedal in to the carpet as quick as I could, but it was already too late: I was already able to read the vehicle ID number I was that close. I thought best option was to just continue to overtake at the newly acquired 'leisurely pace', and continue looking ahead like butter wouldn't melt and that I was doing this speed all along. But the moment I was in front, on came the blues and twos, and so to the side I pulled.
I thought the 'International Driving License' and 'naive tourist just recently touched down at LAX' would buy me some leeway - but not a chance. Even 23 years later, his next statement is still burned in to my brain:
'The first time I saw you in my rearview mirror, you were so far away, I paid no attention to you. But the next time I saw you, you were so far up my ass, I had no time to clock you at a higher speed: I got ya at 88mph, but we both know what you were really doing!'
He gave me a ticket for $120 payable there and then ($80 for the fine, and $40 for court costs: yes, 'court costs'!!). I thought I could blag it saying I didn't have cash, but he took credit cards..... in 1996! When he came back from his car with my card, he handed over his folder so I could sign the credit card receipt, and with a smile, he advised me to 'take it easier in future'!
After having to follow behind him at 74mph for the next 10 minutes while continuing on that arrow straight road - he did a U-turn through a gap in the lanes to go back to where he came.....
........ and I put the foot down to get my average 120mph back on track again!
Half my lifetime ago - but burned in to the brain like it happened yesterday and undoubtedly will live with me till the day I die: experiences like that just don't happen every day. Fair bloody play to those lads for what they did - I'd be beside them in a heartbeat if the opportunity ever arose again!
Anyway, for those of you seriously bored, here is an extension of my post earlier about my cross-country trip 23 years ago (for those in any way interested at all!).
The 'driveaway' car I was taking cross country was a 94 Honda Accord (the year I did this trip was 96, so a pretty new car at the time). By the time I had reached Nevada after a few hours driving from San Jose, there literally was absolutely nothing in front of me for as far as the eye could see. Purely for my own amusement, I decided to see how fast the car could go (what else was I going to do when all I could see was pavement, for as far as the eye could see). The car maxxed out at a relatively pedestrian 135-140mph on the clock, but having looked at the time just before I put the foot down (around 2pm), I managed to average a speed of 120mph over the course of the next 45 minutes. Easily calculated when at 2:15 I had covered 30 miles, 2:30 I had covered 60 miles, etc., etc.
It was during this time that I discovered that cruise control on a 1994 Honda Accord didn't work above 110mph: not really relevant, but I thought it amusing to know anyway.
I would keep driving maxxed out like this until I saw a speck in the horizon, then I'd slow down to about 80-90mph (speed limit was 75mph at the time), pass the speck, then accelerate back up to max again, continuing to do so for about 45-50 minutes.
I was slaughtering time and thinking to myself: 'Cheezus, I could make NYC in 3 days at this rate!' as the next speck came in to view. Unfortunately, I paid little attention to this particular speck until WAY too late, when I finally copped the fact that the rapidly approaching 'speck' had a light bar on the roof.
F*@&,
I planted the middle pedal in to the carpet as quick as I could, but it was already too late: I was already able to read the vehicle ID number I was that close. I thought best option was to just continue to overtake at the newly acquired 'leisurely pace', and continue looking ahead like butter wouldn't melt and that I was doing this speed all along. But the moment I was in front, on came the blues and twos, and so to the side I pulled.
I thought the 'International Driving License' and 'naive tourist just recently touched down at LAX' would buy me some leeway - but not a chance. Even 23 years later, his next statement is still burned in to my brain:
'The first time I saw you in my rearview mirror, you were so far away, I paid no attention to you. But the next time I saw you, you were so far up my ass, I had no time to clock you at a higher speed: I got ya at 88mph, but we both know what you were really doing!'
He gave me a ticket for $120 payable there and then ($80 for the fine, and $40 for court costs: yes, 'court costs'!!). I thought I could blag it saying I didn't have cash, but he took credit cards..... in 1996! When he came back from his car with my card, he handed over his folder so I could sign the credit card receipt, and with a smile, he advised me to 'take it easier in future'!
After having to follow behind him at 74mph for the next 10 minutes while continuing on that arrow straight road - he did a U-turn through a gap in the lanes to go back to where he came.....
........ and I put the foot down to get my average 120mph back on track again!
Half my lifetime ago - but burned in to the brain like it happened yesterday and undoubtedly will live with me till the day I die: experiences like that just don't happen every day. Fair bloody play to those lads for what they did - I'd be beside them in a heartbeat if the opportunity ever arose again!
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff