Gumball

volospian · 06-04-2011, 08:25

Well, it would cost...

Overnight Stays - unless you live very near Folkestone, 1 night at the start place then whetever you decide to do after the race. You'd probably need one or two nights on the way home, unless you made a holiday of it in which case it would cost more, obviously. We'll have a few brews at the finish point, and probably meet up the night before the start, but apart from that there's no particular demands on this, so you are free to camp, sleep in the car, whatever you fancy.

Fuel - nuff said

Crossing - I'm intending to make the starting point in Calais, so you are free to ferry or chunnel over the day before (or even prior to the start if you are close enough to do that in one go, but the finish line is nearly 1500 miles away, so I'd recommend some rest before you start).

Toll Charges - depending on your chosen route

Food/Drink - Obviously.

Other costs - if you chose to buy a car for this then obviously you'd need to fund it. Even if you take your existing daily drive you may need to consider breakdown cover, additional insurance costs, a quick service, etc etc.

And of course you'd need to decide what you wanted to do after the finish line...

Pheebs,

Think of it like this. I will probably be taking my Jag. It's a 400hp V8 that gets to 60 in about 5 seconds and is limited to 155mph. Sounds great, but then I only get around 17mpg out of it on average. If you had a car that averaged 34mpg I'd need to stop for fuel twice as often. Considering speed cameras, holdups and so on, I wouldn't have that much of an advantage over a high mpg cruiser.

Secondly, careful route planning and not getting lost makes for a good time. Taking the wrong exit, getting lost or just bad route planning and getting stuck in roadworks could render you hours off the pace.

Then there's breakdowns, flat tyres, getting pulled by the police, and so on...

That's the beauty of endurance events, it's all about the marathon, not the sprint.

In fact, if you look at the original cannonball run stats, second place in '71 were in a van and completed the run only 53 minutes slower than the winners who were in a Ferrari Dino. Not bad when you consider the winning time was 35.53.

For those who are seriously interested in this, PM me so I can invite you to the FB event.

06-04-2011, 08:25	#11
volospian Vodka Martini Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 786	Well, it would cost... Overnight Stays - unless you live very near Folkestone, 1 night at the start place then whetever you decide to do after the race. You'd probably need one or two nights on the way home, unless you made a holiday of it in which case it would cost more, obviously. We'll have a few brews at the finish point, and probably meet up the night before the start, but apart from that there's no particular demands on this, so you are free to camp, sleep in the car, whatever you fancy. Fuel - nuff said Crossing - I'm intending to make the starting point in Calais, so you are free to ferry or chunnel over the day before (or even prior to the start if you are close enough to do that in one go, but the finish line is nearly 1500 miles away, so I'd recommend some rest before you start). Toll Charges - depending on your chosen route Food/Drink - Obviously. Other costs - if you chose to buy a car for this then obviously you'd need to fund it. Even if you take your existing daily drive you may need to consider breakdown cover, additional insurance costs, a quick service, etc etc. And of course you'd need to decide what you wanted to do after the finish line... Pheebs, Think of it like this. I will probably be taking my Jag. It's a 400hp V8 that gets to 60 in about 5 seconds and is limited to 155mph. Sounds great, but then I only get around 17mpg out of it on average. If you had a car that averaged 34mpg I'd need to stop for fuel twice as often. Considering speed cameras, holdups and so on, I wouldn't have that much of an advantage over a high mpg cruiser. Secondly, careful route planning and not getting lost makes for a good time. Taking the wrong exit, getting lost or just bad route planning and getting stuck in roadworks could render you hours off the pace. Then there's breakdowns, flat tyres, getting pulled by the police, and so on... That's the beauty of endurance events, it's all about the marathon, not the sprint. In fact, if you look at the original cannonball run stats, second place in '71 were in a van and completed the run only 53 minutes slower than the winners who were in a Ferrari Dino. Not bad when you consider the winning time was 35.53. For those who are seriously interested in this, PM me so I can invite you to the FB event.