Gumball

[A Place of Light]

Originally Posted by Fayshun

Prize for slowest time?

Problem solved.

Kinda defeats the point of a race though.
Best to ditch the time aspect altogether, select a few interesting points along the route and make those your overnight stops. Get caught speeding in europe and it gets painful real quick, so making it something of a tour rather than a race would make it more enjoyable and give it a wider appeal. I would love to do a race as suggested in the OP, but then I have driven in Europe many times and I am there regularly. Most people, including many in here, would treat something like this as their annual holiday so an event that lets them stop and smell the roses when they like instead of chasing the stopwatch would be a far better plan in my opinion.

[divine]

If it were me organising it, i'd split it into 'stages' that are easily manageable and let everyone spend a day here or there to enjoy things, then tot up total times at the end if you really feel you need an overall time for it all.

As APoL has suggested above really, it's a big event and spending a week on the motorway might seem a bit of a let down when it's all said and done. If you do it in stages, you can even 'force' the routes onto some more interesting roads so that even the road trip aspect will involve more enjoyment and more scenery etc. than your typical autoroute will give you.

(Suggested route on google maps has you on one road for 455 miles at one point...)

[volospian]

Sorry guys, I'm not organising a week long sightseeing tour around the prettier parts of Europe. I'm organising a hardcore 24 hour endurance race. However, I'm specifically not dictating where people go, or how long they take to get home, after they reach the finishing line.

You see, the problem with organising a "sightseeing" tour as some of you have suggested is.... who wants to see what sight, where does everyone want to go, at what time, when, how and so on. One persons idea of a beautiful medieval town centre is someone elses idea of a nightmare of shoving your way through crowds of tourists while some Eastern European tealeaf smashes your windscreen and nicks your stereo. Someone elses idea of a great time spent hooning around a race track somewhere is someone elses idea of a noisy, smelly, waste of their life.

I organised a trip last year, Calais to Geneva, through the Petit St Bernard pass into Italy and on to the Alfa museum in Milan, back up through Switzerland and into Germany, stop for a couple of nights at Nurburgring and back to the UK. All with "special stages" along the way, things do to, places to see....

It was a ******* nightmare and, in many ways, one of the most frustrating and disappointing experiences of my life. Everybody wanted to do different things, at different times. Nobody really wanted to stick to the schedule, which meant that we missed out on some of the sights as people sat around arguing about where they were going to stop for lunch or whatever... people were suggesting new routes on the way, or suggesting their own ideas, and then getting into arguments with each other over them... We were driving in convoy as well, which meant that when one person wanted to stop, everybody had to stop. Someone would stop for a pee, then 30 minutes later someone else needed to go and we'd all have to stop again...

The race is designed specifically to be 1 thing all the participants want to do, and then it doesn't matter what everyone wants to do after that. If some want to tour France, or Italy, or go up to Spa or the 'ring, then that's up to them. If several people all want to do that same thing, then great, but if some want to do something different, that's cool too.

After the last time, I have absolutely no interest in organising, or attending, a group trip meandering around the sights of mainland Europe.

[A Place of Light]

Originally Posted by volospian

After the last time, I have absolutely no interest in organising, or attending, a group trip meandering around the sights of mainland Europe.

Then you will struggle to get anything resembling mainstream appeal, but as you used the word hardcore in your previous post I suppose you already know this. Based on that, I cannot see anyone from here attending. You may attract one or two, but I do not see many hardcore racers in here.

[volospian]

Originally Posted by A Place of Light

Then you will struggle to get anything resembling mainstream appeal, but as you used the word hardcore in your previous post I suppose you already know this. Based on that, I cannot see anyone from here attending. You may attract one or two, but I do not see many hardcore racers in here.

Well, I know a few people on here from a previous life, and I think some will be very interested. Whether they can afford to go, or have the time to go, is another matter, but there are people interested in the concept.

[divine]

Fair enough, I can understand that viewpoint. I'd still be tempted to try and force a slightly more interesting route though. 455 miles sat on the same long motorway is just going to end up a bit boring compared to if you sent people to a couple of slightly off course checkpoints which took them via some more interesting roads.

Otherwise it's essentially just a case of three guys getting a diesel thats economical at 90-100mph, driving and sleeping in shifts and they win without stopping

[volospian]

Originally Posted by divine

Fair enough, I can understand that viewpoint. I'd still be tempted to try and force a slightly more interesting route though. 455 miles sat on the same long motorway is just going to end up a bit boring compared to if you sent people to a couple of slightly off course checkpoints which took them via some more interesting roads.

Otherwise it's essentially just a case of three guys getting a diesel thats economical at 90-100mph, driving and sleeping in shifts and they win without stopping

Well, Calais to Messina is slightly longer than 455 miles. Besides, if the race was only 455 miles, and you were cruising at 100mph, why would you need 3 guys? I can drive on my own for more than 4.5 hours straight without needing a kip.

I think some people are missing the point here, somewhat... I'm proposing a race. That, by definition, dictates that you won't be stopping to take in the views. However, the race itself is only 1 part of the experience. I am deliberately not organising anything after the race exactly so people can do their own thing on their way home.

The problem with "interesting roads" is this... what are you interested in? If it's the views, you won't want to be racing along at high speed, so there's no point in driving that route as part of a race. If you are racing, you won't be looking at the views. If you are driving fast on, say, an alpine pass, and you want to live, you do not take in the views... You concentrate very hard on the road, the car and the traffic. I know, I've done it, and apart from the time spent parked up while my co-driver emptied the contents of his stomach, I don't think I looked at anything other than tarmac and gauges. (brake fade to the point of almost zero braking force on a downhill set of switchbacks doesn't sit easily on everyones stomach, although as a driver I found the challenge of managing the fade, while still keeping up with the car in front, to be an "exciting technical learning opportunity" There were so many corners on the route that we managed to boil the power steering fluid as well as the brake fluid...)

Also, not knowing peoples driving skills, I would not be happy to dictate any routes to them for a "race" environment. I don't want people to feel pushed beyond their capabilities. The event I am thinking of has no route. If you think you can fit in an interesting pass, or stop for pictures, and still average a greater speed than those cruising down the autoroute, go for it.

The fact that I am simply proposing a race between to points on a map, allowing the contestant to choose their own strategy, their own route, their own vehicle, and then leaving them in the toe of Italy and allowing them to get home whenever they want, in whatever fasion they desire, via any route they so care, with any, or none, of their fellow contestants... and still I get people saying "I think you should do this" or "I think you should do that" proves my point that whatever I arrange, people will still moan about it not being exactly what they want. So, I'll ask my original question again, if anybody is interested, let me know.

[divine]

Originally Posted by volospian

Well, Calais to Messina is slightly longer than 455 miles. Besides, if the race was only 455 miles, and you were cruising at 100mph, why would you need 3 guys? I can drive on my own for more than 4.5 hours straight without needing a kip.

I know that

The 455 miles i'm talking about is getting onto the highway in Italy, which you then do not come off of until you are at the south of Italy, it's just 455 miles on one single road.

I just thought things may be a bit more interesting if certain checkpoints were added with proof, such as a photograph of the town clock in X or something along those lines. Just thought it would spice things up a little.

[Kitten]

I don't think anyone was expecting you to organise anyone else.

We're all capable of saying, we'll be 'here' at 'x' time, either you are, or you aren't and we'll go and do our own thing.

I'm probably out now as it sounds a lot less fun from the last few posts - think the opening post of

After last years euro event (£450 Alfas to Milan and back via the alps and the 'ring) I'm thinking of organising a one off Gumball style race across europe. First thoughts are Folkestone (or rather Calais, thinking meet at Folkestone, cross in the tunnel, then organise a timed leave) to Messina (Sicily). Leave at a set time, then your till receipt at the hotle bar is your arrival ticket. Fastest one there wins nothing but bragging rights.

This is just a thought at the moment, with no set date or particular plans, but I wondered if anybody would be interested...

sounds more like a set your own pace, there's nothing to win anyway type of thing.

[volospian]

Originally Posted by Kitten

I don't think anyone was expecting you to organise anyone else.

I'm not tlaking about organising people, per se, it's organising routes, times, and so on.

Imagine if the "event" had several "stages" and took in various "routes"... if that was to be pre-ordained (and it would need to be or we'd all just be aimlessly wandering around Europe) then someone would have to plan those routes, decide upon start and stop locations, determine how to calculate times (if time was important). How many routes, what was seen, where we went, and so on... And that's a lot of time and effort and ulitmately too much hassle because you'll never please everyone anyway.