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Gumball 3000 Supercars & Superstars in O.C. - Presented by LUX5 Events
Date: August 10, 2008
Location: Huntington Beach, CA.
Article:
Mike Bender
Photos:
Mike Bender, Clinton Lum |
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Check out one of 4 stops for the 2008 Gumball 3000 Rally that was held at the Hilton Resort in Huntington Beach this past weekend. This was their 2nd of several stops around the World (yes, the world!) and it was sponsored by the folks over at LUX5.
It should come as no surprise that the people who own most of these cars have deep pockets. What shocked me though was the cost to enter, which is all inclusive for 2, at around 60,000 British Pounds. For those of you who are mathematically challenged, that is approximately $115,000 USD. That is more than the cost of some of the cars entered.
It was a beautiful sunny day in Huntington Beach and a fun break for the participants after an AM drive down from San Francisco (as evidenced by the bugs on the front of most of the cars). Several hundred spectators who heard and saw all the ruckus in the neighborhood stopped to see what was going on. The media was also out in full force hoping to get shots of the celebrities involved.
About this year's Gumball 3000:
Driving 3000 miles over an intense eight days, incorporating the cultural diversities of East and West civilizations; flying all cars and participants between Continents; witnessing the Mass Games in North Korea, the Olympic Games in Beijing; and partying each night fueled only by adrenaline, amusement and amity, the 2008 route will undoubtedly be a real once in a lifetime adventure!
History (From wikipedia.org):
In 1933, motorcycle racer "Cannonball" Baker crossed the United States from coast-to-coast in approximately 54 hours. In the 1970s, Car and Driver founder and editor Brock Yates started the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash in his honor. The second race was won by Yates and Dan Gurney, a former Formula One and Le Mans driver, driving a Ferrari Daytona. They needed about 36 hours to transit from New York to L.A. These events inspired the 1976 movies The Gumball Rally and Cannonball, as well as sequels including Cannonball Run, Cannonball Run II, etc. The "Cannonball" race eventually was canceled in 1979 due to a combination of media attention and pressure from political influences and police organisations who were concerned about road safety.
Drawing inspiration from the 1970s race, the aforementioned movies, as well as the movies Smokey and the Bandit and Vanishing Point , Maximillion Cooper revived the spirit of the old races in the summer of 1999 by combining the driving element with nightly parties and layovers at luxury hotels. The "Gumball 3000" has since captured public attention through celebrity participation and widespread coverage including CNN, MTV, the BBC, Esquire magazine, FHM magazine, and George Gurley from Vanity Fair, who rode with 2003 "Spirit of the Gumball Trophy" winner Alexander Roy through Morocco during the 2004 Rally.
About LUX5 Events:
Based in Newport Beach, CA, The Lux5 Group is America's premier event company focusing on luxury entertainment and high-end brand marketing. The unique attractions at Lux5's ultra exclusive events span from rare and exotic automobiles to million dollar yachts, and from haute couture fashion shows and VIP lounges to the most sought after brands from all over the world. In September of 2007, the first Lux5 event was held in Orange County at the Grove of Anaheim. The Orange County launch paved the way for future success. Since then, this savvy and affluent community has been setting the stage for what is now spreading across the nation, and even the world. An environment where several successful moguls showcase privately owned possessions and individuals to ultra luxury brands fuse fashion and glamour with modern lifestyle.
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