The Real Story of the Illegal Street Race across America
This story covers the 120-year story of the secret, illegal, transcontinental race across the country, the Cannonball Run. From New York to California, drivers have employed all kinds of creative tactics to maximize speed while minimizing run-ins with the police and traffic.
Mistakes in the video:
-The Ferrari pulled over 3 times within 5 miles was a Ferrari 308*, driven by Mark Pritch and Bill Cooper
If you want to learn more, these are some incredible resources!
Books (Brock Yates - Cannonball!, Alex Roy - The Driver, Ed Bolian - FOR THE RECORD)
Docs (32 hours 7 minutes, APEX - The Secret Race Across America)
KZhead (VinWIKI, Tedward, Arne's Antics, switchcars, and so many others!)
Music:
HOME- We're Finally Landing
HOME - Abandon Plant
HOME - Chicken Soup
Fred Mug - Effort
HOME - The Moment Before
Chris Doerkson - Next In Line
Amie Waters - Superposition
Fred Mug - Troublesome
Fred Mug - Social
Fred Mug - Mints
HOME - Puzzle
Fred Mug - Agility
Chris Doerkson - Night Running
HOME - Still Life
HOME - Head First
Chris Doerkson - Spacebound
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:15 The Early Days
02:00 Erwin "Cannonball" Baker
03:14 A New Challenger
03:42 The Cannonball Run
19:24 The Movie
21:01 The US Express Races
23:16 Alex Roy
33:08 Richard Rawlings
37:01 Ed Bolian
39:42 Arne and Doug
42:57 Captain Chaos
44:35 Retaking the Record
47:31 Other Records
48:03 Legacy
All materials in these videos are used for educational purposes and fall within the guidelines of fair use. No copyright infringement is intended. If you are or represent the copyright owner of materials used in this video and have a problem with the use of said material, please contact me via my email in the "about" page on my channel. Thanks!
I love how you used the same intro song as Summoning Salt uses for his speedrun videos, really fitting considering that CanonBall is literally a speedrun of America
The whole video is made like Summoning Salt, the words, illustration, music, and pace, a very nice tribute indeed!
Agreed
Yeah at first I'd thought it was the same creator under a different name
It’s giving me goosebumps
I was thinking the exact same thing
As a Polish person, I find the "pole position" joke amazing
Isn't "pole" short for polish anyways?? As in they were flauntingly saying that the first position was the polish position?? I know in NASCAR we have the polish victory lap as well which is a lap ran backwards on the track layout in order to be able to wave to the fans
That totally went over my head till I read your comment. 😂
Pooooooooole position
I'm glad someone else saw this. I laughed pretty hard when I heard that one.
@@diychad7268 i could be completely wrong but at race tracks the positions of drivers are displayed on a pole near the grandstands and so if you start in 1st you start the race at the top of the pole, "pole position"
My run in ‘79 was what it was. I am in awe of the guys taking the bit in their mouths and perfecting the run beyond our 34:07. Thanks for compiling this video. I attended this past summer’s Cannonball get together in Long Island, as did you, I presume. We’re real proud of our little moment of civil disobedience, and especially that it was done safely with no accidents or anyone hurt. I always slowed for a pass, and only once had to shut off all the lights and pass a couple self righteous truckers on the right shoulder.
😮
What car did you use?
@@aaronlee2810 79 TransAm Ala Smokey and the Bandit. W/ 4-speed, 4 disks , on warranty
@@sfoggyracer What an absolute legend, you’re awesome.
@@-Burb that’s a first time… been called one or two names before. Now I’m an acupuncturist and aging racer and car hobbyist
As a fan of Steel Ball Run I love that it was based on a real race with so much history behind it
I’ve been looking for a comment about steel ball run
I just made the connection when I started watching due to the similar concept So, it's actually based on this? Wouldn't surprise me, Araki is a major nerd about America
From San Diego to NYC
I’m surprised I saw an SBR Comment this high up lol.
I was looking for a JoJo comment lol
Those were the shortest 50 minutes of my life, fantastic content dude, keep it up !
Thanks redfly, I really appreciate it!
Omg i didnt even realize i watched a 50 minute video untill i finished it and saw your comment lol
Exactly! I couldn't agree more!
I didn't realize the video was that long until I saw the comment lol
This channel is pure gold
My father used to do a thing he called “cannonball run”, he would drive from our town in higher B.C. All the way down to Vancouver island, it was a 12-14 hour run and they’d try to do it in 8-10 (him and my uncle) and they succeeded multiple times!
Before the Coquihalla! I think I spelled that wrong.
That’s not a lot of time to shave off IMO. GPS said our drive to Arizona from Iowa was 23, did it in 16 including 4 stops for gas and food 😂
@@tommikaelsen9149 All good lmao I could never say it correctly so I just started calling it the “Coca-Cola” Highway
@@tyg8562 Crazy what you can do when you don’t exactly follow the speed limit hey? lol
@@georgemuller308 So he went through Hope/Princeton? Cause that can be a scary route to take.
The fastest known speeding ticket was issued in May 2003 in Texas. The driver was operating a Koenigseggs CCR, a super sports car made in Sweden, and was allegedly going 242 mph (389 km/hr) in a 75 mph zone.Aug 22, 2009
That's gold
Should have kept going.
How did they catch him???!!!!
@@thesplendor8654He probably stopped because if you have the money for that kind of car you'd much rather just pay the damn ticket and, if necessary, send in a lawyer than get put in jail for evading arrest (it's not going to be hard for them to figure out whose super rare car it was).
@@petergerdes1094 Mm I see. Thanks for explaining
My main gripe with "Good drivers should be allowed to ignore speed limit" idea is that most of the people who wish to ignore speed limits are, in my personal experience, terrible drivers. Also: The pole position joke made my day.
People are so stupid, they actually think being a “good driver” (the fuck does that actually mean, 99% of them have never ran a track before) removes the consequences of speed. They’re so egotistical they think nothing could ever happen where they end up hurting someone else. They’re sharing the road with families, it speaks to a lack of both intelligence and empathy. Im not impressed at all by any cannonball runs, there’s zero skill involved, it’s just hammer it in a straight line and pray. I’m impressed by those who can drive well on racetracks.
Do like Germany does and force people to LEARN HOW TO PILOT, not simple push buttons and arrive by sheer fuckin luck.
@@B.V.LuminousYeah, In Germany, drivers ed is way more involved than it is over here - that's why they trust their citizens to let 'er rip on the autobahn. It's like a masters degree vs a high school diploma.
@@DaL33T5 Bachelor's degree versus kindergarten 'graduation' They can drive fast, but they aren't all racecar pilots.
It’s the opposite. People who drive at or below the speed limit are the terrible drivers. They don’t know how to handle their own car or are scared of it. They think they’re perfect and have no regard for anyone else.
With all the Vinwiki attention that cannonball culture gets, I am always looking forward to learning more about it.
Same
@@jacobasuncion3132 Same as well
Not saying this might be Ed Bolian's secret channel but we never saw these 2 two dudes together.
Vinwiki is cringe and their cop sponsored runs are cringe
Vinwiki are hacks and liars.
This is true American history. Saying "Why the hell not?" and just going for a mad dash across the country with abandon to everyone else. I doubt another event will be like this again (especially considering how shitty some drivers have gotten), but I love that it did happen.
actually the all-time record was broken multiple times in 2020 most notably the current confirmed record was set in a ford taurus disguised as a police cruiser, kitted out with all kinds of tech to help detect and evade law enforcement
@@indyjacob4597 I was referencing how it's not likely another official Cannonball Run would take place, not about people beating records.
@@lordpumpkinhead265 if people are beating the records than the heartbeat of thus has yet to die. Don't be so pessimistic, find a way to look forward to the future.
@@lordpumpkinhead265it will never die
@@lordpumpkinhead265 America has lost freedom of speech, so regaining freedom of the road is a hard sell. Don’t give up!
I love the rebellion of the original race. Even more, I love the gall of people willing to do such a run and document it carefully. It's a wonderful thing. Especially with all of the tech which law enforcement have at their dispense nowadays. I love that this thing still exists, and that there are people such as Alex Roy and his co driver, Ed Bolian and his mate, and Doug and Arne, the guys in the smashed E class.. I totally dig what they have achieved.
This was honestly one of the best documentary type videos that I've ever seen. I've never been this invested in my life. I hope you can continue to find these thrilling and adrenaline filled stories so you can turn them into documentaries.
Considering all the data they have been releasing about the pandemic in the past year its dumb that people complained about people doing the run during the pandemic. Especially considering they called it "unsafe" when there had literally never been a more safe time to recklessly speed
Yeah, the great irony when a dangerous action is made safer by the world halting.
People complain about everything, making their complaints meaingless.
How can you complain about people always complaining like that? I’ll have you know that safely behind my keyboard here, I am going to complain about you complaining about how people complain! Also, those people that actually go outside and do things, whatever they are doing, I know better than them. And yea, I could do whatever that thing is that they did, but uh…I don’t feel like it right now.
Only thing is that it’s an advantage. Not fair to non-pandemic record holders. Best time ever to do it though for sure.
Thank you for your commitment to accuracy- excellent job telling the entire history of transcontinental/Cannonball records. Very well done.
Thanks for the kind words, Doug - it really means a lot coming from you! I realized I messed up your last name while writing the tags for the video, so I apologize for that! I'm really glad to hear you still enjoyed it though
@@HuntersMoon People get it wrong more than they get it right, no worries
I have watched about 5 VinWiki videos on the Cannonball this week - and this was better researched and put together than all of them combined! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Instant subscription. I love when I see content of this quality only to look down and see just how small the channel is. You've got a ton of potential man.
Another killer upload man! So much work and prep! Awesome info and stories!
Thanks again Slowly for all your support! I'm think I'm going to start working on your suggestion next! I'm not sure if it will be a short or a full video yet, but we'll give it a shot!
@@HuntersMoon It'd be perfect for a short I rekon! Can't wait to see whatever you do!!
Holy shit. I was wondering about when you would upload next. I wasn't expecting a 50 minute documentary! I can't watch it now, but I had to give you a like and impressions. I can't wait to listen to the story!
Same here, it's been a while, and I've been fond of history of Yatabe Test Track because of Hunter's Moon vids.
hey uhm i just remind you that you want to watch this video if you haven't forgotten yet!
@@jan_mikes_hidden_stories777 same for you, i just remind you that you want to watch this video if you haven't forgotten yet!
@@NicomitnemC I already finished it and it was mental! My favorite is the Ed Boulian's Mercedes CL55 AMG.
This video was amazing - I was glued to my seat the whole time. A great look at a really fascinating race, and I loved the additional movies and books you included at the end so your audience can do more research. Fantastic touch!
The first time I found out about Cannonball Run was in the early 2010's thanks to a certain racing game, NFS Hot Pursuit. There was DLC called "Lamborghini Untamed Pack" and had a Gauntlet Time Trial named "Cannonball" Lamborghini Countach was the vehicle used
Need for speed the run is what comes to mind for me, this sounds exactly like what nfs the run is but just modern, and more badass. Now I kinda want to see them mess around with the idea of longass races like this again
@@Verystoic a nfs the run 2 was hinted @ in the ending for the run, but sadly nothing happened so far and black box got killed by ea...
Also to add in the need for speed movie he had a scout in a plane which is definitely a reference to this 😂
What an amazing video! The Cannonball is definitely one of my favorite topics to this day! Also, if you want to stick with street racing for the next video, check out the history of the Black Ghost Challenger.
I've just sat and watched all your videos in one day, absolutely fantastic. Your channel will blow up if you keep posting content like this. Thanks for making my day a little less boring whilst I'm trying to find new work.
The pandemic ones are way more valid to me than the use of planes or nitrous oxide! The definition of using bare minimum upgrades and succeeded beyond a shadow of a doubt
Back in 1979, a friend and I got wind of the upcoming Cannonball and made plans to enter. We'd also seen a small spot in Corvette News about a guy and his 1963 Corvette claiming to be the "fastest Corvette in the world" due to a time somewhere around 41 hours. With both our racing backgrounds, we figured we could beat it and take that title, even if we didn't get close to the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Run record. Our plan was to eliminate fuel stops by having "inflight refueling" by having a few pickup trucks along the way with gas tanks, booms, and hoses that could be swung over to us and the navigator crawl over the decklid to fuel the Corvette while driving down the road. Even at reduced speed during this for "safety", it was clearly faster than pulling into a gas station, stopping, refueling, and then pulling back out on the road. We figured it would save at least an hour. In the end, our projected budget was going to be enormous, with gas for 6000 miles roughly for the Corvette, gas for the pickup trucks to get in position, hotels for everyone, food, and other expenses. Trying to round up enough friends to be as crazy as us, after all one would have to drive a pickup while another was in the bed swinging the boom to us and operating a pump, all going down the road at 55 (or more) mph. We figured we'd need about 10 gas stops and that at least 5 needed to be inflight refueling to make it worthwhile. Clearly we didn't fall into the rich enough to throw money away like this would have been. My Dad had even suggested that due to West Coast Corvette prices at the time, when we got there, sell the car and fly home to offset some of the costs. And by 1979, getting out of tickets wasn't nearly as easy plus they counted for more than simple fines. In the end, that much money paid for almost two seasons of road racing.
As a Cannonballer, I'm stoked to watch this when I get home.
I had this video on my "watch later" list for months and decided to finish the video at work, my God this was a beautiful video. Such beauty & elegance ! Perhaps top 3 videos I've seen on ur channel to date ❤
One or the best coverages I have seen. Good Work. Best to you Scott Whitmire 🏁
Watched it from start to finish, sucked into the screen - what a treat! Your thorough and chronological narration is always very enjoyable to watch and it never gets dull Would love to see your take on Targa Florio or Mille Miglia, Targa Florio especially has a rich history and went absolutely bonkers in the later years
...the narration...know the story, enjoyed the movies... ..my 'cannonball' is the 'Carver Curves'.
I remember '20. People who criticized others for going outside.....in their own cars. Karens what can you do... If you ask me, doing a run while fuel prices were low and highways were clear was the optimal way.
Funny part was seeing all these pages who decided that it is not "legit attempt" change their opinion in a while and now would nobody find global pandemic as a reasonable excuse to not give it a try.
RIP Brock Yates. I met up with him every year later in life during One Lap of America when I was in my teens and 20s, and am lucky enough to have called him a friend. He was my idol when it came to automotive journalism, a field that I dreamed of getting in to. He was always kind, helpful, and absolutely fascinating to talk with.
Loved this video, and loved your music choices! HOME is one of my favorite artists of all time, and it really fits the vibe of the historical footage!
I really really like how Ed single handedly brought back the true spirit of Cannonball.
Hiya awesome video, I ran the C2C from 2015 to 2019 and John Ficarra ran the 2904 and the musketball, and he has some awesome stories!
Awesome!! Thanks for keeping the spirit alive!
Oh my - I think we're going to be seeing a LOT more from this creator. I just subscribed and liked but I was amazed to see you had not YET hit 1 million subscribers. Content like this - will soon change that! Well done.
This was superb! Thank you so much for producing this!
The way you pieced this story together made 50 minutes fly by. Keep these long videos coming!!
Beautifully executed storytelling, you're one of the few KZheadrs who keeps me sticked to the video from start to finish. Well done, looking forward for the next one
I grew up a few miles from Highway 54, which was sometimes called "The Cannonball" locally because it was the route of the old Cannonball Stage Line. There was a railroad track next to it which had been the route of the Cannonball train line, but it didn't keep a nickname from that. We got drivers coming through on several of these races when I was a kid, whose arrests and/or evasions always made the news and local gossip. Truckers in particular absolutely hated these guys. I always thought the race was named after the highway. Or the cannonball railroad line, which had run next to the highway.
This was really well made and I enjoyed it. It’s a strange feeling because I’ve never watched a documentary before on a subject that I proactively kept up with in real life. So many “oh yeah I remember that” moments, surreal feeling.
My old man introduced me to the 1981 movie when I was 11 years old, and I loved it so much, I watched it at least once a day for a few weeks. It's wild what a legacy this has, especially as I got older and saw more of its history when I got internet access. Fantastic documentary!
I never realized the race was actually real. I was really young when I saw the movie The Cannonball Run but it is still one of my favorites. Thank you so much for making this video and providing so much info. Thank you also to the people who helped get the max speed changed in some areas, I have to agree that if you know how to drive the faster speed limits should be an option. Maybe someday someone will figure out a system that would help get competent drivers the support needed for higher speed possibly with no limit....Anyways great documentry!!
Well, it is possible because we already know that Germany has the Autobahn.
Insane Video, time flew by like nothing! Please never stop making these documentaries.
Man i watch/listen to youtube pretty much all day long. I sat down for this one. Sbould be on netflix. Amazing storytelling. Got goosebumbs several times. Thank you for making this
After nearly every video i watch from you it leaves me with tears in the eyes and goosebumps all over, this was no different. Please continue documenting these lesser known but absolutely enchanting stories about legendary cars and their drivers. Now i can finally share knowledge (and learn a ton!) about these things to my younger friends in a better way then obscure forum posts and word of mouth stories. Thank you.
loved the video! as an American, Cannonball has always interested me for the sheer variety of cars and strategies used to run it
Great production. I was a tremendous fan of Car & Driver in my youth and have followed the developments of the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash since its inception. Thanks for putting this together.
I love this video, I've watched it about 5 times now. The stories, the characters, the cars, its all great. Keep it up!
Gumball 3000 next?!! Love that you took time to make the video and thoroughly went through cannonballs history in detail. 50min did it justice! Thanks!!!
Still one of the best channels in the community. Always gotta love a good historian
GREAT VIDEO!! You did a excellent job putting it together, thank you!
This was an epic video man. I love the story. This is the sort of esoteric history knowledge I love to hear
Every time I get notified of a new video you posted, I just can't wait to get started watching it - I was always fascinated by the Cannonball run and your depiction of its story is truel captivating ! Well done 👏🏽
Absolutely love the vids you provide and the topics you select within the car community. So fantastic and always super excited to see what you provide/pick for next topic!!! Keep up the phenomenal work and it's much appreciated.
This was a great video all the time and work you put into it is greatly appreciate.
Phenomenal video mate! Never knew all the details! Keep creating man, you rule 🤘⚡
idk why I keep on watching your videos instead of like car throttle or donut media, maybe because of the these interesting car stories, keep the good work bro
I knew a lot about this run before this video but you did a great job showing the timeline and history. Learned even more. Great video!
well done on all the REAL history , the pics and logos and everything you gathered up is awesome - How mad is it seeing those old cannonball baker cars from the early days , and all the details n old logos etc ..... THATS REAL HISTORY - TOP VIDEO
The amount of effort you put into this made it more interesting than I thought it was going to be. Great work.
I've always loved the idea of these races and am always enamored by anything about them, finding this documentary of yours was seriously something I didn't expect but was so happy I did. There was actually a lot in here I didn't know and honestly the most interesting bit to me was the fact that Will Wright took part in it. I wanna thank you for putting the time and effort into making this, I've already sent it to someone to watch. Keep up the great work!
There's a great episode of TheSmokingTire Podcast (Alex Roy & David Morse (Record breakers! Autonomous cars!) - TST Podcast #498 ) with a sit down with David Morse. He was the winner of the 1982 US Express and competed in some of the following events. He pointed out that the reason he knew to bring snow chains was because he had been on that route before in the winter. I highly reccomend this episode!
Excellent video. Really appreciate your effort to document this amazing history. Thanks
I really, really enjoyed the video. Knew some of it; but, not all the Finish Times, Attempts, Tactics, Gear, & Recruited Spotters. GREAT JOB !!!
i cant even explain how much i enjoyed this video.. thank you for all the time you spent working on this
this is an incredibly well done video. i had heard of the cannonball before this, but had only very basic information on how it started. the amount of research and how deep you went into this part of american car culture is astounding. thank you!
Really enjoyed this. Very informative. Will watch it again that's for sure.
Thank you for making this documentary. I grew up in the 80s and the Cannonball Run was like an echo from the past just before my time. It was almost mythical and I even remember the Hotwheels cars I had that were painted up with it's namesake. Your work is appreciated!
Very comprehensive video. I grew up watching the old cannonball movies. I often thought what an awesome event to be a part of.
The Cannonball Run was the inspiration behind the Norwegian movie "Børning", which features a race across the country, from the south (around Oslo), to the very north (North Cape)
You realize before that movie came out Americans had already tried this on horseback: “The great American Horse race”
Buddy. Norway means north road in norse. I am sure they would have raced boats along our coast way before horse domestiction became a thing in America.
Doubt it.
Fantastic video! I was hooked the entire time! I’m going to go do a Cannonball Run now!
HUNTER!!! I’ve been watching your videos since your second video, I really love your content! The song you use for your into is starting to become popular on tiktok so it’s all over my page and it always reminds me of your videos! 😊
I just saw this masterpiece of a movie and now Moon's video, the timing is IMPECCABLE!
Absolutely loved this video. You did an awesome job of explaining it's history and current times and people. Keep up the great work brother, God bless
such a great story - thank you for documenting it so well.
Man... So inspired! I could have have a video double this length. Very well researched
Love the videos, covering a very interesting niche of every car culture in every video. Keep it up man!
Awesome breakdown of Cannonball history.👏 I Grew up on those films and love hearing about all the real race stories.👍 Much appreciated.
That was awsome Dude. I loved every minute of it. Cheers
Great video! i knew little bits of this but this is the whole picture. really well done with detail.
wow amazing amount of effort put into this video i can see, the production quality and research is outstanding, keep it up man
This was an absolutely brilliant documentary. Always loved the film when I was a child so learning about it is always a plus. Thanks for the content 👍
Great documentary. Thorough content, story, video along with narration. GREAT JOB! Thanks..........
I was fascinated by this race, after reading the tale of Brock Yates and Dan Gurney doing the trip in a Ferrari Daytona back around 1971. interesting story, IIRC in Car & Driver magazine. It's what made that Ferrari the ideal car to tens of millions of auto enthusiasts for the past 50 years, and it remains, for most of us, still the most desireable car of all time.
Don't forget about the Cobra ! There was a movie made about that race in the 70's called the Gumball Rally.
Great documentary! Its nice to get accurate accounts on this! Thoroughly enjoyed your vid!
Thank you for making this! Very fun to watch
Amazing stories and i really enjoyed you retelling them ! As a german, i do like to go fast on the Autobahn but i cant imagine doing that Kind of speeds for 24+ hours. Its quite exhausting to think of everyone Else on the road even if you dont need to worry about the police 😃😃
24 + hours texas to Tennessee at roughly 100 mph to 120 in a Nissan pathfinder 2 door awake alert and ready the whole time. It was a fast exciting long booty call I had no choice
I am German as well and I think with a second driver I can do it. I would not go for a solo run, but I have a lot of experience driving 1 to 2 hours above 250 kph on Autobahn.
I was going to save this for watch later until I saw who posted it I love the way you narrate and how you make your videos
Thanks, Great Job! Many of the movies, and articles, you mentioned lead my to my love of cars ( and motorcycles ) and going fast.
Brock Yates' Cannonball book is a fantastic read. Many participants contribute their stories, it's like being there.
Fantastic video keep the good content coming and I wish you all the best
I always wanted to do this when I was young. Watching the movies pumped me up, but finding a team that was as crazy or crazier than me was pretty hard. Had to put the dream to rest after many many speeding tickets. Great video!!
It's also important that those crazy people *know* how to drive quick
The stories in this video are hysterical, thank you so much! :D
wow what a banger video. i had no idea iv been sitting here for almost an hour. love these videos man
I would love to see another video on all the specific stories from the cannonball run, would be really interesting.
Never clicked on a video so fast. Nice vid Hunter's Moon. Was excited for your next vid.
Thank you for making this. It was well done
I love your videos. Great narration and editing.
Great job! The part Alex wrote about him learning of his dad and the Cannonball, he created for dramatic effect. He already knew about it, there was no tearful unveiling, but he needed create some motivation at the start of his book. It was a good idea and worked well for it.
anypercent speedrun across america with the montana trail glitch, the sumoning salt music was good, nice video, always saw the vinwiki videos on cannonballs but never knew the origin of it
Great video! I knew about the original Cannonball run, up to Alex Roy's book and Corey Welles's documentary. However, I knew nothing of the Covid Runs. How does one keep in the loop for these things? Your video was excellent, and you received a new subscriber. Great job!
Since it is highly illegal you have to know someone who knows the entrants .Or, reads about it after the fact. Because there in no set date,the runs have to be documented with video, GPS etc. Sometimes some of the past winners hear about that an attempt is going to happen and it`s a "team sport" if they get people to help spot speed traps ahead. I guess, if you happen to "stake out" the starting place in NY for several weeks you may see someone leaving it a "rapid pace" it might signal game on.