Thursday 7th September 2006
Following the massive success of Cannonball 8000 over the past four years, this year’s European rally route has been announced and places are filling up fast.
240 drivers in 120 amazing cars, from Aston Martins to Porsches to a ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ General Lee, will be seen off by a bevy of Corona beer beauties and a flurry of photographers in London on Friday, 15 September 2006. The rally then winds through Brussels, powers through Prague and ends in Budapest on Sunday, 17 September 2006 (Rome in 2005, Monte Carlo in 2003/4) with a legendary Cannonball 8000 party, all of which will once again be caught on film and screened in selected cinemas and ITV.
Rally organiser Conrad Wall says “the route and locations have all been carefully chosen on the criteria that they are on major transport routes and are proper party destinations! Cannonball 8000 has now become Europe’s premier non-professional rally event and rightly so; we have the best cars, driven by the greatest people—from film stars to high-profile media personalities to ordinary petrol heads. There’s no other event that mixes different people from so many walks of life”.
Celebrity spotting will certainly be a pastime at this year’s event, with actors Nick Moran of ‘Lock, Stock’ fame and hot new Brit actor Charlie Cox (playing opposite Hollywood big shots Robert DeNiro and Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes and Sienna Miller in Stardust) and Chris Brosnan already confirmed to ride. Moran enjoyed last year’s event so much he is joining his crazy crew again this year. Moran says “driving a souped-up Subaru with my mate Alex Proud across Europe was a brilliant way to spend a few days, and I’m certainly looking forward to taking a break from filming to fit it in again…. There’s no better laugh than going on a road trip with a bunch of like-minded people who are up for it”.
Amanda Zuydervelt and Claire Kellock of Stylebible.com – the insider's guide to the world's style capitals – were the first all-female team to compete in the Cannonball 8000 in last year’s rally, and the event’s organisers hope more racy ladies will be eager to take part in 2006 as well. Lovely Amanda and Lori Heiss will be manning the only all-female car this year.
Amanda, managing director of stylebible.com (who manned the Sun-branded Mercedes SLK350 in the 2005 rally), said that “as someone who works in the fashion and lifestyle media, I can quite confidently say that this event is simply one of the hottest tickets of the summer”.
Cannonball 8000 is Europe’s premier non-professional rally event, covering 5 countries in 72 hours. Live the dream with fast cars, fast guys and fast girls… on the road.
The results from the last four years can be viewed at www.Cannonball8000.com as can any additional up-dates on the event.
David Jensen Photography:
https://www.davidjensen.co.uk/
