Yesterday Team # 34 Tangospeed / GTspirit drove from Vegas to Los Angeles.

Now we have some great pictures from the last day of the Great American Run: Starting with the start checkpoint at Eurotech Motoring, pics from (the road to) willows spring raceway and finally some pics from the the road to Los Angeles:

Today is already the last day of the phantastic Great American Run. Today the participants start from Las Vegas to reach the final important checkpoint the Willow Springs Raceway! Until this checkpoint the time counts for the 61 miles average. The winner of this is going to win a brand new Bad Boy Saleen Mustang .
Willow Springs International Raceway is a super fast 2.5-mile / nine-turn road racing circuit, patterned after the great courses and road racing traditions of Europe, and is unchanged from its original 1953 configuration. With its substantial elevation changes and high average speeds, Willow Springs is one of the fastest and most challenging tracks in the country. The Great Runners will truely have the change to push their cars to the limit at this track!

After the Willow Springs Raceway the participants are driving together to their hotel in Los Angeles. This will be again one of the finest in town, the Millennium Biltmore Hotel . The Great American run will end there this night with a big party!

# 34 Team Tangospeed / GTspirit is providing us with the hottest updates from the road! For more updates also visit our Great American Forum!!!

Update 1:
5.31 pm CET - 8.31 am local time by Des

We are on the road to the opening checkpoint at Eurotech Motoring. Partied hard alst night, luckily HeCe took it easy.

Update 2:
6.22 pm CET - 9.22 am local time by Des

Checkpoint opened an hour later dure to a crash at the I - 15. We left spot at 9 am, now heading for Willow Spring Raceway. Yellow Carerra and two other NY guys got pulled over in front of us. Helicopter was filming it. Crossing stateline any moment now.

Update 3:
6.29 pm CET - 9.29 am local time by Des

Aston Martin just got pulled. We guess the cops received some reports of reckless driving as those guys did some moves, when the chopper was filming. Only 25 minutes on the road and mayhem already: don’t you just love it?

Update 4:
7.47 pm CET - 10.47 am local time by Des

Still travelling on the I - 15, gues there’s 3 or 4 cars ahead of us. Team Punisher was first to leave the checkpoint this morning and they must be well ahead of us now. We are taking it easy today, but for some reasons we haven’t been overtaken for at least an hour.

Update 5:
9.19 pm CET - 12.19 pm local time by Des

Just past the town of Mohave. 16 miles to Willows Spring. 101 degrees Fahrenheit out here now. A black Mustang just got pulled after the cop followed him about 10 miles. Another Mustang and a black Corvette were filling up at a gasstation in Mohave.

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Finally the day has come: the New York starters and Miami starters meet on the street! Final destination is ‘Viva’ Las Vegas. Las Vegas (often abbreviated as Vegas) is the most populous city in the state of Nevada, United States, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally known vacation, shopping, entertainment and gambling destination. Today’s leg has a lengh of approx 650 km (400 miles) for the Tucson-Vegas leg and 1200 km (750 miles) for the Denver-Vegas leg.
Final checkpoint today is the famous Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino!

Like the days before # 34 Team Tangospeed / GTspirit is providing us again with the hottest updates from the road! For more updates also visit our Great American Forum!

Update 1:
5.48 pm CET - 9.48 am local time by Des

We left Tucson as 9th car at 8.38 am. Next checkpoint Las Vegas!

Update 2:
7.08 pm CET - 11.08 am local time by Des

We just hit Phoenix. Overtook the car that left 8 minutes before us. And several others took a different route out of Tucson and are also behind us.

Update 3:
7.26 pm CET - 11.26 am local time by Des

After 4 days on the I-10 we’re finally onto something differnt! If we can keep a good pace over the next few hours, we might detour to the Grand Canyon.

Update 4:
9.43 pm CET - 1.43 pm local time by Des

We drove down the US - 60 without any problems. On the US - 93 the SRT8 guys (#6) caught up with us and played a little prank with us pretending their car broke down by putting a firecracker under the car. When they pulled back into the road they nearly got hit by a huge truck, that was travelling up the hill with 75-80 mpg. The truck left a huge skidmark on the road and nearly missed them. We are driving on the I-40 now and are about 120 miles out of Vegas. We’ll make a quick stop at the Hover Dam before going to the checkpoint.

Update 5:
10.52 pm CET - 1.52 pm local time by Des

Team GTspirit/Tangospeed just reached the Hover Dam.

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Today is going to be the longest and hardest leg for the Great American Runners, who started in Miami. The final destination for the participants is Tucson, Arizona. It is located 118 miles (188 km) southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles (98 km) north of the Mexican border.
Final checkpoint is JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort hotel. That means a killer-leg of 1400 km (870 miles) for our drivers.

# 34 Team Tangospeed / GTspirit is providing us again with the newest updates from the road! For more updates also visit our Great American Forum!

Update 1:
16.30 pm CET - 9.30 am local time by Des

We just got up. All the others are least an hour ahead of us. So we Are on a mission today! Next stop is Tucson, Arizona the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort.

Update 2:
17.33 pm CET - 10.33 am local time by Des

Yesterday results: 1st to the checkpoint: Porsche 997 C4 (#59), 2nd Corvette (#109) 2 minutes later, 3rd Ford Mustang (#71) 25 minutes later, 4th Dodge Charger SRT8 (#6) 30 minutes later, Team Tangospeed last with 3 hours and 30 minutes after the first team

Update 3:
17.52 pm CET - 10.52 am local time by Des

Haha cop just clocked us, while we were doing 100 mph but he pulled over some poor local instead of us!

Update 4:
18.15 pm CET - 11.15 am local time by Des

Scott (#6) is 382 miles out of San Antonio. They just got pulled over for doing 93 in a 80. $ 165.

Update 5:
18.32 pm CET - 11.32 am local time by Des

We got stopped for doing 105 mph in a 80. $ 294. We are still last!

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Another day for our Great American Runners. Today’s leg lead the participants from New Orleans to San Antonio. Final checkpoint is going to be the Marriott Hotel on the Riverwalk. San Antonio is the oldest city in the state of Texas and the seventh biggest city in the US. Today the drivers are going to make 870 km (540 miles). The participants started at 10.00 am local time in New Orleans. So the first drivers will reach San Antonio at 18.00 pm local time. People around San Antonio are welcome to see and meet the Great American drivers!!!

On day 3 Team #34 Tangospeed - GTspirit.com drivers HeCe and Des are providing us with the hottest news again: Here are the latest updates:

Update 1:
17.20 pm CET - 10.20 am local New Orleans time by Des

We left 1 minute before the checkpoint closed at 10 am. Only the Evo was still at the hotel. Next stop is the Marriott in San Antonio.

Update 2:
18.58 pm CET - 11.58 am local time by Des

Driving on the I-10 West in pooring rain… Still wondering how I could forget my umbrella, when I packed for a trip to Miami and roadtrip along the south of the US to LA in July ….

Update 3:
20.40 pm CET - 01.40 pm local time by Des

We just stopped at Greg’s (Team #333 Half Evil) and Tim’s house in Louisiana with film crew, Iceman Lotus and Machtig M5. Police gave us a nice escort to their home on the I-10. We are on the way to the Texas border now…

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Des just send us his pictures he took at the start of the Great American Run in Miami. He also added a couple pictures from the first leg to New Orleans where they finished 2nd after Molly Saleen. More pictures can be found at Tangospeed.com and in our Cannonball Run Forum!

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What a start for the Great American Run! And what a start for # 34 Team Tangospeed - GTspirit.com. Yesterdays route went from Miami to New Orleans. A very long first leg with a length of more then 1400 km (870 miles). The participants drove via Venice and Tampa to the ‘Big Easy’. After crossing four states, HeCe ‘Sisu’ Tangospeed and Des ‘the flying dutchman’ GTspirit arrived SECOND!!! at 4.15 am local time. Only the fabulous Molly Saleen in her Molly-Pop-Mustang arrived 5 minutes earlier at the checkpoint.
But the night to day 2 of the Great American Run had its price…280 Dollar and 50 Cents to be precise.

Bad luck stroke Team Prowler / Team SRT 8. They arrived last at the New Orleans checkpoint at 11.35 am local time. They had trouble with their car back in Miami and first had to strip parts from a rental car and install them on their car, before they could set off for New Orleans a couple hours after the others.

Today the participants of the Great American Run have the rest of the day off. After the morning and afternoon to sleep and relax they will have some drinks at 6.00 pm and dinner at 8.00 pm tonight. Tomorrow there’s a new driving day!

More pictures and updates can be found in our Cannonball Run Forum!

The Great American Run is on its way!!! First stop for the Miami starters is ‘the big easy’ New Orleans. That means an insane first leg of 1400 km (870 miles). The first checkpoint will be The Astor Crowne Plaza. The Astor Crowne Plaza is the gateway hotel to New Orleans’ most exciting destination - the world famous French Quarter. Located where Bourbon Street meets Canal Street, The Astor Crowne Plaza allows for quick access to both the excitement of Bourbon Street.

#34 Team Tangospeed - GTspirit.com drivers HeCe and Des are providing us with the hottest news during the Great American Run. Here the latest updates:

Update 1:
12.40 am CET - 6.40 pm Miami time by Des

On the road to the Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel in New Orleans. We’re given special route to drive. Grid consisted of two Porsche 997 Turbos, Ferrari 612, two BMW M5 and a lot of Corvettes and Mustangs! We are driving on the 175 north now, heading for Venice and Tampa.

Update 2:
02.29 am CET - 8.29 pm local time by Des

Driving with white A4, Molly in the Sallen and some huge pick-up truck after Venice on the I-75 towards Tampa.

Update 3:
03.34 am CET - 9.34 pm local time by Des

Still going, 3 hours and 30 minutes since start. Team #333 Half Evil just caught up with us after their stop for gars. We are about 30 minutes from our first gasstop.

Update 4:
04.16 am CET - 10.16 pm local time by Des

Just had first stop for gas, did 320 miles in 4 hours. We are 80 miles from the exit onto the I-10 that leads us all the way to New Orleans through 4 states!

Update 5:
05.20 am CET - 11.20 pm local time by Des

Just hit the I-10. Haven’t seen any other Cannonballers since our first gasstop about one hour ago.

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Yesterday we got our car for the Great American Run. First we picked a yellow one but after a test drive it showed some problems so we decided to change it for a white one. So far the car is great, much better handling then the previous model Corvette and although there’s not much luggage space it’s still enough for our bags and gadgets. We did some sightseeing in South Beach and took it out to Fort Lauderdale.

After dinner it was time to put some Great American Run stickers on the car. It was about 30 degrees celcius in the garage so you can imagine it wasn’t a very pleasant job! After putting the stickers on it was time for a couple well-deserved vodka-cranberries.

Team Tangospeed and GTspirit join forces during the upcoming Cannonball Run in the United States. This Great American Run is a special one, with teams starting in multiple different start cities crossing the United States from East to West. All teams will gather and party in Las Vegas before proceeding together to the finish in Los Angeles. Our joint team decided to pick Miami as a starting location and from Florida will make it’s way through the sunny and hot southern United States on the way to Vegas! The car of choice for this coast-to-coast adventure is a Chevrolet Corvette Convertible, a true American sportscar with a long history.

The teams will start in Miami on sunday afternoon the 29th of July and finish in Los Angeles on the 4th of August. At the moment there are still a limited number of slots available for teams starting in Miami and New York. The winner of the Great American Run will receive the keys to a brand new Saleen Mustang with 600 bhp. For the most up-to-date info and special discounts for the Great American Run login to our Cannonball forum!

Top Run Day -2 - Catching up with Tangospeed!

After a quick stop home after our trip to the Carbon Black afterparty in Venice I caught up with Hece and Tango of Tangospeed in Bochum, somewhere in western Germany. That night we went out for dinner and a couple beers but soon got bored and decided to have a go at Hece’s car with permanent markers :-D Hece wrapped his S4 in white just before the start of Carbon Black but 6000 kilometers later and after ripping off all the Carbon Black stickers it could use a bit of new paint here and there. Our artwork in progress caught some good attention in the hotels parking garage and the hotel employees had a good laugh watching the security cameras upstairs also.

Top Run Day -1 - Time to go to Berlin!

Sadly Tango had to go back to the UK due to a family emergency. I drove with Hece to Berlin in what must have been the worst friday traffic ever. Mainly due to the rain all the way to Berlin, but thanks to our hard work the night before we got a lot of people laughing at the car! After a small detour through Potsdam we arrived at the Ritz-Carlton in Berlin where the Top Run welcome committee couldn’t believe their eyes! After a couple beers at the lounge of the hotel and a quick dive in the pool we went out for dinner and welcomed DMC and Rat Boy after their long drive from London. After dinner in a very nice Italian restaurant some went out to party but I went back to the hotel because I suffered from the worst cold ever.

Top Run Day 0 - Registration and kick off party!

Woke up around 10 am, felt worse then the night before and promised myself not to party tonight and go to bed early… Around 3 pm we had to go to room 1103 to register, sign the trophies, meet the support girls and get our Top Run goodies. After meeting some more fellow Top Runners we had to go to Bangaluu for the dinner and start party. Upon arrival we were greated with a glass of champagne and shown to the restaurant on the top floor of this venue. Not long after we arrived there Tangospeed and Team Red Bull showed it’s best behavior and used the napkins to dress up like pirates, clowns and babies. And before I had a chance to look at the menu it flew halfway down the restaurant as one of the planes of the Top Run airfleet. Only when Hece build a 1.5 meter long jetfighter of the paper tablecloth and hit a huge salt and pepermill like the twin towers the control tower told us they were not to happy with all the early take offs! By then all the waiters and most of the restaurant directly surrounding us were already stickered up with tangospeed and GTspirit stickers…

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While we are working around the clock to bring the latest Gumball 3000 news, our friends and previous Gumballers Team Tangospeed arrived in Dubrovnik with Carbon Black (a more exclusive event). The past 3 days they drove from Vienna via Budapest and Sofia to Dubrovnik. You can read the latest of their adventures in their SMS blog. They took a lot of photos already and you can see all of them in their photo gallery!

With a rest day in Dubrovnik tomorrow, there’s a chance the Gumballers and CB drivers come across eachother on the road thursday.