Superstars & Super Cars highlight the 12th anniversary of this global car rally event beginning May 1st in London
Exotic sports cars worth millions being driven fast by celebrities worth millions more – all hopped up on Monster Energy product – sets the stage for a head turner of a motorsports event when the 12th annual Gumball 3000 kicks off seven days of festive ‘stars & cars’ celebration beginning May 1st in London and featuring more than a dozen kids from the “Make-A-Wish” foundation, then culminating May 7th in New York City.
Some 150 vehicles, ranging from the priceless (Lambos, Bentleys, Ferraris) to the absurd (Monster’s Rob Dyrdek & Big Black entered a rental car in ’04) start the event piloted by a myriad of action sports athletes, rock & rollers and TV and film stars – all racing against a clock that doesn’t exist and a 1st place trophy that’s not there either.
“For the past several years Monster Energy has been one of the most active participants in this unique, somewhat undercover, but one-heck-of-a-good time event,” said Monster Energy’s VP of Marketing Sam Pontrelli. “From the fast cars and drivers to the controlled havoc and major social events surrounding the Gumball 3000, this is the lifestyle that the Monster Energy brand’s all about.”
So far in this year’s rally Monster Energy a number of its own athletes entered, including: three-time Summer X-Games FMX Best-Trick Gold Medalist Kyle Loza, PWC racer Dustin Farthing, along with professional drivers Andrew Buck and Ireland’s Butsy Butler. “We’re pleased to be back on board with the Gumball and look forward to keeping the drivers wide-eyed with Monster product over the seven days of the event – including the much-lauded after parties,” added Pontrelli.
The U.S.’s stages of the heralded international contest that traverses some 6,000 miles of the globe in seven days, opening in London then hitting Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Stockholm before crating up and hitting Boston, Quebec City and Toronto before finishing in NYC.
“I’ve got everything rigged so I can pound my Monster Energy Drinks along the way without having to stop for gas,” says competitor, actor & director Ricky Schroder. “I will then shower the competition with the glorious beverage at the finish line!”
The Gumball 3000 evolved based on the exploits of motorcycle racer “Cannonball” Baker and his incredible 54 hour trans-continental N.Y. to L.A. crossing of the United States – way back in 1933! Some 40 years later “Car & Driver” founder and editor Brock Yates founded a cross country race event that would become the stuff of lore in Hollywood and was the subject of four feature films.
Unfortunately, due to all the attention and, back then and the participants’ disregard for speed limits, the Cannonball Rally was cancelled in 1979. It wasn’t until 1999 that Brit Maximillion Cooper would breathe life back into the rally, resurrecting the event with a certain touch of class (high-brow parties, luxury hotels) and over-the-top flair that has re-kindled its attention with the global media.
“We’re happy to once again have energy drink industry giant Monster Energy on board with the Gumball 3000 and our participants will no doubt find the well-known Monster product handy in keeping them wired and – ideally – safe throughout the length of this big adventure global road trip,” said Cooper. “Best of luck to all the participants and thanks again to Monster Energy for its involvement in the 12th annual Gumball 3000.”
Those not having 100 large laying around (reportedly what it costs to enter the event) nor a Lambo or Bentley in the four-car garage are still welcome to check out then action here in the States, Canada and abroad as all are open to the public. And those wishing to track the Gumball 3000 action online can do so at
www.monsterenergy.com,
www.monsterarmy.com, Monster Energy Facebook,
www.gumball3000.com
