Behind the new Cannonball Run record is Ed Bolian, who said that the cross-country trip was amazing and cathartic when he arrived at LA’s Portofino Hotel. The hotel is known as the historic end of cross-country speed attempts since the 1970s, when Brock Yates created the “Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash,” now better known as the Cannonball Run.
Along with Bolian on the Cannonball Run record drive were Dave Black, who shared driving duties, and Dan Huang, who rode in the back spotting for police and calculating fuel usage.
The team smashed the Cannonball Run record, reaching a maximum speed of 158 mph at one point and averaging about 100 mph, according to the Inquisitr.
To smash that Cannonball Run record, the men drove a souped-up Mercedes CL 55, known for its strong suspension. They added two 22-gallon auxiliary fuel drums to the car’s existing 23-gallon tank, which added about 400 pounds to the Mercedes.
In the “cockpit” of the car were a CB radio, radar detector, police scanner, laser jammer and a switch that could deactivate the car’s lights. The Cannonball Run record car also was outfitted with two GPS devices and a mobile Internet connection that allowed the team to monitor traffic and weather apps and websites.
And to prevent unnecessary stops on the Cannonball Run, the men toted along a bedpan, although it wasn’t clear if they actually needed to make use of it on the record-breaking journey.
For the record, the first person to set a speed record for driving cross country was Edwin “Cannonball” Baker in 1933. In the 1970s, Yates and others inaugurated the Cannonball Run in Baker’s honor and as a protest against new federal speed limits initiated in the wake of the oil crisis.
The “Cannonball Run” movie is a comedy starring Burt Reynolds and Roger Moore and features a cross-country race.
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