Road-racing on public highways is illegal and just because we’re enduring a pandemic doesn’t mean laws of the road are on hold, according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
Earlier this week, a driver allegedly shattered the record for driving from New York to Los Angeles, accomplishing the feat in 26 hours and 38 minutes.
The coast-to-coast race known as “Cannonball Runs” — named after the Burt Reynolds movies of the 1980s — is frequently attempted despite its illegality.
Though the specific route is unknown, if drivers are caught racing — or speeding — in Wyoming, pandemic or not, they’ll be pulled over, according to the Highway Patrol.
“This can create a very dangerous situation and if folks are trying to race to get to a location it can definitely create a hazard,” said Sgt. Jeremy Beck, a patrol spokesman.
“Our troopers are still out and enforcing traffic laws,” he said. “Traffic laws will be enforced. We will make it the safest that we can for the motoring public.”
The new record reportedly shaved 45 minutes off the old mark and is being credited to, not surprisingly, the decrease in traffic on U.S. roads.
One Cannonball insider — and former record-holder — told Road and Track magazine that the new record is credible.
“It wasn’t me,” Alex Roy told the magazine. But he did shed light on the individuals and the type of car.
“All we know about this new set of scofflaws is that there were three, maybe four of them, and that they were driving a white 2019 Audi A8 sedan with a pair of red plastic marine fuel tanks ratchet-strapped into its trunk,” the article reads.
“They started at the Red Ball Garage in New York City at 11:15 pm on April 4, and ended less than 27 hours later at the Portofino Hotel & Marina in Redondo Beach, California, the traditional start and end points of a Cannonball attempt.”
CBS reported that a trio of drivers set a record for the run back in December by averaging 103 mph for a full day with a top speed of 193 mph.
How do these people escape law enforcement? A mixture of old and new technology.
“We’ve got a couple radar detectors, a CB radio, a police scanner,” the racer said of December’s trip. “We use gyro-stabilized binoculars and, something new for this trip that’s never been done, we used a thermal scope on the roof of the car so we’re able to see anything warm on the road waiting there for us.”
These drivers were also assisted by a team of spotters who scoped out the road in front of them and would alert them to speed traps.
Although it all sounds fun, the former record-holder looks at the new record with disdain.
“If you hit a truck moving medical supplies and people die because of it, that’s on you,” Roy said. “People are counting on those trucks moving around right now. It’s not funny.”
