Bullrun 2006 Video: Carl Lewis v. Mosler

At the SRCA Raceway in Great Bend, Kansas we staged a few races. The Porsche 911 GT2 had FTD but it's not always about being fastest. Sometimes, it's about the competetion.

Take the clip below of Carl Lewis, 9-time Olympic Gold Medal Winner, racing the Mosler Super Car.



The Mosler ran a 12.2 or something... but Carl clearly kicked his ass in the first 10 feet.

Driver Diary: Entry #4 - The Aftermath

Thanks to Emil for being the driving force behind this Bullrun Blog, which arguably may be the best one. I'm apart of it and "I" really enjoy it. I hope you all do as well.

After much needed rest on Saturday my Bullrun experience didn't quite come to a close until Saturday night. Vinny Russo, who runs an automotive events company, obtained a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution from Mitsubishi Motors. We decided to take the car to the Canyons near Glendale (LA) to visit his friend Frankie G. Frankie G. happens to be a hollywood stunt driver and is still licensed to drive Grand Prix races. Frankie was good enough to teach me some high speed canyon carving in the Mitsubishi. Needless to say we whipped through the canyons at about 120 mph with razor precision. It was great. I submitted the video to Emil. Hopefully it's VOD CARS worthy. My much needed "seat time" and driving experience continues on.

Back to driving a desk...

Besides the exhaustion that still grips my body, I still experience bits and pieces of a live Bullrun. Everytime I close my eyes I see road and scenery flying by. My wife picked me up from the airport yesterday and on the way home I stopped myself from pointing out police cars, TWICE.

AND EVERTHING SEEMS SLOW.

My mind is still working at over a 100 mph. Thoughts and experiences keep coming back and logging themselves into memory. I have always made it my business not to experience life through the lense of a camera. Same goes for this blog. I chose to experience Bullrun the most I could. I didn't want to remember things just for sake of blogging. I believe the authenticity of this blog is what makes this a strong piece. Emil and I are still blogging because it's coming from the memories of our experiences, not a piece of paper with scribbled notes.

Seriously...More to come (After my "Bullrun Hangover" subsides).

RC

Bullrun 2006: Keri on Jalopnik

Keri did do the Bullrun in a car we bought about 3 days before we left on the rally. I've not talked about her much in the blog because I'm sure that she'll chronicle her adventures in her own blog.

It seems, though, that her new friend Dave at Jalopnik, pictured below, have much to say about her and her driving ability. Congrats, Keri, on scoring your own Jalopnik tag!

Bullrun 2006: Oops!

Thank god for Claus Ettensberger. If it were not for him, I'd be flipping out over the Porsche. See, after driving 4,000 miles without incident in her Audi, Keri got hit about a mile from our house while she was on her way to pick me up at Lamborghini Beverly Hills.



It's not that bad, really, but I see a TechArt body kit in our future...

Bullrun 2006: 4,107 Total Miles

From the time I dropped the Gallardo off in Beverly Hills for shipment to New York to the time I returned the car to Beverly Hills for an inspection of the front differential, the car logged 4,107 miles.



Next stop: Shoreline Motoring

Bullrun 2006: Gallardo Delivery

Ashes to ashes... Dust to dust... Beverly Hills to Beverly Hills...

Back where it all began, I dropped the Gallardo off in Beverly Hills while Rory slept off the closing night party. I cannot believe that the car held up, especially after our top-speed run and cruising at 180+ for more than 40 minutes in Utah. Sure, the front differential may have been "acting up" but hey... it's not like the RennTech CL600, Ford GT, Ferrari 550, or Porsche 911 Turbo ran through the desert without incident.

Oh wait...

Nevertheless, the good people of Lamborghini of Beverly Hills will take good care of the Gallardo and get it ready for equipment removal and reconditioning down at Shoreline Motoring.









Next year, though, we'll be running something more adroit for rallying...

Bullrun 2006: Best Cop Pictures

Below are my favorite cop photos from the Bullrun 2006:


Always on camera, right?



Combining stops: Fuel and a Ticket



An especially stern looking officer.



An especially thorough vehicle search. The police in Michigan, however serious they were, were also very courteous taking time to dust off any items replaced into the Lamborghini after being searched. Photo by Unlimited Class

Bullrun 2006: Team Riecke's Mascot

Jay and Byron hit a bird at a very hight rate of speed. I think the bird should be the official mascot of Team Riecke.

Bullrun 2006: Final Route List

Did you miss the Bullrun this year, but you still want to make the trip? Here's the full 2006 route in all its glory.

A word of advice: Don't bring laser jammers to Michigan.

Day 1:
  · Start: Times Square, New York City
  · Activity: Pocono Raceway, Long Pond Pennsylvania
  · Finish: Hilton Toronto, Toronto Canada

Day 2:
  · Start: Hilton Toronto, Toronto Canada
  · Activity: Windsor Casino, West Windsor Canada
  · Finish: House of Blues Hotel, Chicago Illinois

Day 3:
  · Start: Lake Forest Sports Cars, Lake Bluff Illinois
  · Activity: Anheuser Busch Brewery, St. Louis Missouri
  · Finish: Hotel Intercontinental, Kansas City, Missouri

Day 4:
  · Start: Hotel Intercontinental, Kansas City, Missouri
  · Activity: SRCA Drag Strip, Great Bend Kansas
  · Finish: Sonnenalp Hotel, Vail Colorado

Day 5:
  · Start: Sonnenalp Hotel, Vail Colorado
  · Finish: Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas Nevada

Day 6:
  · Start: Shelby Museum and Las Vegas Speedway, Las Vegas Nevada
  · Activity: London Bridge, Lake Havasu City Arizona
  · Finish: Santa Fe Station, San Diego California

Day 7:
  · Start: W Hotel, San Diego California
  · Activity: California Motor Speedway, Fontana CA
  · Finish: Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills California

Bullrun 2006: Day 7, Party at Social

The party at Social was great. It was fantastic to be out with everyone and not stressing about strategy for tomorrow. Everyone looked great, was nice and relaxed and happy to be "finished". Medals were handed out, awards were given and in the end... it seems that everyone's favourite Tove Christiensen won the rally.

Tove was by far the victor this year and. He drove phenomenally and tactfully at every turn and delivered an exemplary performance. As much as I love the Collins Brothers and Team Riecke... I'm not sure how they finished second and third over Team Gotham, but so be it.

Of course, Rory won the "Ambassador of Bullrun" award including the new 2006 Bullrun watch from Stefan Johansson.

Congratulations, Rory and to all the Bullrun 2006 participants.

Bullrun 2006: Day 7, Beverly Hilton

We made it 6th to the finish line in Beverly Hills. After jumping off the 10 at National, I lost Claus. I had a police officer behind me and was unable to make some of the moves Claus made.

The 10 was clear. A few slow-downs around downtown, but we definately made the right choice. We even beat Richard Rawlins to the finish line.



No finish line is complete without hotel security coming to yell about the donuts. The best was when Justin in the Safety Car was whipping around and the hotel dude told him to stop. His reply over his car's PA: "Safety First, Sir."

Classic.











The finish line even brought out Herr Roy.



and Car-Parazzi.

After a beer at the finish line, photos, interviews, and hassling Hayden Christiensen's fans (who always seem to know where we are going to be) I headed home for a shower. I've not been home in 3 weeks and it was nice to see all the mail from my "friends" at American Express, Chase, All Points Capital, and DirecTV.

The party starts in 3 hours. Hopefully, I can get a leg up on the action, too.

Bullrun 2006: Day 7, California Speedway

What a great little course. The infield road course at California Speedway is a really fun little track. Not overly technical, not overly fast... a really great place for people who have no track time. Like Danny. (Not.)



Of course, we all got bunched up behind a slow moving Porsche so the "no passing" rule lasted about 5 seconds.



We grabbed some Tacos from the Taco King truck and then booked it to the Finish Line at the Beverly Hilton. We did manage a sneak peek under the boot of Tove's Porsche's secret weapon:



You know, I hear that Porsche is working on a cure for Aids, too.

Claus and I risked it and took the 10 all the way in. Others went the route of the 210. I opted for the 10 because it was not rush hour, there is a car pool lane, and Claus has spent more time driving through Beverly Hills at high speeds than anyone on the rally and I wanted to follow that.

Bullrun 2006: Day 7, Waking the Dead

We made enough noise leaving San Diego to wake the dead. Danny, Omar and Rob all whipped donuts in the intersection of Columbia and B. As the attention of local law enforcement was focused on us, I grabbed a route card from Ross and scooted out before the US Marshalls (whose office is on the same intersection) came out to see what was going on.

Luckily, we had a bit of a visual distraction.



It was a completely uneventful drive to the California Speedway in Fontana. We placed 6th this leg.

Bullrun 2006: Day 6, Tequila Train

Arriving in San Diego was great. The bus beat EVERYONE in to town except Alex and Danielle who flew in when their Gallardo died in the Utah desert. We walked from the W to the checkpoint at the Santa Fe Station: The Patron Tequila Train.



The rest of the day is a blur of Thai food at the beach at the W, dinner with Claus and Rob at some seafood place in Gaslamp, racing pedicabs at 1:00am and fighting with hotel security to let me in to my room.



Yeah, San Diego kicked ass.

Bullrun 2006: Day 6, Zzz...

I must admit, by Day 6 I was wiped out. I drove over to the Shelby Museum for breakfast and hot laps at Vegas Motor Speedway. Rory took the laps in Vegas as I've already driven the short course over there. In fact, I was exhausted by Day 6, so I handed Rory the keys to the Gallardo and got on the Bullrun tour bus for a nap.









The nap, of course, turned in to a 5 hour party to San Diego while the Bullrun went to Havasu, crossed the London Bridge and then booked it to San Diego. I should have known better than to get on a tour bus during the Bullrun.

At first I was bummed about missing Havasu, but hey... it was a Thursday and nothing is going on in Havasu on Thursday except more 105°+ temperatures. I was happy to be on the bus watching movies and drinking.

Bullrun 2006: Day 5, Caesar's Palace

Las Vegas is always a good time. Always.





Arrivals were a bit of a yawn becaue it was so hot. The temperature was 105°+ since we left Colorado and the second we arrived in Vegas, we were inside. A quick shower and we were ready to hit the strip. My sister came by with her boss, Walter, for a vehicle inspection and dinner at the SW steakhouse in Las Vegas. Of course, I was almost ejected because of my shorts ("SW is a fine dining experience.", I was told -- yet another reason why the Wynn sucks donkey balls) but some quick talking from Noah and fear of losing a hungry table of 12 and all was well.

The pool party at Caesars was fantastic. We should never have left to go to the club -- because they were over capacity and we could not get in. A quick trip to the tables where Rob tripled the money we earmarked for Danny's bail and a nap.

Next stop: Day 6 and still more donuts.

Bullrun 2006: Day 5, Utah Speeding Ticket

...get a ticket.

Given that I had to throttle things WAY back, the helicopter finally caught up to us. Of course, being on filmed by a choppper on the highway is a LOT of fun, so we decided to showboat a little for the camera. Some slip-streaming, some fast accelleration, some attetion from an officer in Grand County, Utah.

He wrote me up for 84 in a 75, which is was very generous on his part.

The best part is that we got the whole thing on tape from the chopper. He was in traffic in the on-coming lane, saw me speed down a hill, crossed the median and chased me down the freeway a bit. Thankfully, he was a good sport and will most definately make the Bullrun show in the UK.

I'll have to send him a copy of the tape.

It was clear sailing the rest of the way in to Las Vegas.

Bullrun 2006: Day 5, Utah Gallardo Woes

Bye-bye, Collins Borthers. Bye-bye, Team Riecke. Bye-bye, Tove. Bye-bye Team SuperSpeeders.

A warning light on the Gallardo came on at about 185 indicating trouble with the 4 WD system. I slowed to 160 and called Lamborghini in Beverly Hills. After a quick conversation and instructions to slow down more, we determined that the front differential fluid was probably overheating and that I should slow down. Which is total crap.



The rest of the group that I was driving with was gone and they beat me to Las Vegas by 90 minutes.

At least I could still go fast enough to...

Bullrun 2006: Day 5, Utah Top Speed Run

Top speed reached in Utah:

197

GPS Verified.

Bullrun 2006: Day 5, Colorado Traffic

Shit!

While trying to get a jump on the day, several Bullrunners left Vail before the official departure to Las Vegas. Of course, they are disqualified from the standings of the day, but they can drive without getting caught up in the insanity of others.

Or can they?

I'm not sure what happened, but one of the teams is in jail and we were all warned by a local Sheriff and a State Police Officer: DO NOT SPEED IN COLORADO.

So, we didn't. We got on I-70, bunched up across the 2 lanes and drove the speed limit. We passed each speedtrap (about 14) that was setup between Colorado and the Utah state line and... well... noone got pinched and we had a massive line of cars behind us with a LOT of angry commuters.

Bullrun 2006: Brad Parker is GOD

From the comments:

I'm actually the Sherman County Deputy that wrote you that citation for 99 in a 70 mph (mile post 11 westbound I-70). Not that it particularly matters, but I'm a Deputy Sheriff...not a State Trooper. I don't recall stating that your speed usually meant a trip to jail...but I'd have to go back and look at the video. (It is true, folks, that my writing was poor on the citation, as I was trying to get these guys back on the road.)

I really appreciate how cordial you and your partner were, and I really appreciate how you stopped so quickly and chose not to gun it. I really like my Police Package Crown Victoria, but I think you would left me in the dust with your car. I hope I made your first speeding citation as painless as possible.

Best wishes, and be safe, at whatever speed!

Brad Parker
Sherman County Sheriff's Office
Goodland, KS

Bullrun 2006: Day 4, Vail Colorado

After an extremely boring drive through Kansas, we arrived in Colorado. We skirted some local traffic in Denver (Thanks, Traci and Alex) and made it to Vail rather quickly. We coasted in to town on fumes -- the lighter than normal air mixture wreaked havoc with our consumption math.



Arriving in Vail was amazing. Aside from being a beautiful town with beautiful surroundings, there was a 3,500+ person crowd when we got there who were all screaming and cheering. It was sort of like the Tour de France. Streets were lined with people, security and Police everywhere, bands, beer and food. We celebrated our arrival with knockwurst, bratwurst and tequila shots.





Arrivals went quickly, the Sonnenalp Hotel and staff were fantastic. Claus, of CEC Wheels fame organized a wonderful dinner at Ludwig's. He even made a special request from the house Austrian Pastry chef. Best meal of the whole trip. No contest.

Of course, we went back to the pary after dinner and I kept drinking until about tomorrow.

Bullrun 2006: Day 4, SRCA Drag Strip in Great Bend

We rolled in to the SRCA Drag Strip in Great Bend Kansas. Had a quick lunch, raced the strip got our route card and left. Ok, maybe we hung out for a few seconds and a few races -- including the Mosler v. Carl Lewis.





On the way out of Kansas, Rob took us on a short cut that lead down a 4 mile long dirt road. I was not pleased. Of course, after 4 miles of pain, it was countless miles of smooth, clear sailing.



Memo to any farmers in Kansas that saw a red Ford GT and a white Lamborghini roll past your farm: You were not drunk on grain alcohol. It really happened.

Next stop: Vail, Colorado

Shout out to the chic at the gas station in Great Bend who thought Rob was a billionaire after his $130 bill. No, seriously, this chic almost had a heart attack when the register hit triple-digits... (She was cute, too.)

Bullrun 2006: Playing Catchup

Due to a variety of factors ranging from poor EVDO coverage, extensive driving schedules, batteries that have lives shorter than a gnat's, and piss-poor Internet service from hotels like Caesar's Palace... th blog has fallen WAY behind. I'm gonna work for the rest of the day on bringing it up to date.

Hope you all like it!

Driver Diary: Entry #3

After a long night of partying in Aspen, we headed out to Vegas at about 10 am. If anyone has ever drove Route 70 out of Colorado through Utah you know how spectacular the drive is. I could never do it any justice by explaining it to the people who have never driven this route; you just have to do it. Right when you think it was over, you pick up 15 down through Arizona...Unreal.

As many people know, This version of Bullrun is being shot for ITV in the UK, Spike's Bullrun will be coming soon (Come to Caesars Palace and find the Spike TV Bullrun bus to try out to be a Bullrunner). Anyway, when I got out of the car today I had ITV cameras in my face and I was saying anything that came to my head. What I said was, "You're looking at an American who's ever really seen his own country". Dead true. I'm seeing it now and it makes me even more proud. There is a lot of good people out there and a lot of beautiful terrain.

Even the cops have been pretty cool. Sure it sucks to get a speeding ticket, but that's what you sign up for by running this rally. I actually received my first speeding ticket yesterday in my entire life from a Kansas State Trooper. We were running with Noah and Rob's Ford GT. During a stretch, Rob asked us to do a speed run for the next Super Speeders DVD. After reaching high speeds, I got pinched on my way down. I knew he had me and I was seriously nervous when he took my license back to his cruiser. THIS IS TOTALLY TRUE... The officer come back and say, "Rory, I got you at a speed that usually means arrest, but I'm going to right you up at 99 mph". "I really apologize, I had to right you up cause you guys (Bullruners) have been all over the radios. I also apologize for my poor handwriting, I was writing as fast as can so I can get you back to your race". I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP.

Today, on the way to Vegas I rode with my Bullrun friend Kristine in her Porsche Boxter. Totally different ride. I still blazed at 90- 100mph, but cops barely even looked at me. The difference is amazing. Here's the way I see it. When a cop sees a Porsche or a Mercedes roll by at high speeds it's no big deal. When a cop sees a Lamborghini or Ferrari roll by, it equivalent to him seeing a Glazed Doughnut flying by - he has to have it. I LOVE the Lambo and I can’t wait to get back in it tomorrow, but today was different because there was way less stress. A nice day for the scenic route.

We're partying at Tangerine (Treasure Island) tonight...stop by.

Rally Effect Shoutouts...

· Kansas - You girls in the Buick Lucerne are insane!! There is no way you should have run with us that long for that fast. Next time, please keep your distance because when our Valentine One makes any noise, we're on the breaks. Believe me our brakes our better than yours. Believe it or not, the brakes probably cost more than your car.

RC

Bullrun 2006: Day 4, Tollway Takedown

All of us. ALL OF US just got pulled over on the westbound 70 in Kansas just East of Topeka. They took all of our licenses, gave us a helluva a warning and cut us loose.

Bullrun 2006: Day 4, Great Bend Kansas

We're en route to Great Bend Kansas as I type. We're cruising with traffic, at about 80mph (in a 70mph zone, thank you)Allegedly, there's something fun in that town. Something that's a USA exclusive...



I wonder what it could be?

Driver Diary: Entry #2 - It's Hard To Explain Bullrun...

It has to be experienced.

Bullrun offers relatively "normal" everyday people to live like Rockstars. The Rally is the tour, The Speed is the drugs, and for Emil and me, our Lamborghini engine is our amps. Oh: can't forget the girls.

Personally, my brain is starting to fry. It's on overload.

The Bullrun is intense in every way shape or form. We wake up; rush to get the car ready for the day and then we're off to our destination at very high speeds. There's really no time to get ready or warm up. When you get going you just go.

Observations

Position: At the start of each segment, it's very important to get position at the front. OK, that seems a bit obvious, I know. But it's true. Each driver must gain position any which way and the co-driver must navigate. It's important because the front runners usually create "Rally Wake" in which the front runners create a ripple effect in which the following teams must navigate through. What I'm mostly referring to is Police activity. Civilian Cars totally get disrupted from the norm when the Bullrun rolls through. Some of them resort to calling the police. A lot of times, the lead group blast through before the cops get wise which means the three quarters of the field has to deal with speed traps, including over pass, hill crests, and ravines. Things are good when your radar detector is quiet and a Trooper is speeding the other way to set up for "The Main Group".

The Rally Effect: Many drivers refer to this as civilian cars or normal drivers testing their nerve and ride along with you. This is when things get a little dicey. You get guys looking to run with you, but the thing is, their cars can't really handle it. Our car in particular hangs out at 110 mph. It's virtually nothing at all. When you have these 20 something’s riding along with you at high speed, it kind of make cringe because their rides are pushing their limits at 110.

The Mini Van Effect: This phenomenon is actually quite funny and a variation off of the "Rally Effect". Essentially, it's when a Guy in a mini van starts to match speeds with you. However, it's becomes un-funny when you realize he's got kids in the back seat. Not good. It's really great to their spirit and determination, but high speed runs with kids in the back. Hey Mini Van guys, there's better ways to feel like you still have your balls. You should have done the manly thing and told your wife that car seats fit real well in a 911.

A couple of shout outs from me...

· If the kid with the 1996 Red Toyota Supra around Ann Arbor, MI is reading this... We could of seriously blown your doors off is we wanted to. You had nothin' in there. If Emil and I weren't just released from a 2 hour traffic stop with 8 cop cars and a back to front search, we would have gladly sent you back home with your tail between your legs.

· If the kid in the Eagle Talon with the Rochester DSM decal in the window just outside or Cortland is reading this... thanks for the directions.

· Thanks to the kid in the black Nissan Maxima coming into Kansas City today for moving those slow bastards into the slow lane for us to make time for our 2nd place finish.

RC

Bullrun 2006: Toronto Sun Times Article

Nice.

Bullrun 2006: Day 3, Kansas City

After a Rawlins abbreviated tour of the Busch Brewery in St. Louis and an unbelievably brisk jaunt to Kansas City... Los Matadors finished 2nd behind Tove Christiensen.

We BARELY edged out the Gotham Dream Cars Ford GT in a 50-yard dash to the finish line.

No pics of cars in Kansas City, the valet area needed to be kept "clear" for some reason. Bunch of jerks...



Thanks to Traci in Rancho Santa Margarita for the traffic hook-up and Linda in Omaha for the mid-route conversation.

Bullrun 2006: digg!

Our little test video of the Lamborghini with the disappearing license plate made #2 on Digg. (In the videos category)

Sweet!

Bullrun 2006: Electronic Counter Measures

At the recommendation of Alex Roy who told us We're running with a Uniden BCD396T. It took a bit o' time to learn how to program (Thanks, Noah!) but it seems to be well worth it.

Today, we had 2 route options to get to St. Louis from Chicago. 55 or 57. The 57 took us out of the way... by about 20 miles or so, but thanks to a flurry of calls for backup on 55 to stop an "exotic car street race", we went to the 57 instead. We were not sure about our decision.



Then the calls started coming in:

"Got pulled over. 95 in a 55."

"I see three Bullrun cars pulled over up ahead."

"Be careful, if you get pulled over for driving faster than 105, you will get arrested."

"There's heinous traffic on the 55! Where are you?"

Where am I? On the 57 with no traffic and no 5-0. Thanks, Uniden!

Bullrun 2006: Day 3, St. Louis

We're currently headed to the Anheuser Busch Brewery in St. Louis for lunch. I'm not sure where we'll wind up for the night, but hopefully we can bring some cold ones back with us to the hotel.

Bullrun 2006: Day 3, Lake Forest Sports Cars

I've always been a fan of Lake Forest Sports Cars. They have good ads in DuPont and fair prices on hot hardware. So, this morning when we rolled in to the joint... I was very excited.



They have a fantastic showroom, a state-of-the-art ginormous service bay and a really nice staff. They gave us a quick tech inspection Plus a huge parking lot perfect for donuts and an impromptu performance by the Cuban Brothers.






The Supreme Gas Monkey himself was his usual charismatic self...


...and interviewed for the local CBS affiliate.


Of course, no Bullrun excursion can be complete without the obligatory fun-bags...


Thanks, AMG Girls for that...

Bullrun 2006: Video Coming Soon

Well, blogging on the road is certainly a chore... and doing video... well... that's almost impossible.

Unless you have some help.

Stay tuned!

Bullrun 2006: Rumour Control

No, noone got hurt today. No, noone was handcuffed today. No, noone went to jail today. No, noone crashed today.

Stop rumour mongering and do something more fun. how about watching this clip?

Bullrun 2006: Day 2, Chicago House of Blues...

Wow. What a day. Everyone got a ticket. Absolutely everyone. Noone went without some form of law enforcement citation.

Well, almost everyone.

After a slow-but-steady stint from my stay on 94 in Jackson, I flew into Chicago under police escort until my escort was called away to something more important. Unfortunately, feeling brazen from my previous good run in with the police, I sped by... wait for it... wait for it... a Police station at about 120 mph on a side road.

The units pursued, guns blazing... again... no tickets issued but a lot of confused, unhappy officers.

On the plus side, the House of Blues is pretty killer, as these pictures show.











Do you know where you can find more Bullrun photos? Wait for it... wait for it... Flickr.

Bullrun 2006: Day 2, Ouch.

Did you know that operating a laser jammer in the state of Michigan is a felony? Lots of radar stores online need to update their FAQs.

I was on the side of the road on 94 in Jackson, Michigan for about 2 hours while the local police searched my vehicle for a laser jamming device. After numerous vague threats to impound the vehicle and a very, very comprehensive search...

...they let me go with no summons.

Thanks for all the concern and the tremendous support from all of the members of the Bullrun family. Seriously, you guys are the best.



That yellow "blur" is me...

Bullrun 2006: Day 2, West Windsor

Leaving Toronto was a bit of a mess. We got a bit lost on the way to the freeway, but thanks to a lead from Richard Rawlins and some intel from sone of the locals, we avoided a major, major speed trap.


Rolling in to West Windsor was fun. I made a very illegal turn the wrong way down a 1 way and through a small crowd of people (sorry) and we finished... 5th. Rory was even interviewed by some girl pretending to be a reporter from "Old Autos TV" ... whatever the hell that is.


First place, you ask? Yep, Rob and Noah again in the Ford GT. Don't worry, though, we found a way to slow them down.


My friend Russ took me to West Windsor once. It was cold, snowy and the people were very friendly.

Today, there was less snow, more people and the police were very friendly. They lead us all the way to the US border with a Police escort. Through the streets of West Windsor, across the Ambassador Bridge all the way up to the Passport Control in Michigan.






Really, really, really an amazing experience. Sadly, though, the law enforcement in Michigan... not as friendly and not as advanced. Check out that light on the top of his car...


As always, check out of Flickr gallery for all the latest updates!

Bullrun 2006: Rumour Control

The Mosler did NOT win the first leg, despite what you may have heard on Fox News, or ESPN...


Remember: Check our Flickr gallery for all the latest Bullrun pics. If you're uploading Bullrun Pics, tag them "Bullrun 2006"...

Bullrun 2006: Day 1, Toronto...

Made it safely to Toronto. No tickets, despite the fact that just about every cop in New Jersey was looking for us. One of the AMG girls, pictured below looking at a busted tail light on their car, met some of New Jersey's finest.


Driving through Canada was great. Lots of room. Smooth roads. No police officers. The only Law Enforcement I saw the whole time in Canada was helping us park at the hotel (we finished 5th, I think...) and the cop at the club (the Century Room) who helped us through the crowd to the red carpet.


Meanwhile... can you believe that this dork actually won the first leg?

Special thanks to the Tronoto Hilton for the fabulous accomodations and the fab parking spot for my ride. ;)

Bullrun 2006: Day 1, Spotted in Pennsylvania...

WTF???!!!???

Bullrun 2006: Day 1, Cop in the Cop Car

An Italian-American NYPD officer in an Italian-German Italian police car.


This car is from the O'Gara Coach Company in Beverly Hills... and more pics of it can be found in our Flickr Gallery

Bullrun 2006: Day 1, Pocono Raceway

On the way up to Pocono, we drove with Mario Andretti. Not in the same car, but we raced through the Delaware Water Gap and up to the track. At one point, we had a New Jersey State Police Officer next to us in the left lane. He slowly creeped past me... then past Mario. When he saw Mario, he snapped a pic on his camera phone and went off...

Up at Pocono Raceway, there was a TON of rain, but as if by magic, as we started a parade lap the rain stopped. Sure, the track was wet and the safety car kept us under, 100 but we had a blast.


A quick lunch and then back in the car. Next stop: Toronto.

Bullrun 2006: Day 1, Start

I've done car events in Times Square -- mostly under the radar -- but this was amazing. Broadway was closed from 45th to 42nd. All kinds of pandamonium among drivers, cars, and spectators. Really a fantastic way to start the event.


I think that our "Pamplona" re-enactment with the runners leading the Lamborghini Gallardo down Broadway went a bit over the heads of most people. ;-) On the plus side, the half naked girls of pkr.com seemed to like the horns.

Bullrun 2006: Please Stand By

Ok, so live blogging is not really happening. The event is just WAY too much fun. I'm gonna upload all my pics to flickr right now and will then be updating the blog about the start, the last 2 days of driving and some law enforcement activity...

Bullrun 2006: Flickr Update

I've uploaded the few photos I took today. Tomorrow, I promise to take many, many more.

In the meantime, here's Mario Andretti who is driving a car for Magnaflow!

Bullrun 2006: Departure Details

Tomorrow (or later today, depending on your time zone) is the start of the 2006 Bullrun. Drivers have been ordered to Times Square by 8:00am and have been instructed to enter on 45th street at Broadway. If you are in New york City and want to come down, please do so. If you want to drive with us on the first leg... where-ever that is... please do so.

I've got no details other than the above. It's all about the adventure.

Bullrun 2006: Getting Started

Today was registration. I rolled in with Rob Ferretti around 10:30 and things went very smoothly.


We got a TON of great swag including some fantastic stuff from Royal Purple. After registration, I went back to the warehouse to get some last minute work done on the Audi: tints, a ding removal, tire-pressure monitor reset and an alignment. As we were heading back to the apartment to pack, the heavens opened: Another deluge.


Finally packed and after missing the driver's meeting... cars are parked, decals are applied, and we're out at Marquee.


Marquee was a blast as always. Rory was rarin' to go and the Spike team... it was good to see them. Seems like all anyone could talk about was 'Blade'.

The kicker? We need to be in Times Square tomorrow morning at 8:00 am...

Ouch.

Bullrun 2006: Live Map

Yeah, that's right. Live routing of the Bullrun. Nope, not live car status, but current status and destination -- live on Bullrun.com (and here)

Bullrun 2006: Monsoon is Over

Well, it looks like the monsoon has passed.


Earlier today, a rather viscious thunderstorm whipped through the area. Thankfully, though, it's passed and we're headed to Bullrun registration in about an hour...

Bullrun 2006: Whitney Hates Me

My friend Whitney, pictured below on her Throne at the Hudson, hates me. I blew her off twice this week and have not made plans to reschedule.

She, along with John, Albie, Jessica, Brad, and Shanna have started a web site of people mad at me for being a bad time manager.

I'd post the link, but the server is overloaded at the moment. On the plus side, the Bullrun starts in 23 hours.

Sweet!

Bullrun 2006: Pre-Party

Damn it. We missed the party. We were hoping to roll in to the Gansevoort around midnight... but a last minute technical glitch, a bad decision to drop ship the antennas to a house (and not the warehouse), an omission of tire pressure monitors in the Audi, and a major FUBAR with Rob's Corvette and... well... we're not gonna make it. On the plus side, though, there's an antenna on the Ford GT.


I just stopped home to change clothes. I smell worse than the Fulton Fish Market in July because it's really hot in the warehouse. Hotter than a n... You get the idea.

ANYWAY, I'm headed down to the garage in our building to fix the Lamborghini. Hopefully, I can be wrapped by about 3 or so. Then, a work call around 9am and back to Bullrun chores.


It's so worth it. ;-)

Bullrun 2006: Victoria's Secret PINK PJ Party

Tomorrow night is the Victoria's Secret PINK Pajama Party and the girls from PINK stopped by the Ganesvoort earlier this afternoon.

I'm not sure about you, but I'd follow them to the party anyday!

Late Add: Audi Our Minds

You're never gonna believe this.

Jennifer Nicole, pictured below, managed to weasel her way on to the Bullrun. She was in town working on a project for Victoria's Secret and after a quick meeting with "Bullrun Erin" -- she's the latest Bullrunner.



But that's not the best part... her co-driver?

My wife, Keri.



Now, what ever will they drive? It's too late to ship a car from Los Angeles. It's too expensive to rent a car... Maybe Steve Waldie at Interstate Motors will have something fun to sell... like this. ;-)

Lesson 2: More Electronic Countermeasures

The 5-0 can't bust you for running a toll... if they do not know your license plate number.

Driver Diary: Entry #1

Here's my first entry as one half of Los Matadors. Generally my posts will consist of diary-like entries rather than bytes of information. I figure it will be interesting to some people to dive into the nuts and bolts of the Bullrun and what it means to not only someone involved but to someone who, to a certain extent, is on the outside looking in.

If you'd rather check out the pictures, please feel free to move on!

Entry #1

As you see Emil and I did the Poker Run on Sunday 7/17/06. It was a really great day since it was my first day in the new Gallardo SE. Emil's blue Gallardo was fast, but the SE's power was noticeably different (MUCH MUCH MORE). The adrenaline got pumping as we were off at high speeds toward the 1st check point in Northern New Jersey. After reaching speeds approaching 140mph and a couple of hard breaks, I realized I was in a car that was finely tuned and alongside a driver who can more than handle the material.

When a Gallardo, or any supercar for that matter, brakes at high speed, you realize how safe you actually are with all things being equal, and a rush of satisfaction enters into the equation. That's right, when you agree to step into a car like this, you automatically agree to the notion that you're in for a hell of a ride and you really can't ask to get out when you're already gone. I usually come to that realization pretty quickly and once I do, I have an amazing time. As I did yesterday. But it got better...

One of the reasons Emil and I decided to do this run was to get me some driving time in the Gallardo. I've driven some really nice cars throughout the years, but this was surreal. The moment I got hands around that steering wheel and foot on that gas, my mind started reeling. I kept saying to myself over and over again, "I HAVE NEVER BEEN IN A CAR WITH THIS KIND OF POWER, WOW". The phrase, "You can feel the road" is an understatment. Everything is an understatement and everything is substantial. What you have at your fingertips and under the balls of your feet is pure fuckin' magic. It's 50 years of some really crazy Italian guys who stopped at nothing but automotive perfection car after car. Yeah I know, Lamborghini is not technically an Italian company, but I don't care, makes no difference to me. That car has every bit of the tradition conceived at the very beginning of Lamborghini's history. It's a BULL.

Overall I did very well. I was a bit nervous, but I had a blast with the paddle shifters. It was a little weird not to have to engage a clutch and my reference points were all screwed up. Usually when you drive stick, the car gives you indications on when you need to downshift. For instance, when you're in 5th and slowing down, you really can feel when you need to go down to 4th or down to 3rd. With the Gallardo, the available power in any gear is unreal. You just have an amazing amount of power in whatever gear and whenever you need it. Something I will get used to some time next week.

I also had the opportunity to navigate the Lambo through some nice mountain roads with curves like a 50's centerfold. Again, it was mind blowing. I was taking curves that had signs saying 25 mph at over 50mph approaching 60. I may of had a problem with it, but the car sure as hell didn't. It owned that road and it could have taken much more if Emil was at the wheel.

Shortly thereafter my time driving was done. As I stepped out at the next checkpoint and a calm and high level of satisfaction went through my body. It felt better than sex 'cause it lasted more than 3 minutes...I'M KIDDING. Nah, it was awesome.

I know it's cliche, but when I stepped out of that Lamborghini I knew I'd never be the same again. Even more so when I got back into my 4 cylinder Toyota for the really long-slow ride home.

RC

More to come...

Safety Tip: Don't do this...

Yesterday, a friend of ours got a little too close to the Gallardo while talking about how great his Lotus is and... well... the Los Matadors Lamborghini Gallardo Pitón was not impressed.

Practice Session: Police Involvement

It would not be a run if we did not meet at least one new police officer.



No tickets were issued... and thanks to VOD Cars for the assist with the video!

Practice Session: Poker Run

Today was the second annual Rob Ferretti Poker Run. For those that do not know Rob, he's a film maker and semi-professional speeder -- the genius behind Super Speeders.

We all met at the Gotham Dream Cars warehouse in New Jersey. Drove a 155 mile route. At designated check points along the route, we picked up playing cards... and the people who had the best hand at the end of the day won.

Sadly, that was not me.

On the plus side, I did get a few pictures:

The Los Matadors Gallardo on the ramp coming out of the warehouse... and our first Bullrun decal of 2006.



Emil and Rory in the Los Matadors Gallardo



The Team O'Gara Polizia Car next to Phil Danza's 911. Phil Danza and G-Dezine, LTD. is the official decal supplier of the 2006 Bullrun.



A quick spongebath for the Gotham Dream Cars Gallardo



I sure as hell hope that Steve can bring his Hot-Tub Hummer on the Bullrun!



Not the best hand I played today...



All in all a very fun day and almost NO police officer meetings. Except for 2...

Bullrun 2006: Los Matadors

We are Los Matadors. Taming the bull since 2005...

Bullrun 2006: More NY Pictures

I'm rocking the Nikon D200. I picked it up for the Bullrun and have been using it. A lot. Here are some pics I took:

This is the helicopter I fly from JFK Airport to Manhattan. It's run by US Helicopter Service and is probably the greatest invention ever.



Here's a shot of me in the helicopter while we're taking off. I wonder how I got that photo?


The new AmericanAirlines terminal is actually quite nice, but the Admiral's Club is a tad small...


Some overhead photos of Brooklyn on a VERY cloudy day.


The Statue of Liberty (Barely)


A very grey downtown skyline...


The bar at Capsuoto Freres.


The bar at Grace (Do you see the theme?)


From my apartment we've got great views of the neon pier


And the midtown skyline at night. Hot.



Note: There will be NO photos posted of our Kareoke Adventure in Flushing last Thursday.

Bullrun 2006: Welcome to New York

I'm here in NY. I'm about a week and a half early. Does that mean I'm excited to rally? You bet it does.

Tonight, I've got a dinner meeting with the new President of iVillage. Maybe I can get her to sponsor a car in the Bullrun.

Bullrun 2006: The Bullrun Watch

Check it:



The new Bullrun watch is out for rally season made by our good friend, racing legend and Bullrunner, Stefan Johansson and his company Vaxjo. The watch is available exclusively to Bullrunners (only 100 are made) and Bullrunners can have their car number engraved in the side of the watch.

I'm not sure how much it costs, but it's a great bit piece of automotive lifestyle gear!

Freebies: Shoreline T-Shirts

Have I mentioned that I love Shoreline Motoring? They sent along about a dozen Shoreline t-shirts for you, the Bullrun fans. I'll be giving them away during the starting event in Times Square, so come down on Saturday the 22nd and pick one up.

Vehicle Preview: Team O'Gara

Ehren Bragg will be piloting the entry from Team O'Gara, seen below. The Polizia Gallardo Spyder is their homage to the special edition car that Lamborghini donated to the Italian Police Department.



More preview pictures of their ride can be seen on Flickr

Bullrun 2005: Last Years Invite

Here's a glimpse "behind the curtain". Below, is the invitation to the start of last year's Bullrun.



Nope, it's not gonna be honored if you try to use it his year... I just thought I'd share some "behind the scenes" Bullrun memorabilia.

Safety Tip: Don't Do This...

Here's an example of how not to do a Bullrun:



Remember, people: Safety first! ;-)

Bullrun 2006: Lamborghinis Loaded

Anthony Lahner at Lamborghini of Beverly Hills is my hero. He not only rocked with a service on the Lamborghini, but informed me that the car will get to NY sooner than expected. I may have the car in time for the Gotham Dream Cars Poker Run on Sunday. If any Bull-runners will be in NY on Sunday and want to come, please let me know!

Note to readers: If you see that truck on the road in the next few days, please pull over and let him through!

Bullrun 2006: Route Speculation

There will be no route speculation on this blog. Stop messaging us on MySpace asking what I think the route is, or if we're rolling through {insert your town name here} town, or if we'll have time to give you a ride to {insert your town name here} town, or if we need a driver in {insert your town name here} town. We're not gonna play the route speculation game. Not even for a second.

You get the idea.

You should message me on MySpace and tell me where you live and if we get there, I'll let you know. You can also check this blog...

Enjoy the ride. Enjoy the surprise. Enjoy the Bullrun!

Bullrun 2006: Photos from The Brig

The Brig is a bar in Venice with a cool mural and some funky green flourescent lighting outside. It's a great spot to take some nice photos of shiny cars. Last night, while testing the WiFi EVDO we stopped over to snap a few pictures.



You can see the rest of the photos here.

Bullrun 2006: Blogging at 200mph

The good people at Shoreline Motoring wired a Kyocera KR1 EVDO WiFi Router into the Lamborghini. I got the KR1 from Booster-Antenna who have always been a top-notch operation.

Here's a few things we noticed about the router:

· The WEP encryption does not work well with the Mac, which is to say, I do not know how to set it up properly and I'm certainly not reading a manual. There will be no security on our WiFi network, so if you can keep up with us, you can get online.

· It takes a helluva long time for the router to power up, start WiFi services and finally make an EVDO connection. This is somewhat expected, but an annoyance nonetheless...

· The connection kind of fails at speeds greater than 90 mph. There will be no 200mph blogging...

Stoops!

Bullrun 2006: Almost Ready to Ship!

The Lamborghini is having an oil service and an additional "minor" modification being performed today. Then, the car will be shipped to an undisclosed location in New York City for safe keeping until the start of the Bullrun.

This was taken in the entry bay at the service shop. Note the "pad" that the horns rest on. It's amazing what you can do with magnets now-a-days!



Oh, and I'm watching you guys. Don't put on more than 100 miles!

Bullrun 2006: Testing... 1.. 2.. 3..

This is a KR1 mobile blogging post. This is only a test. I'm sitting in the car at "The Brig" testing out the WiFi.

Can anyone hear this?

Bullrun 2006: Horny Gallardo

What? I like the horns on the car. All real bulls have horns!

Bullrun 2006: Los Matadors Bull

Keri drove me down to pick up the SE this afternoon. We hopped in her Porsche 911 Carrera 4.



It was a smooth ride down do Huntington Beach.



All in all, it took about 40 minutes to get to Shoreline Motoring.



Once again, Paul and RC and the whole team at Shoreline did a stellar job. The tint, the clear bra, the smoked lenses, the electroics... All top notch. Just amazing.

The "thing de resistance"? Check it:



Los Matadors in full effect! Check more shots of the car in our Flickr Gallery

We Didn't Do It

Check these pics of an accident that we saw yesterday:





This guy was in the southbound lane of the 405. The freeway was completely closed while they were pulling the truck off the Jersey barrier. I've seen large SUVs in this situation many, many times. Maybe we need larger Jersey barriers?

...or fewer SUVs?

As soon as the traffic cleared, we were on our way home at proper Los Angeles speeds:

Bullrun 2005: Last Year's Ride

Last year, we piloted this Lamborghinig Gallardo on the first leg of the Bullrun. We drove like the wind to get to Las Vegas in under 3 and a half hours -- including an unscheduled traffic stop. The Gallardo was a great car for the trip. It was stable, had enough room to pack, was comfortable, and looked good. The temperature never spiked past the half-way mark.

Flawless.

This year, we've got a new car. Currently, it's down at Shoreline Motoring in Huntington Beach getting prepped. I'll be off to pick up the car in a few hours and will post pictures then.

Lesson 1: Electornic Countermeasures

Last year, we got pinched by the police. I was chasing Alex Roy and saw the lights while we were going about 160mph on the 15. We slowed down after getting pinned behind some very, very large trucks and eventually got caught.


This year, we're going a bit deeper on the electronic countermeasures front. We've got a few goodies being setup in our ride, including these. The M40 Blinders are the only laser jamming system I've successfully tested using a variety of laser detection systems. The blinder not only stops every modern laser speed detection gun, it covers the entire front end of a vehicle. Do not rely on single lens diffusors! They will not work.

Trust me. I know.

Testing... 1.. 2.. 3..

This is a test of the Unofficial Bullrun 2006 blogging system. This is only a test. If this had been an actual posting, the contents of the post would be significantly different and much more exciting. Much, much, much more exciting.

Seriously.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming