Detour Pit Stop #85: Red Ball Garage, New York, USA
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The most famous illegal street race in the world started right here at the the Red Ball Garage in New York City.
This innocuous lot was where Brock Yates set off on the first Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, speeding across the States to the Portofino Inn in Redondo Beach, California. You probably know it better as The Cannonball Run.
For that first run in May 1971 Yates, his son and two pals piled into a 1971 Dodge Custom Sportsman van they called "Moon Trash II” and reached the beach 40 hours and 51 minutes later. In November the same year the first Cannonball race took place with Yates and Formula 1 driver Dan Gurney taking almost five hours off the previous time in their Ferrari Daytona. “At no time did we exceed 175 mph,” said Gurney.
Further runs were held in 1972, 1975 and 1979, and the events were, of course, immortalised in Burt Reynolds’ The Cannonball Run and its sequel.
Although the head to head cross-country races ended there have been no shortage of speed freaks attempting to make the dash and the times have tumbled. In May 2020 Arne Toman and Doug Tabbutt took advantage of the quiet roads of the Covid-19 lockdown to make the journey in just 25 hours and 39 minutes – a record that may well never be beaten.
As the for Red Ball Garage itself, well it’s just a regular car park, offering a space in busy Manhattan for $16.90 an hour. As it happens there’s a Budget rental shop just next door if you fancy an attempt yourself - and, as we all know the fastest car in the world is a hire car, you could be in with a shot!