Here’s a perfect example of what car guys shouldn’t do as the world grapples with a health crisis.
Reports are beginning to surface that an unnamed team in the US took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home measures to set a new Cannonball record of 26 hours, 38 minutes, and 48 seconds. An Instagram photo shared by Road and Track Magazine shows the alleged record-breaking vehicle, an Audi A8 sedan, with red plastic fuel tanks in the trunk. Look:
While most Cannonball Runs (or at least ones with times that manage to grab attention) are set with a clear disregard for speed limits, this attempt is like rubbing salt on the wound for law enforcement and emergency services already struggling with the coronavirus. So authorities don’t just have to worry about COVID-19 cases sprouting left and right—now they have to watch out for car owners looking to satisfy their need for speed and make a name for themselves.
As former Cannonball record-holder and VinWiki CEO Ed Boilan puts it, this new record comes with an asterisk. Watch:
“Five, 10, 15 years from now, we may look back on these times almost like a doping era or a time when the circumstances either weren’t consistent with the challenge that the rest of us kind of encountered, or just not necessarily consistent with the traditional spirit of what we’re going to do,” he said in a video uploaded to YouTube.
“You just treat those as their own little thing, and the official time or, whatever, the mark to beat remains whatever it was before all of this happened,” he added, comparing this scenario to hydrophobic swimsuits being used during the Olympics.
So, what do you think? Is this new record something to be proud of? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
