Another new cannonball record, Brad's head explodes

"dieseldub" (dieseldub) 05/14/2020 at 14:08 • Filed to: None

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So, it came out this morning that the cannonball record has again fallen for the second time in 5 weeks. This time, it’s under 26 hours total.

I’ll let Ed Bolian tell the story. Countdown until Brad Brownell has another rant about how irresponsible this is.

Discerning > dieseldub 05/14/2020 at 14:17

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I’ ll beat Brad to the punch for you.

This is stupid and irrelevant.

The continued publication of these moronic stunts is clearly instigating more attempts and more successful records.

I am 100% on board with the discontinuation of reporting on these records in the mainstream.

Banish this idiocy back to the bowels of the internet where the   other irresponsible and illegal activity associated with car “culture" lives.

Zero interest in defending my position with anyone who has a mindset that disagrees with the above.

That is all.

dieseldub > Discerning 05/14/2020 at 14:22

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Just like Ed said, kind of funny when Car and Driver even criticizes cannonballs when they were the publication whose editors invented the original and they sponsored it.

It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity with the current conditions and decidedly lower risk than when traffic is normal.

There is a dash of stupidity and danger there for sure, but it is arguably safer to do now than it would be with normal traffic. This are records that are likely not going to beaten for a long, long time.

Would I do it? Nah. Do I appreciate those that take every precaution they can while still going for the record? I most certainly do.

Aremmes > dieseldub 05/14/2020 at 14:24

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Ed Bolian:

Me: GET TO THE POINT ALREADY!!!!!one

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Discerning 05/14/2020 at 14:28

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Did you watch the video? I got about six minutes into it and decided it was all stupid and dude is stupid and really, who cares if there’s a coronavirus quarantine because the entire premise of the thing is stupid and if they’re going to talk about their record, shouldn’t they also say how many tickets they got and how much they cost?

Anyhow, I’m with you, Sir.

Discerning > dieseldub 05/14/2020 at 14:28

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Stupid is one of the only accurate descriptors of this. I don’t appreciate anything they are doing and they should be penalized and shunned as opposed to being reported about.

Peap le are clearly making more and more attempts. Why wouldn’t they? They get notoriety and there are no consequences.

When someone admits: I just went over 100 mph on public roads! They shouldn’t get any form of recognition. They should be 100% admonished every time no matter the circumstances (sanctioned event on closed course obviously not included).

These people are idiots and I sincerely hope the major publications ignore them.

Discerning > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/14/2020 at 14:30

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I didn’t watch it at all. I refuse to give vinwiki any clicks since they last reported on it and I'm doubling down now with the latest reporting.

Glad to see more people with good sense!

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > dieseldub 05/14/2020 at 14:33

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My hope, once the Record to Beat All Records is set during COVID, is that it becomes the absolute barrier so NOBODY ever tries this ever again during normal times.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Discerning > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 05/14/2020 at 14:38

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They won’t stop. If anything, it will probably mean even more people trying . After all, if they’re successful they will show up all over the car blogs.

The risk will increase of course, so a major incident is bound to happen eventually.

The Ghost of Oppo > Discerning 05/14/2020 at 14:46

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VinWiki only exists because of the infamy Ed got from doing Cannonball

Discerning > The Ghost of Oppo 05/14/2020 at 14:48

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I didn’t know that. Good to know. Even more reason to continue having them blocked.

Spanfeller is a twat > dieseldub 05/14/2020 at 14:52

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Lower risk?

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/14/2020 at 14:55

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The one a few weeks ago was hilarious because you had “authentic” winners like Ed and Alex fuming about how “they cheated” this time...

“So, let me get this straight— the guys famous for running illegal jammers, illegal spotting aircraft, unethical sacrificial lead-cars, and every manner of bending-the-non-existent-rules, well now THEY are pissed that somebody exploited a situation????”  Pffft.  Get your weak sauce out of here, Alex.

ranwhenparked > dieseldub 05/14/2020 at 14:55

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Stay home! 

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Discerning 05/14/2020 at 14:56

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Maybe, but the word should be “the record for all time is now set.  The window has closed for good.”

gokstate > dieseldub 05/14/2020 at 15:04

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The nutty thing about this is I would think it more difficult to elude law enforcement right now.  I drive the interstate a lot and it seems there are more speed traps than I’m used to seeing--like they don’t have as much to do these days so let’s catch more speeders (I know the cannonballers use monitoring to their advantage, but still....)

NYankee1927 > dieseldub 05/14/2020 at 15:08

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Setting it during COVID doesn’t count. That should be its own separate class. It would be like beating it with a police escort to 120 mph

BigBlock440 > Discerning 05/14/2020 at 15:45

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Nah, now that states are opening back up, increased traffic means the essentially empty highways don’t exist anymore.  Sure, traffic may still be a little lighter, but I think everyone realizes that the only reason they were able to do this is because everybody is locked down, nothing’s open, and (at least early on) cops weren’t really enforcing speeding violations due to the risk of catching covid.  Those conditions no longer exist, and won’t until the second wave in the fall.

dieseldub > ranwhenparked 05/14/2020 at 15:56

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I’ve been working the whole time.

I’m “essential,” doncha know.

Plus, the government economic impact money is either late or non-existent for us smaller operations, so I’m just gonna go ahead and keep on working so I can pay my bills, thanks.

I literally have been going about my day with minimal modification since this whole thing started. I just wear a mask in public now and take a few more precautions with customer cars and sanitizer. Other than that, still getting up early and getting work done. Fortunately, there has been some work for me. Most shops around here have been nearly completely dead, but for some reason I’ve had enough customers to keep me reasonably busy. I’ll take it, because as I said, the government assistance is lacking for the smallest guys like myself.

So, fuck this entire situation. I refuse to stay at home and cower in fear. I will take other common sense precautions to help flatten the curve, but I will not stay home.

ranwhenparked > dieseldub 05/14/2020 at 16:06

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Im with yah, unfortunately, I’m in outside sales and our deliveries are handled by 3rd parties, so Im not allowed outside right now. Still waiting for clarification as to whether I’ll be allowed out if the stay home order ends after its 3rd extension.

I just enjoy copy/pasting the same brainless response everyone seems to place under every single coronavirus article, regardless of whether it has anything to do with it at all. “Stay Home” is rapidly replacing “My t houghts and pr ayers go out to..." as the magic cure-all talisman for all ills of society. 

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 05/14/2020 at 16:20

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Sacrificial lead cars?? As if the highway patrol only ever runs solo? This is dumb.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/14/2020 at 16:23

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It’s more like “scout cars” that they pre-arranged to have checking sections of the road ahead.

I find the “spotter aircraft” the most obnoxious though...

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 05/14/2020 at 16:25

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Hard jail time. Write a law.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 05/14/2020 at 16:27

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These speeds all warrant “hand cuffs” and the Patrick George VA treatment...

My bird IS the word > NYankee1927 05/14/2020 at 16:39

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Ah, but whoever wins the record for fastest cross country during a global catastrophe is going to hold it for a long ass time.

WiscoProud > Discerning 05/14/2020 at 16:43

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They go out of their way to mention that there haven’t been any accidents related to the runs yet, but with an increasing number of attempts, and the high speeds needed to break the record, its likely a matter of time.

It probably won’t calm down until someone dies or kills someone else. Even then, there are a lot of rich dude-bros who are going to attempt it anyways. 

marshknute > NYankee1927 05/14/2020 at 17:05

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There’s nothing stopping Ed or any other team from attempting the record themselves right now . Failing to take the initiative doesn’t mean you can discredit those who did.

Besides, we didn’t create special Cannonball classes for previous developments like newer highways, GPS, radar/laser/aircraft jammers, Z-rated tires, spotters, etc.  Conditions are always changing, and the whole point of the sport is for it to evolve in pursuit of the fastest time.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > gokstate 05/14/2020 at 17:44

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the times i’ve been on the highway much fewer cars on the road, so nothing preventing a cop  from pulling out.

Nick Has an Exocet > dieseldub 05/14/2020 at 17:50

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I think it's a fun novelty. Dangerous and stupid? Yep. Fun to kabitz about? That too.

NYankee1927 > My bird IS the word 05/14/2020 at 17:55

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I hope so!

Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com > dieseldub 05/14/2020 at 20:14

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It’s even more funny given that Brad mentioned goading his pal Alex : https://jalopnik.com/1843264436

*** ... Alex did a dangerous thing about as safely as you possibly can, and he’s put that experience to good use later in his career . I don’t believe any car sold should be able to exceed 100 miles per hour on a public road, but Alex is a nice dude, and that counts for a lot.

I texted Alex as soon as I finished watching the movie and said “You were/are a lunatic. Anyway, I think it can be done faster.” ***

It’s fine he did an about face, being a progressive. However unwilling to concede that many of the articles on slant are hypocritical (and) or selfish is beyond grating.

I don’t want to read anything opinion unless it’s done by Collins or Tracy. T hey know what bags to take and bags to leave at the door to  spark a fun civil comment section.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > WiscoProud 05/14/2020 at 20:49

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“ haven’t been any accidents” reported.

I recall R oy saying he had multiple starts only to hit traffic and give up. If one of these guys crashed how much news would it make? Also the flipside, they wouldn’t go out of their way to report a crash, while commiting a felon y.

dieseldub > Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com 05/14/2020 at 21:37

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Well said, and those two seem to be the only ones who actually get their hands dirty working on cars too. Tracy in particular has a pretty good grasp on actual technical details and theories.

I’ve bitched and moaned about how terrible the coverage of dieselgate has been almost universally, but DT actually did a pretty good job with the technical details without getting into politics or letting feelings on the matter rule his writing above the technical realities at play. I give David big props for that. There seems to otherwise be a severe lack of technical understanding amongst auto journalists these days aside from a select few like DT.

dieseldub > Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com 05/14/2020 at 21:58

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Went and read his complete reply. Astute observation on how the old auto journos who came up with the cannonball in the first place were indeed much more on the libertarian end of the political spectrum. I suppose I appreciated them for that.

Brad did come out and admit that “he’s about as far left as they come” which kind of surprised me just the fact that he at least admits it, but it now makes more sense.

Though, to me, I tend to look at the political spectrum as having an X and Y axis. A simple graph. You have your left vs. right on the X axis, authoritarian vs. libertarian on the Y axis.

I myself started “pretty far left” when I was younger, though I also grew up loving the writing of some of those old auto journos who kind of did what they wanted and weren’t afraid to speak their mind, albeit in a very collegiate, intelligent manner. Another league from what we read on Jalopnik most days. I also grew up reading the stories from old motorsports legends like Rob Walker and Phil Hill in R&T. That was very much a different era, but it definitely made you appreciate the balls one had to have to race back then.

M uch of the writing on Jalopnik more and more feels like young authors with little life experience and very minimal zest for even attempting any such vehicular shenanigans. It’s become part political soap box and has less and less actual automotive content that makes you want to get more involved with cars or racing in general. That’s what I miss about good auto journalism. The stories that would make you want to be there and participate with the authors or experience the same vehicle they just wrote about. Instead, we just get preachy political bullshit from kids who don’t even go out to experience much of life first hand and it shows. Jalopnik used to better embody the former and somehow it quickly fell to the latter in the last few years.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate the libertarian end of the spectrum more while still hanging on to some leftist tendencies. And it’s gotten to the point where those who are much further left than me I now find irritating. It explains a lot, really, why I find so many articles on Jalopnik irritating rather than engaging.

I do wish the government would give us more for our tax dollars rather than endless war. Healthcare would be a great start, and it would also help level the playing field for small businesses just starting out. But when you come at me with identity politics and a bunch of new made up genders that only serve to further divide an already divided populace, I’m out. I really can’t stand dealing with people who feel the need to further make themselves feel special with all these additional labels. Keep things simple. The world is full of people with needs, find a way to fill some of those needs for people effectively and on the side take up hobbies you enjoy . The rest is mostly bullshit.

I kind of want to start a “Make Jalopnik Great Again” campaign, but I detest most everything Trump so I’d have a hard time taking up a Trumpian slogan. But damnit, it’s too easy.

Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com > dieseldub 05/15/2020 at 00:48

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Oooooo, I like how you put political and psychological preferences as chart-able and thus make it dimensional. That’s good, because everyone always seems focused on political leanings but there’s certainly other elements at play.

They definitely now have more naivety and less knowledge or certain aspects. I mentioned last week the playpen was very different when they had more FP contributors in specific areas and sub blogs like Steve Lehto, Wes Siler, Sean MacDonald, Tyler Rogoway (and others). There were healthy reviews, advice, and just interesting and more specific knowledge.

This is what I consider Jalop: In search of the imposter the Kia Rio Sport Pac

This (and the Musk crap) should be relegated to TMZ and never grace FP: Chrissy Teigen Reveals Her Uncredited Role In The Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift

The fact that getting annoyed as at writing that’s within your own political bias because you’re more moderate speaks volumes of how much they need to dial back. The readership has told them, but they still continue, even with the clicks continuing it’s downward trajectory.

I f you made anything in the jest of MAGA then people are going to group you a right winger and dog pile even if you wrote it as a moderate left , this is what keeps pissing off moderates on both sides and pushes them outwards .

What really pissed me off about that article in particular is him commenting that he hopes the Cruise Industry never recovers and dies. This would mean the loss of $40B/y in wages and millions of hard working people from around the world out of jobs, including some of my friends and colleagues. Then have the audacity to say ‘ Selfishness doesn’t fly around here at Jalopnik’ . Most of those crew members are hospitality and service, where do you suggest they apply? H otels and restaurants?!?! Yeah, their industry is not looking too great either for the moment. Even if you don’t like cruises (another story for another time) and wouldn’t ever take one, there’s more to the industry than the corporations and the annoying Karens .

Saying that people should loose their jobs indefinitely is a really shitty attitude to have with the upcoming world recession. Not for a few more months, not the duration of the virus, no, total loss of those jobs forever. No ‘journalist’ has any right to actively promote a hardship like that. But you know lets shield this fact behind the ever fashionable virtue signalling .

And that’s why he’s not getting anymore clicks from me... And why I’m chilling here on Oppo now.

dieseldub > Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com 05/15/2020 at 02:22

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Well said. I can’t get down with wishing an entire industry to go down either. Cruises are definitely a luxury, but I don’t have problems with that. I see people just trying to make opportunity for themselves. The entire reason our economy has survived in the manner it has is because of the diversity of jobs it allows. If you see the need for a new product or service or think you can provide better products and/or service in a specific sector, what’s stopping you from doing it? The answer is nothing but your mind’s own constructs. If you have a strong enough desire, you can get your own business going.

You will initially be taking a massive risk and will not live comfortably while things get off the ground, but rest assured, if you genuinely work at providing good service and/or a useful product, you will succeed. Sacrifices will be made to get there and the only way you will be successful is by pouring everything you have I to it at first, both in terms of money but also your time and effort.

Only people who seem to have too much free time to worry about trivial things like identity politics are going to get wrapped up those sort of first world problems.

De spite the fact that the left normally IS trying to look out for the little guy, in practice they get too hyper focused on identity politics and lately giving all the social services to illegal immigrants (at least they do here in California) that should, in my opinion, also he on offer for genuine tax paying lower and middle class, such as healthcare (once again).

It gets very frustrating to be in the bracket where you’re not rich, but are paying taxes yet people with less than you who aren’t contributing anything get healthcare, the rich can afford the best health insurance, but those of us in the middle are stick with outrageous premiums with absurd deductibles and still have an obscene amount of exclusions.

The middle has been left behind by both sides, and I can see why some vote for the bombastic asshole who promises to either bring their jobs back or just blow the whole thing up, because imploding the whole government at least means you’d keep more of what you earned to spend as you see fit since clearly the crooked government isn’t going to help the middle hardly at all anymore, we just get to foot the bill for the classes above and below us.

Anyway, this new generation of “journalist” just feels like they wouldn’t know what hard work and sacrifice really is, or have never experienced the uncertainty of trying to generate your own paycheck.

Most of my working career has been with an uncertain paycheck, and not because I’ve been self employed almost the whole time but because that’s how most pay systems for mechanics are. Flat rate, paid by the job. And that job is very difficult to master. It is hard physical labor and requires a lot of brain capacity to become any good at it. I suppose for my part, it’s just disappointing to read so much drivel from someone who hasn’t ever had to work that hard at anything. Never wanted to give up because it was so difficult but managed to push through anyway.

The only reason I’ve become even half decent at what I do isn’t because of innate ability, it’s mostly because I just didn’t quit when shit got hard. And the shitty writing I encounter so often these days make it abundantly clear that most of these guys have never tried to face down that level of adversity. So much easier to just preach with zero practical experience and write off entire industries when one doesn't even think of what it must have taken to even build it up to that level in the first place.

WiscoProud > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 05/15/2020 at 11:33

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I completely agree. If it was bad enough the cops would likely notice the special equipment, but most modest accidents wouldnt be reported