Dateline: May 2, 2002

Gumball rally drivers 'donate' to county 

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

A cross-country car race added nearly $2,700 to Donley County coffers Sunday afternoon as sheriff’s deputies and state troopers issued 17 tickets to drivers in the Gumball 3000 Rally.

“All of them were very nice. They all paid cash,” said Justice of the Peace Ann Kennedy. “I understand they were betting each other who would be stopped next.”

Kennedy’s court in Precincts 3&4 collected seven fines ranging from $95 to $250 and totaling $1,090.

Justice of the Peace Jimmy Johnson said his court brought in $1,600 from ten violations. Tickets ranged from $140 to $255.

Sheriff Butch Blackburn said the drivers were from Europe – mostly England – and the United States and were clocked at speeds up to 121 mph. Cars included high dollar models such as Jaguars, Lamborghinis, Mercedes, and Porches as well as domestic cars.

“They made a nice contribution to the county, and I think they had as much fun as we did,” the sheriff said.

Being stopped once wasn’t good enough for at least one Englishman.

“They brought him in here for going 118 mph,” said Kennedy, who fined him $110 of the $113 he had in US currency. “Then they brought him back in for going 94 mph.”

The second time, the chap had to borrow funds from his buddies to pay the ticket.

One journalist traveling with the rally was given a seatbelt citation for hanging out of the car window by his waist to videotape the race.

According to web reports, the Gumball Rally started from Rockefeller Center in New York City on April 25 and ended on April 30 at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. The race got its start in the 20th century when Robert “Cannonball” Baker drove from New York to San Diego in seven days, 11 hours, and 52 minutes. His fastest time cross-country was 53.5 hours.

The race gained popularity in the early 1970s and was further inspired by films such as “Gumball Rally” and “Cannonball Run.” The first Gumball 3000 Rally – named for the length of the race – was held in 1999.

The New York to Los Angeles record is 33 hours, 12 minutes.

“They were all good-natured about it, but it is very dangerous to drive that fast,” Kennedy said.

Law enforcement officers in Childress County, Armstrong County, and the City of Amarillo also stopped rally drivers, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. The top ticket writer was a state trooper in Oldham County who made 23 stops.