'Cannonball' driver burned across US in 31 hours
November 17, 2007 - 11:50AM
Extreme sports fan Alex Roy says he has smashed the record for the fastest "Cannonball run" across the United States, defying police and speed traps.
Alex Roy, 35, who waited a year to boast about his exploits and remains vague about the exact dates in a bid to avoid any prosecution, said he had blistered across 13 states in 31 hours and four minutes, breaking the old record by more than an hour.
Car enthusiast and rally driver Roy travelled the 4,496 kilometres from New York on the east coast to Santa Monica, California on the west coast at an average 145km/h.
At times though he reached top speeds of 257km/h, breaking the previous record set in 1983 of 32 hours and 17 minutes.
The American driver of German origin set the record at the wheel of his blue BMW stamped with "Team Polizei" and travelled with a cameraman to document the event.
He also equipped his car with several GPS units, police scanners and radar detectors in a bid to avoid any speed traps.
"The GPS really is not that useful because there is only four tolls and maybe four turns between New York and LA. This is purely to calculate our speed and time," he told a television reporter.
He added that normally he's a very careful driver who has only been given one speeding ticket in the past five years.
AFP
November 17, 2007 - 11:50AM
Extreme sports fan Alex Roy says he has smashed the record for the fastest "Cannonball run" across the United States, defying police and speed traps.
Alex Roy, 35, who waited a year to boast about his exploits and remains vague about the exact dates in a bid to avoid any prosecution, said he had blistered across 13 states in 31 hours and four minutes, breaking the old record by more than an hour.
Car enthusiast and rally driver Roy travelled the 4,496 kilometres from New York on the east coast to Santa Monica, California on the west coast at an average 145km/h.
At times though he reached top speeds of 257km/h, breaking the previous record set in 1983 of 32 hours and 17 minutes.
The American driver of German origin set the record at the wheel of his blue BMW stamped with "Team Polizei" and travelled with a cameraman to document the event.
He also equipped his car with several GPS units, police scanners and radar detectors in a bid to avoid any speed traps.
"The GPS really is not that useful because there is only four tolls and maybe four turns between New York and LA. This is purely to calculate our speed and time," he told a television reporter.
He added that normally he's a very careful driver who has only been given one speeding ticket in the past five years.
AFP
