the Race
For those who don’t know what the One Lap of America is, here is a little history:
The outlaw race called the “Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash” was started by Brock Yates in 1971. This was a free for all… “the only rule is there are no rules” race from New York to LA which featured every type of car from Ferrari’s to Rolls-Royce and every type of driver from rank amateur to Dan Gurney. 1979 marked the end of the road for the outlaw events for obvious reasons but starting in 1981 ”The Cannonball Run” movies were released and were based on the highlights from the actual races. In 1984 the Cannonball was back but this time it was a series of time-speed-distance rallies with some autocross’s thrown in.
By 1992 Cannonball transformed once again into what it is a today where competition occurs as time trials held on Americas best race tracks. The event is an exercise of endurance and preparation as there are no support trucks, no pit crews, and you race the entire event on the same set of street tires. There’s a reason that a co-driver is required as no single racer could handle the stress of driving to and from each event as well as racing at speed and expect to survive the week safely. The scoring is based on your performance on the track but the real test is the car & drivers ability to traverse over 3000 miles without regard to sleep or personal hygiene. The format is grueling for sure and depending on the distance to the next track it barely allows enough time to get from one event to the next if you plan on getting any food or rest. The typical day goes something like this: race the car hoping it holds up to the abuse, pack everything up, drive like hell for hundreds of miles hoping to catch a bite to eat and a few hours of sleep in a crusty motel, unpack the car, and repeat that cycle 24 hrs a day for 9 days straight.
Official Website:
http://www.onelapofamerica.com
Rochester DSM One Lap
We have been running the race since 2009. Here is a timeline overview of our updates. (sometimes takes a minute to load and catch up)
