Gumball Rally 3000 2008

Experience of a Lifetime!!

Hello to everyone and so sorry to everyone else who missed out on the ADVENTURE of a LIFETIME!! My fist time participating in the gumball rally 3000 was a star studded, heart pumping, nonstop adrenaline rush! No exaggeration! We kicked off in downtown San Fransisco being escorted by a police motorcade through the beautiful city only to begin the most exiting cat and mouse game I have ever been a part of! Cruizing behind David Hasslehoff, driving the original Knight Rider, was a “Hassle” in itself due to his participation in that little show called Baywatch, aside from the already massive gumball rally crowds, he drew a following of his own. When we stopped to let traffic through, I couldn’t help but notice an excess amount of attention I was getting and I haven’t even released my album yet!LOL! But these were some oooo’s and aaaa’s and awkward stares so I looked in the backseat and they was no one where 3 people had originally been when we started! There was one hanging out the window, and the other two no where to be found! The motorcade starts waving us through!!! Oh no…do I just leave without them?? Dallas Tanner of Destination X TV in the back says go go or you will lose your position to another driver!…….another one jumps in as we are accelerating, but where’s Dion? I can hear him down the line of cars way in the back and we are already gone so he HAD to jump in with none other than Alfonso Ribiero, the co-star of Fresh Prince “Carlton” So not only is Dion safe and still in the rally, but he is riding with the costar of one of my favorite shows of all time!! Im jealous!

Then, I look directly behind me and see Bam Magera and his people from Viva La Bam hangin out the window showing off for our camaras appropriately living up to their crazy reputation. We found them a couple days later narrowly missing a huge ticket for backing up on the shoulder of the freeway because they missed their exit. HA HA crazy guys! Amatures is what I call them! hehe.

Meanwhile our driver Ashley Van Dyke and her navigator/co-pilot Erik Ward were already at the next checkpoint feet kicked up, relaxing in the shade with an ice cold beverage complete with the little umbrella……what?!!! wait a second…..they dont have time for that…..they were fueling up, anticipating their next location, and grabbing a bite to eat as they’re preparing for takeoff!

This was by far the most exciting event that I have ever been involved with and it turns out that in the 10 years of Gumball Rally history, it just keeps getting better and better! In 2001 Johhny Knoxville, Steve-O, and Chris Pontius of Jackass participated as well as comedian Vic Reeves. Over the years stopping at places such as Hugh Hefner’s home the Playboy Mansion, The White House in Washington DC, Elvis Presley’s Mansion in Graceland, the list goes on! All I know is that every year you can count me in!!

Catching the Film Action on Gumball3000 on the road to Olympics with Destination X TV: Nuts!

Dionel Trujillo Blogging Here: I am a car nut too…living up in central California we get our fair share of the passion for sports cars with one of the most populated areas with car clubs. So when I got the call from my long time friend Dallas Tanner, head of Destination X TV that he wanted me to join his film team on the world famous Gumball Rally I was off to meet up with him faster than I can tear out my favorite car, a 1965 Shelby Cobra Roadster. He warned me “Its nuts Dion, its sometimes dangerous, you wont have time to eat, or take a “dump”, at times you will be all alone stranded on a deserted road not knowing what to do next, our car may be broken down, or worse, impounded …but in the end it will be “the greatest adventure of your life”. He was right. I just finished up filming and taking shots from cars traveling past us or with us that were going so fast, I wont even be able to write here because after all, they tell you from the check point “its a rally, not a race”…that was true for some of the entrants at this years Gumball3000 Rally heading out of San Francisco, down through San Diego and out to Vegas before the cars headed off in Airplanes for Korea and eventually China for a final rally up to the Olympics in Bejing. But to keep up with our team of cars and crew vehicles, I must admit we had to post two people in my crew vehicle, a 2008 Mercedes super fast 300 class just to keep out for the many cops that were trying to nail the drivers we were filming. Okay, I fess up, we broke the law…we broke it many times…after all, I hear you are supposed to have permits to shut down roads if you shoot, and film out of a vehicle..never mind shooting out of a vehicle traveling at insane speeds. It also started great winding down the streets in San Francisco, in front of us was David Hasslehoff of Knightrider and Baywatch Fame and behind me, Bam Magera and his entourage in a Sporty Range Rover. We were at the front and just two cars behind the lead car driven by Gumball3000 rally organizer Maximillian Cooper in a Jaguar Super Car. We were going to get a police escort of of the Bay Area and when we saw Max’s Jaguar hauling ass once we got onto the 101, I knew I was in for an adventure of a lifetime…after all, I was hanging out the window shooting pics in a major metropolitan area and the next thing I know our driver is hauling ass too, probably more than 100 miles an hour. I hear the producer and my friend Dallas hollering inside “Get your ass in here Dion, you are nuts, this is illegal”…I got so caught up in the adrenalin I wanted to hang out the entire way shooting pics. Finally Dallas grabbed me by the pants loops and hauled my ass into the car and said ” look, you are nuts, its not only illegal for us to be doing this, but filming out of a vehicle doing at this speed will get us all locked up”. I could see his point but I kept shooting anyways. I was a little confused and excited, after all it was only 20 minutes before when we were rallying slowly down streets in Chinatown that I got out of the vehicle to grab shots of Bam Magera and his crew and these chinese firecrackers went off and the next thing you know I am clicking away, grabbing some great shots, and I look and my car is heading off blocks ahead of me. Dallas told everyone when we started, “if we loose you, we are not coming back, this is the Gumball3000 its moves fast”. So I figured , heck let me just run up to someone and hopefully they let me in their car. Not a good choice considering most all cars were two seaters already filled up with drivers and co drivers…I was huffing and puffing trying to catch up and I look over and see this guy that I thought I recognized..it looked like that co star from Fresh Prince with Will Smith…it was not him but the other guy, you know his name..oh yea, “Carlton”….heck yea…. and I jumped in. I always wanted to meet a celebrity and if this was any other place his bodyguards would have thrown my ass out but this is Gumball3000 and if you are with Gumball3000, you have instant friends. Later I hoped back out and crawled back into our Mercedes. Phew, see why I was so confused and excited…It was already getting off to a great start.. A thousand miles later, many smiles later and I crawled out of the Benz to take my last pictures on the rally as we headed into San Diego motorcade, “hero welcome” style….I looked around and realized Dallas the producer was indeed right, I had just finished wrapping one of the greatest adventures of my life.

VIEW SOME GREAT PICTURES HERE

ABOUT DESTINATION X TV

Destination X TV is where viewers meet up with a team of “Jane Bond” female adventure seekers who take on the most extreme adventures on the planet. The TV series is distributed to over 50 countries worldwide including on Playboy TV’s non nude Lifestyles TV in 44 countries. The show was created by action filmmaker Dallas Tanner in 2006 and now is entering its third season. For further information visit http://www.destinationxtv.com and http//myspace.com/destinationxtv . Season 1 and 2 was produced along with Tony Broccoli, son of James Bond creator/producer Cubby Broccoli. The series stars Celeste Thorson and Lauren Fray. Ashley Van Dyke ,

Day 2 of Gumball3000 2008 on road to Olympics with Ashley Van Dyke and Eric Ward’s Team

Dallas Tanner Blogging Here:

Well good morning race fans! Today is day 2 of the Gumball 3000 rally and should prove, as always, to be a quite eventful day. Yesterday Ashley Van Dyke with master co-pilot Eric Ward were so far ahead into the first checkpoint that they didn’t even see another Gumball car for almost 45 minutes! After an impressive start, a brilliant course, and good onboard technology in the car their team was able to have 2 of it’s cars come in to the checkpoint way ahead of everyone else. Unfortunately the Gumball group required drivers to wait (and wait, and wait, and wait some more) at the Buttonwillow race track as the plan was to have 25 cars go out on the track per group and have some wheel to wheel racing. Eric and Ashley took a nap (something often done during a road race of course) and after 2 hours and 45 minutes after arriving at the checkpoint were able to finally get under way and were driving against 20-something other participants who had only been to the checkpoint for as little as 5 minutes before they were able to leave. Ashley and Eric ward with partner car Jack and Daniel in the silver BMW made an impressive run into LA pulling away from all the supercars (in an E-class Mercedes of al things.) Ashley and Eric Ward actually came into LA and finished second in Hollywood and the first car was one that had taken hours to show up at the raeway checkpoint while Ashley VanDyke and Eric Ward were taking a nap.

Today, the 2nd day of the race, we are a bit confused as there are 4 checkpoints in the course of 150 miles? Gumball certainly is not putting on an event like they are known for in the past years. Of course the parties are amazing, the group of participants is one-of-a-kind, and the car collection is unmatched by any other group in the world, but they’re just not putting on the type of event that we’re used to. Today again it looks as though the Gumballers will be forces to stay at menial checkpoints rather than proceeding on to their next destination and receiving a route card upon arrival of a mid-day checkpoint as in a traditional rally. This is turning the most amazing roady rally in the world into nothing more than a traveling car show and a place to be seen for photo opportunities. What happened to the long-distance, high-endurance, high-profile, and fast driving group that the Gumball was known for? Forcing a well-prepared team with a geological advantage they had earned good placement into the events to wait almost 3 hours to let the rest of the pack catch up is kind of like giving all the kids in primary school football an award for playing well with others. Call it a rally or call it a race, folks, but either way the teams should be able to rally and not be forced to have to go down for nappy time while waiting for those other poor guys who just couldn’t find their way so everyone could share, hold hands, and play together.

VIEW SOME GREAT PICTURES HERE

About Gumball3000

The first Gumball 3000 took place in April 1999, when British creator Maximillion Cooper invited 50 of his friends to take part in a 3000-mile party around Europe to bring together the music, film, fashion and sport industries. Ten years later, and things have certainly grown, with crowds of more than a million people attending the start last year in London, and a televised and online audience that reached more than 60 million in more than 150 countries around the world.

Gumball 3000 consistently hits the headlines as “Cool Britannia’s” most unique addition to pop culture, described by Vanity Fair Magazine as “the most rock ‘n’ roll car rally ever staged” and famed for its exploits and celebrity participation. The event annually attracts stars including Oscar-winning star of the “Pianist” Adrien Brody, “Jackass’s” Johnny Knoxville, Hugh Hefner, supermodels Jodie Kidd and Caprice, “Kill Bill’s” Daryl Hannah, action sports legends Tony Hawk, Matt Hoffman, Carey Hart, and rock stars including Snoop Dogg, Blink 182, 50 Cent, The Fun Lovin’ Criminals, The Happy Mondays, Placebo, Jamiroquai and even Ms. Minogue.

Incorporating a new 3000-mile route each year, the attraction of the Gumball transcends social barriers, appealing to the adventurer in everyone, regardless of status or wealth; combining grease, glamour and guts in equal measures, stretching the experiences of travel and entertainment – just that bit further. Over the past nine years, Gumball 3000 has been hosted by kings and presidents, partied with Snoop Dogg, appeared on the “Jay Leno Show,” raised awareness for testicular cancer, chartered the world’s three largest aircrafts, created untold amount of “Jackass’s” fuelled mayhem, hung out at Hugh Hefner’s mansion, and most recently has been invited to work with the United Nations, all through the language of the motor car.

For more information go to www.gumball3000.com for the latest news, reviews, videos, products and celebrity blogs. Gumball.com is the social network for the Gumball generation, incorporating art, apparel, music, films, events, street culture and everything automotive. This years Gumball will end in Beijing, China at Olympics 2008.

ABOUT DESTINATION X TV

Destination X TV is where viewers meet up with a team of “Jane Bond” female adventure seekers who take on the most extreme adventures on the planet. The TV series is distributed to over 50 countries worldwide including on Playboy TV‘s non nude Lifestyles TV in 44 countries. The show was created by action filmmaker Dallas Tanner in 2006 and now is entering its third season. For further information visit http://www.destinationxtv.com and http//myspace.com/destinationxtv . Season 1 and 2 was produced along with Tony Broccoli, son of James Bond creator/producer Cubby Broccoli. The series stars Celeste Thorson and Lauren Fray. Ashley Van Dyke , a regular rally driver, also has hosted and appeared on the series.

Ashley Van Dyke on Gumball3000 followed by Destination X TV

Dallas Tanner Blogging Here:

VIEW PIC IN PRESS ON ASHLEY VAN DYKE ARRIVING FIRST IN SAN DIEGO CHECK POINT

This is my first gumball rally and I have to say its been so far more than I could ever imagine. They say that Gumball3000 is a lifestyle that combines music, fashion and of course, the love of exotic cars and supercars rallying across the globe. So I thought this would fit right in for me. I am not only a member of Destination X TV but I am also very into music as I get ready to release my first recordings, and I already love driving having grown up outside of San Diego driving motorcycles, and 4 wheel trucks. I got to meet up with our driver Ashely Van Dyke and I must say I do admire her courage and love of rallies and motorsports at large. She is also a teammate on Destination X TV where she drives super fast sports cars for our adventures and when I got the word I would be traveling with her to film and document this incredible event, I was estatic. Every day I will be writing journals on how our team does and from what i can see, we have an awesome team. Ashley has done many rallys ( http://destinationxtv.wordpress.com) and her co driver Eric Ward was a big part of the win that his team had back in 2006 on Gumball3000.

TO VIEW SOME GREAT PICTURES CLICK HERE

About Gumball3000

The first Gumball 3000 took place in April 1999, when British creator Maximillion Cooper invited 50 of his friends to take part in a 3000-mile party around Europe to bring together the music, film, fashion and sport industries. Ten years later, and things have certainly grown, with crowds of more than a million people attending the start last year in London, and a televised and online audience that reached more than 60 million in more than 150 countries around the world.

Gumball 3000 consistently hits the headlines as “Cool Britannia’s” most unique addition to pop culture, described by Vanity Fair Magazine as “the most rock ‘n’ roll car rally ever staged” and famed for its exploits and celebrity participation. The event annually attracts stars including Oscar-winning star of the “Pianist” Adrien Brody, “Jackass’s” Johnny Knoxville, Hugh Hefner, supermodels Jodie Kidd and Caprice, “Kill Bill’s” Daryl Hannah, action sports legends Tony Hawk, Matt Hoffman, Carey Hart, and rock stars including Snoop Dogg, Blink 182, 50 Cent, The Fun Lovin’ Criminals, The Happy Mondays, Placebo, Jamiroquai and even Ms. Minogue.

Incorporating a new 3000-mile route each year, the attraction of the Gumball transcends social barriers, appealing to the adventurer in everyone, regardless of status or wealth; combining grease, glamour and guts in equal measures, stretching the experiences of travel and entertainment – just that bit further. Over the past nine years, Gumball 3000 has been hosted by kings and presidents, partied with Snoop Dogg, appeared on the “Jay Leno Show,” raised awareness for testicular cancer, chartered the world’s three largest aircrafts, created untold amount of “Jackass’s” fuelled mayhem, hung out at Hugh Hefner’s mansion, and most recently has been invited to work with the United Nations, all through the language of the motor car.

For more information go to www.gumball3000.com for the latest news, reviews, videos, products and celebrity blogs. Gumball.com is the social network for the Gumball generation, incorporating art, apparel, music, films, events, street culture and everything automotive

ABOUT DESTINATION X TV

Destination X TV is where viewers meet up with a team of “Jane Bond” female adventure seekers who take on the most extreme adventures on the planet. The TV series is distributed to over 50 countries worldwide including on Playboy TV’s non nude Lifestyles TV in 44 countries. The show was created by action filmmaker Dallas Tanner in 2006 and now is entering its third season. For further information visit http://www.destinationxtv.com and http//myspace.com/destinationxtv. Season 1 and 2 was produced along with Tony Broccoli, son of James Bond creator/producer Cubby Broccoli. The series stars Celeste Thorson and Lauren Fray. Ashley Van Dyke , a regular rally driver, also has hosted and appeared on the series.

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