Gumball 3000 Rally Update: No flying under the radar this year

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The organizers of the Gumball 3000 rally — the road rally inspired by the forgettable 1970s auto epic of (nearly) the same name — have an interesting public relations challenge this year. Last year’s rally (held in Europe) was canceled after a fatal car crash in Macedonia. That incident and other run-ins with law enforcement officials on the Continent are drawing the kind of attention to this year’s event that rally drivers and their sponsors may not appreciate.

The rally, which hits the road in San Francisco on Saturday at 10 a.m., has the attention of law enforcement. The San Francisco Police Department is taking extra steps to deal with the event. ‘We’re very well aware of it and we’ll be monitoring what’s going on,’ a department spokesperson said.

The first official rally destination is Los Angeles, but only the rally drivers will know the exact route. As they make their way from San Francisco to L.A. and then San Diego, and then over and up to Las Vegas (on Monday), the authorities will still be watching. Fran Clader, a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol, said, ‘The CHP is very much aware of the rally.’ Additionally, she said, ‘affected CHP divisions can be expected to deploy special enforcement teams, extra patrol units and air assets along the route to ensure rally participants obey traffic laws and get where they’re going safely.’

So is all publicity good publicity? As long as no one (else) gets hurt, I suppose.

— Joni Gray

Related Up to Speed post: 2008 Gumball 3000 Rally goes to Hollywood