Another Cannonball?Within the annals of great road flics lies the early-and very-'80s epic "The Cannonball Run," which chronicled the cross-country hi-jinx of a handful of seemingly inebriated bon-vivants. I remember thinking, Wow, I bet those cats had a great time making that picture, and was there some sort of open bar on that set? These reflections would not be entirely unlike those one would have after experiencing the Tour 2000-well, minus Burt Reynolds, Dom Deluise, and Jackie Chan.
Red Bull-the ultimate, G-rated party beverage-was the drink of choice on the tour. Unlike our cinematic counterparts, the only juicing up we did was at the cocktail party-like atmosphere afforded by the Red Bull twins. On the South Leg, the Red Bull partymobile was always the center of attention as the lovely Red Bull lasses doled-out the caffeine, sugar, and guaran-rich elixir. Whether it was Miami, Daytona Beach, Atlanta, or points in between, Tour-goers encircled the customized Red Bull ride and swapped Tour stories, bench-raced, or flirted shamelessly with unavailable ladies. With the Red Bull vehicle serving as ground zero for the Tour's social interaction, the silver-and-blue can came to symbolize the mood and supercharged pace of the event.-MD
Return of the MackWhat more can we say about our biggest fan? He was back again-for the fourth year in a row. I had never met the fellow, but I'd heard fables and unbelievable legends about him, Macky Manansala. But I really had no idea what to expect. I bit my lip on several occasions, hoping that at least one of these tour-goers coming up to the registration tables could be the one. But he still caught me by surprise.
"Hey you, Jonny." he said, and I knew right away, even before I looked up. But the dude standing in front of us was just a normal college student. I don't know what I was expecting, but it was probably more along the lines of a drool-spitting, knife-wielder with a constant nervous twitch (I know, too many movies). I was thrown back and even Moe was a bit stunned. We just looked at each other: This is Macky?
After we shook off the daze, Macky took us to his car and showed us his legendary Super Street magazine collection, each issue kept in PS10 mint condition inside three comic book sleeves. What can you say, but we were definitely glad to have the Mackman back on board again as one of the biggest supporters of the Tour.-JW
Hell's Hardee'sI fully blame Jonny Wong for leading the South Leg off I-95 into a Hardee's from The Twilight Zone. Simply put, it was the most painful fast-food experience of my entire life-and I've been to Tijuana.
I've heard that things are a bit slower in the deep South, but this was ridiculous. I was bringing up the rear (Hey, a little too much info here.-RC), and by the time I arrived, many Tour participants had ordered their food, and were still waiting to eat. Waiting, and waiting, and waiting some more. We were baffled by this restaurant's blatant lack of food or its unwillingness to provide it. The fact that one of the trainees couldn't grasp the complexities of returning change didn't help. When I decided to hightail it to the KFC down the block, the mouth-breathing Hardee's manager recommended that when we do this next year, we call four hours in advance so they can have food ready. Yeah, right.-MD