On May 18th, the Gumball 3000 rally rolls out of Copenhagen to begin its 15th anniversary run of the craziest high-octane car event on the planet. You’ll see anything from a 67 Shelby GT 500 to a Rolls Royce Phantom, the drivers as eccentric and mental as cantankerous British aristocrats.
The grid consists of rich family combinations, successful entrepreneurs showing off their latest toys, playboys with slick hair and even slicker rides, professional athletes, actors and musicians, people who live for excessive speed and riotous parting.
Pro skaters Tony Hawk and Jaws join BMX pro Rooftop Escamilla for another dose of Gumball mayhem, this year driving a customised Alpine Edition Twisted Defender. Adding to the Gumball spirit, the skate legend himself is hosting a half pipe demo in Warsaw.
Gumball royalty Maximillion Cooper and rap superstar EVE are taking their stunning Morgan Aero Super Sport out for a blast. Gumball boss, Maximillion has previously entered the rally in an XJ220 – the man clearly has taste!
Gumball hero, David (The Hoff) Hasselhoff is all set for his 4th rally, the ultimate crowd pleaser never failing to entertain. This year, The Hoff will be storming Europe in his black Audi R8. Look out for Team HoffBallers to guarantee Gumball hooning.
Rap and TV star Xzibit also returns to the Gumball 3000. The Pimp My Ride star will be taking on Europe for the third time, but as yet his new ride is TBC. One of his memorable cars was the black and gold “Adidas” Lamborghini Gallado.
Those lunatic Finnish chaps are back once again, aiming to win their 2nd “Spirit Of Gumball” award. TV idiots, The Dudesons are no strangers to Gumball, their previous transportation consisting of a Cadillac Escalade ambulance, a Baywatch-themed pickup truck, and if rumours are to be believed, a blue furry elephant concept should make it onto the grid this time around.
Best Of The Rest
It looks like Batman has decided to give the Gumball a bash as Team Galag have developed possibly the most ambitious Gumball car ever to hit the grid – the Batman Tumbler movie car. This incredible creation is to be unveiled exclusively in Copenhagen.
Betsafe’s master of everything Betsafe and Gumball, Carl Bofeldt is on his second Gumball 3000 Rally. Founder of Visual Arts Sweden, Johan Sjostedt will be joining him, their outrageous 997 Gen II Porsche Turbo RS their weapon of choice.
Alpine daredevil Jens Byggmark joins his friend Fredrik Strebel, representing Team Betsafe in his awesome black supercharged Camaro.
I had to add this rare beauty, the Stirling Moss McLaren SLR entered by Netherland’s Stirling Moss Team. They call this silver bullet “The Flying Dutchman”.
We can’t wait to see the start of this rally, when all the teams roll out, one by one, to endure the week of carnage and lunacy that awaits them. One car I will be looking out for is that magnificent Tumbler – how they made it street legal is beyond me.