People who drive fast often do so for two reasons: they are either running late for work or they are trying to break a world record.
In the case of Fred Ashmore, it is the latter.
In order to achieve the Cannonball run record, he drove a rented automatic $600-Ford Mustang GT from New York to Los Angeles in 25 hours and 55 minutes, at an average speed of 174km/h knowing that he might land in jail if ever evidence was presented to the police.
How Ashmore managed to be the new Cannonball Run Record Holder
Before Fred Ashmore won the title, he first had to beat Captain Chaos who had a time of 26 hours and 38 minutes.
Conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic sometime in May, news.com.au noted that Captain Chaos comprised of 3 men in an Audi A8 sedan who drove at an average of 106 mph (171 km/h).
In order to achieve his goal, Fred had to replace the Ford Mustang's interior with enormous tanks capable of holding more than 490 litres of fuel.
Considering that the journey would is 4,500 kilometers long, it would make sense for him to stop at least once for more gas from a mobile tanker located far from service stations.
If you're wondering what he had to eat, it would just be primarily beef jerky. For bathroom breaks, he limited his consumption of water.
For police evasion, he used the following: Google Maps and a timer on his phone, opened Waze on his tablet, a police radar detector and a very pricey laser jamming system.
Ed Bolian, who managed to clock in at 28 hours and 50 minutes together with Dave Black and Dan Huang driving a 2004 Mercedes-Benz CL55 AMG back in 2013 acknowledged that Ashmore's record would be very difficult to beat.
As Ashmore was driving, he also points out that the Ford Mustang cannot go faster than 159 miles an hour.
The Maine mechanic had close calls with police in California - first at a border checkpoint, and then when a highway patrol car illuminated its lights in pursuit of his Mustang.
You can check out his story right here for more details.
Cannonball Run Challenge
For those who are unfamiliar with the challenge, it became very popular after the release of the 1981 film entitled, "The Cannonball Run" along with its sequel released 3 years after.
The challenge's name is derived from Erwin "Cannonball" Baker who set more than 140 driving records from the 1910s through 1930s. It was revived in the 1970s by automotive writer Brock Yates as the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash.
The traditional start point is the Red Ball Garage on East 31st Street, Manhattan, and its finish is at the Portofino Hotel in Redondo Beach, California, a distance of a little over 2,800 mi (4,500 km), depending on the route.
Record-setting runs are typically self-verified by record-setters through witnesses, toll receipts, continuous video of the run, and GPS tracking.
