http://www.northplattebulletin.com/index.asp?show=news&action=readStory&storyID=14987&pageID=3Rally racers busted by State Patrol
by Frank Graham (North Platte Bulletin) - 8/21/2008
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Rally racer Ian James Brennan was arrested for driving 120 mph down I-80 Wednesday. Troopers said concerned motorists called 911 to report Brennan's speed.
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Brennan's BMW
The Nebraska State Patrol stopped two speeding cars on Interstate 80 Thursday, Aug. 21, and realized both cars were involved in a cross-country road race.
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The first car was a 2008 BMW-M3, driven by Ian James Brennan from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Brennan, 21, was clocked going 120 mph in a 65 mph zone on I-80 near Mahoney State Park at approximately 12:39 p.m..
Brennan was arrested and jailed on charges of speeding and willful reckless driving.
Just minutes before, at 12:21 p.m., another trooper stopped a westbound BMW-M series, for speeding in a construction zone just west of the airport interchange on I-80 in Lancaster County. The BMW-M was clocked going 71 mph in a 55 mph construction zone. The driver of that car was issued a $294 citation for speeding in a work zone and released, according to the NSP.
“Our officers were alerted to the speeding vehicles by concerned motorists,” said Nebraska State Patrol Field Services Captain Rod Getting.
The vehicles stopped are participating in the 2008 AKA Rally, a cross-country road race that originated in New York on Aug. 18 and will end in Las Vegas on Monday, Aug. 25. The race is being filmed as a reality TV show and will be broadcast on the Speed channel at some time in the future.
“Races of this kind are extremely dangerous,” Getting said. “Whenever you mix high speeds, with the kind of traffic volume we have on the Interstate, you are just asking for something bad to happen. We want reckless drivers to know, this type of activity won’t be tolerated.”
The race
The race has been called a blend of the Cannonball Runs of the early ‘70s with the quintessential American road trip. The AKA Rally is an all-inclusive, high-adrenaline vacation for true car enthusiasts, according to event organizer Chris Conner. This year marks the sixth year the race has been held.
Drivers left New York and will speed cross-country to Las Vegas. There are roughly 26 teams participating in the race.
Among the other cars in the rally are Corvettes, Ferrari, Volvos, Deloreans, Toyota Supras, Mini Coopers and a Lotus. The most unusual entry in the 40-vehicle field might be a 10-inch lifted Dodge Ram truck with 37-inch tires and a modified 6.7-liter turbo diesel engine. Also entered is a Ducati motorcycle.
Brennan, the driver who was jailed in Nebraska, drives for Team Thrice, according to the AKA Rally web site. Some teams have reportedly reached speeds of 180 mph on stretches of open road with no traffic.
The entry fee for each team is $3,250 entry fee — which covers hotels, dinner, events and parties for two people in one car — benefits the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which supports families of soldiers who died overseas, according to Conner.
The race will be presented in six episodes on Speed, the cable TV network dedicated to motor sports with a passion for everything automotive. It is available in more than 78 million homes in North America and among the fastest growing sports cable networks in the country.
Cannonball Runs
Some might believe Cannonball Runs were only movies that starred Burt Reynolds and Farrah Fawcett.
But in the early 1970s they were real races intended both as a celebration of the interstate highway system and a protest against 55 mph traffic laws that went into effect.
Cannonball Runs were held four times from New York and Darien, Conn. to Redondo Beach, Calif.
Originally, there were no specified routes or maximum speed limits and the winner was the driver who reached the Portofino Inn in Redondo Beach first.
After the original Cannonball races were halted, some organizations including, Car and Driver magazine, began to sponsor legitimate cross country rallies including the One Lap of America.
The North Platte Bulletin - Published 8/21/2008
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