The world came to an almost complete stop this spring, when the international health crisis took hold and most countries went into full lockdown. But things still happened, like at least two new Cannonball Record runs – and two new records.
In early April, four guys in a souped-up 2019 Audi A8 sedan made the most of travel restrictions to set a new Cannonball Record: 26 hours 38 minutes from the Red Ball Garage in New York City to the Portofino Hotel & Marina in Redondo Beach, California. Some weeks later, in May, a new record was set by Fred Ashmore: an impressive 25 hours and 55 minutes.
Available at the bottom of the page is a new video in which Fred explains how this record came to be, as well as what makes his run stand out from the rest. Most importantly though, it comes to confirm what Jeremy Clarkson has been saying all along about how the fastest car in the world is always a rental.
Fred did the 2,800-mile (4,506-km) run in a 2019 Ford Mustang GT that was a rental. He also did the run on his own, which is different from any other attempt. He explains that the only way he could average better times than previous drivers was to cut down fueling time as much as possible.
Instead of taking passengers with him that would serve either as spotters or as aides during fueling breaks, Fred stripped the car bare, more or less. He removed the back seat and the passenger seat, the spare wheel and everything in the trunk, and packed instead tanks carrying 130 gallons (492 liters) of gasoline. This way, he could drive without stopping to refuel, with a single exception in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he met with a special tanker that filled everything up.
Fred also chose to leave during a city day, so that he’d come across less traffic. During travel restrictions, he noticed people still went out on the weekends, so he tried to avoid that and chose a weekday instead.
Fred set his cruise control at 120 mph (193 kph) and averaged 108 mph (173 kph) during the run. He insists the Mustang GT isn’t able to do more than 159 mph (255 kph), and not for lack of trying on his part.
The run wasn’t without issues, particularly a couple of very close-calls with the cops. However, Fred says he had no trouble with the traffic police and no issues with truckers. He was gunning for some 26 hours to beat the previous record and, at one point, came close to thinking he wouldn’t be able to make it. Instead, he ended up doing better: under 26 hours for the current Cannonball Record.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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