Rock Out

GUMBALL 3000

One of the world´s longest-running and high profile supercar races, Gumball attracts serious car afficionados and equally serious spenders. It costs £45,000 just to take part in the race.

Famed as much for its fast cars as its wild parties held during each leg of the race – read this exciting, entertaining, no-holds barred account of the craziest race on the planet – and get your credit card ready to book your trip next year as the Toronto to Havana 2022 trip has just been announced and is happening on 27th May to 3rd June 2022.

Read this account of the craziest week of these young drivers lives – when they completed Sweden to Vegas in under a week for Gumball 3000! Well done Chris Murphy and Sam Moores for surviving!!

SWEET SWEDEN

The race kicked off in Sweden´s capital Stockholm. Plenty of partying was had before we hit the starting

GUMBALL 3000

grid as registration starts the day before and the party atmosphere kicks in a few days before. And Stockholm is the place to party! The Swedes are great and so welcoming. Beautiful hot women, you can walk into any club and are surrounded by “11/10 girls”. A lot of Gumballers reported threesomes and even foursomes, but we were on our best behaviour! The starting grid was chaotic with over 100 cars participating, we held back in our Porsche 918 to get the best pictures from the event. Once underway the drive to our next stopover point, Oslo, was fairly relaxed, cruising along through scenic countryside alongside vintage classics and hybrid

hypercars such as LaFerrari, the Porsche 918 Spyder, Pagani Huayra and McLaren P1´s. We passed quite a few cars that had obviously been pulled over by police. One of our friends was even being escorted in the opposite direction presumably for a blood test. They do this when they get a questionable breathaliser reading.

Therefore readers, here are my 3 golden Gumball rules to remember:

1. Leave early with limited alcohol in your system 2. Navigation is key – don´t get lost 3. Don´t get caught by the police!!

SIGHT SEEING AT KOENIGSEGG

Gumball Rallyers were also treated to a tour around the Koenigsegg Factory in Copenhagen where we got to see a €1.5m one: 1 CCXR in production. 13,000 kilos to 13,000 break horse power, carbon fibre wheels that our guide threw at us and they were as light as a feather. An amazing car. We also got to drag race around the test circuit with other Gumballers reaching speeds of 190mph.

ZE GERMANS

Which leads me nicely onto our German connection. On arrival at our next destination point we were all provided with letters in our hotel that said all sponsors logos had to be covered up by tape on our route through Germany. (????) We left early to avoid any problems and despite us following

the regulations we were repeatedly stopped to have our documents checked all the way through Germany. The most frustrating moment was when this driver appeared to be veering in and out of lanes and undercutting us, acting really strange. Thinking it was just a follower trying to get a good photo of our car we dutifully played around until it got on our nerves - so much so we undercut it and sped off. Much to our annoyance the car happened to be undercover police and we were pulled over yet again. The police were shocked to find out we filmed the whole thing and were quick to let us go without so much as a warning!! German Police: 0 Moores & Murphy: 1.

AMSTERDAM

The Dam didn´t disappoint. A huge festival was put on at the Ajax Stadium where we were supposed to drive our cars in front of the 30,000 strong crowd. Dutch DJ Afrojack also put on an impressive gig. This was another night of classic partying where we bumped into a fellow racer who had a Facebook sponsor sticker on his car. But strangely with the words “Thank you¨ emblazoned above it. As he was holding his magnum of champagne we questioned his gratitude of the social media site. To which he promptly replied: “I´m one of the initial

founders and Facebook earnt me $700 million.” Ahhhh, ok, get it now.

MILE-HIGH MADNESS

There is only one word to describe the antics of 200 Gumballers on a transatlantic flight to Reno… madness. Within 15 minutes of the plane taking off Dirty Sanchez entertainer Pritchard stripped off and was parading around the plane fully naked. We´re convinced his drink was spiked soon after as he passed out very quickly! We were allowed in the cockpit and one crafty Gumballer even duck-taped his iPhone to the pilot´s tanoy so we had load music throughout the duration of the flight. Other recollections from the flight include a skateboard whizzing past on descent. Not exactly health and safety but this was a private flight not a passenger one, so rules went out the window.

LA BOUND

Midwest Gumball trips are pretty dull….600 mile long stretches with nothing but a petrol station, a lapdance club and a place to buy fried chicken! Thankfully this year we hit the West Coast again (!) landing in Reno then hitting San Francisco before arriving in LA. The US leg of the journey was even more exciting this year as we got to race with F1 Champion Lewis Hamilton. Plus other regular US participants included rapper Eve (who married Gumball founder Maximillion Cooper on last year´s race), Baywatch star David Hasselhoff and boxer Mike Tyson. Reports from local newspapers suggested that Gumballers were driving in and out of LA highway traffic of up to speeds of 170mph. We know nothing about this!!!

VEGAS BABY!

The final leg of the trip to Vegas was an exhausting one. Not only because you have been non-stop travelling and partying for 7 days but also because you have officially covered 3000 miles of driving. A mean feat in itself.

Once in Vegas Gumball put on a finale 2-day festival at MGM Village including a vert ramp skateboard demo from ‘Tony Hawk & friends’ followed by performances from DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill, Bun B, The Alchemist, EVE, Deadmau5 and Diplo.

Having just completed my fourth, but certainly not final, Gumball – I can safely say i´ll be signing up again.

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Following months of careful renovation, The Watermill in Dorking has announced that it is set to open on Tuesday 30th November. The venue has operated as a pub since the 1960s, but it’s been totally transformed, bringing a refreshed look, as well as a completely new food offering, celebrating the very best of British produce. With extensive views over Box Hill, guests can dine in the newly landscaped gardens, featuring cosy log burners, covered seating and a fully-stocked bar. The menu features an array of classic pub dishes, fusing tradition and innovation that celebrate provenance and showcases the best of British farms. The pub’s Christmas menu will also be available when the pub opens, and features festive delights including a vegan wellington and a delicious gingerbread trifle to get you ready for the festive season. The Watermill will offer an extensive selection of drinks, designed with every guest in mind from crafted cocktails to a collection of classic martinis, including a staple French Martini to an exquisite Espresso Martini, plus an array of non-alcoholic drinks.

Following months of careful renovation, The Watermill in Dorking has announced that it is set to open on Tuesday 30th November. The venue has operated as a pub since the 1960s, but it’s been totally transformed, bringing a refreshed look, as well as a completely new food offering, celebrating the very best of British produce. With extensive views over Box Hill, guests can dine in the newly landscaped gardens, featuring cosy log burners, covered seating and a fully-stocked bar. The menu features an array of classic pub dishes, fusing tradition and innovation that celebrate provenance and showcases the best of British farms. The pub’s Christmas menu will also be available when the pub opens, and features festive delights including a vegan wellington and a delicious gingerbread trifle to get you ready for the festive season. The Watermill will offer an extensive selection of drinks, designed with every guest in mind from crafted cocktails to a collection of classic martinis, including a staple French Martini to an exquisite Espresso Martini, plus an array of non-alcoholic drinks.