Scooter Cannonball

Scooter Cannonball
Status	Active
Genre	Cross Country Scooter Rally
Frequency	Biennial
Country	United States
Years active	19
Inaugurated	September 12, 2004 (2004-09-12)
Most recent	July 21, 2021 (2021-07-21)
Next event	June 18, 2023 (2023-06-18)
Website	scootercannonball.com

The Scooter Cannonball (formerly known as the Scooter Cannonball Run) is a competitive, multi day, point-to-point touring rally for street-legal vintage and modern scooters. The event is traditionally held every two years, beginning on the eastern or western coast of the United States, and ending on the opposite coast. Participants are awarded points based on miles completed and their ability to maintain a standard pace along a predefined course.

The event’s name, “Scooter Cannonball,” pays homage to Erwin George “Cannon Ball” Baker who completed 143 cross-country, motorcycle speed runs between 1910 and 1930. The event was first advertised as the “Cannonball Run,” followed by “The Scooter Cannonball Run.” In 2018, the name was condensed to “Scooter Cannonball” to eliminate confusion and conflict with The Cannonball Run film series.

Baker was also the inspiration for two automobile races: The Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash and the Cannonball Run Challenge.

History

Early Years

Portions of this inaugural route have been included in subsequent Cannonball routes, including 2012, 2016, 2018, and 2023.

2008

A total of 20 riders participated in the 2008 Scooter Cannonball with 18 finishing the event. Mark Bobotek had planned to withdraw early from the rally and Jim Tillman crashed his Honda Big Ruckus in the Utah desert on the third day of the event. Tillman suffered multiple broken ribs, a punctured lung, and shoulder injuries. After receiving assistance from a passing motorist, Tillman infamously rode almost 170 miles solo through Utah’s Burr Trail Scenic Byway towards the finish in Blanding, Utah before withdrawing from the event.

Another rider, Joel Hamilton, crashed a few miles from Lee Vining, California on the morning of day two. Hamilton’s 2007 Vespa GTS scooter was totaled in the wreck, but he suffered no injuries. Under the 2008 rules, Hamilton was able to return to the starting line in Lee Vining, where he restarted his ride on Bobotek’s withdrawn 2007 Vespa GTS scooter. On day seven of the event, in St. Louis, Hamilton attempted to swap Bobotek’s engine with his original modified engine in his wrecked GTS. The engine swap was unsuccessful and required Hamilton to purchase a brand new 2008 Vespa GTS from Vespa St. Louis to remain in the event. Hamilton finished the event in second place in the Automatic 250 class, only two points behind the first-place finisher. Hamilton’s double scooter replacement resulted in changes to the rules prohibiting a rider from replacing their scooter mid-event.

With only three entrants, 2008 marked the decline of vintage scooter participation in the event in the Manual 200 Class. Riders Roy Cross and Roy Schatz finished the entire event without support on 1979 Vespa P200E scooters. Kieran Walsh, riding a 1963 Lambretta Riverside LI, also finished the event without the aid of a support vehicle. Kieran also completed the 2004 and 2006 events without support, each time riding a Lambretta.

2012

There were no life-threatening injuries during the event. On the second day of the event, a participant lost control of his scooter resulting in a foot and heel injury requiring hospitalization and surgery. UK rider, Stephen Cooper, observed a small wound on his right hand during the fourth day of the event. He received treatment at a nearby express care facility that diagnosed it as a spider bite. Cooper continued in the event, however, his condition further deteriorated, and his hand swelled over the remaining days. Upon arrival in San Diego, he was admitted to a hospital for a MRSA infection. Cooper remained in the hospital for several weeks before returning to the United Kingdom.

The elimination of the class scoring system and adoption of the handicap scoring system remains controversial among veterans and critics of the event. In 2021, Owens defended the handicap system, maintaining that its fairness on displacement and age component offers vintage scooters a loophole against a modern scooter. Owens firmly believes that a well-maintained stock, vintage Vespa P200 is on par in performance with a well-maintained stock, modern Vespa GTS 250 when pushed hard coast to coast. The vintage scooter will take longer to complete the trip, but the modern scooter will require an equivalent amount of additional maintenance time. The handicap formula ignores human (rider) factors of mechanical preparation, maintenance, navigation, health, and wellness. For a vintage scooter to exploit the age loophole would require flawless riding and execution. "The overlap of skill, knowledge, time, and resources to pull off that effort is hard to come by. I don't think an all-vintage event would change that and it's a cop out to blame the structure of an event where the rules were set down with the hope of seeing [the age loophole exploited],” explained Owens

2018

There were no life-threatening injuries sustained during the event, however, the accident and dropout rate was unusually high. Bill Leuthold, riding in his third Scooter Cannonball, withdrew from the event after suffering injuries on the second day while riding on an unpaved section between Death Valley Junction, California and Pahrump, Nevada. Two riders, Jim Louter and Charles Weidman, both riding rented scooters were unable to complete the event due to mechanical failures. Four riders experienced mechanical failures during the first day of the event and withdrew before posting scores. A rider who failed to make it to the starting line, but joined the event in progress, dropped his scooter while in standing position, resulting in a foot injury and causing his withdrawal. Brandon Smith and his grandfather, Mike Smith, withdrew from the event on day eight after Brandon wrecked his scooter without injury.

2021

Multiple riders sustained injuries during the event. Barely 150 miles into the rally, rider Ken Korn, riding a 2004 Honda Reflex, broke multiple ribs, his sternum, and suffered lung complications, after encountering unexpected gravel and low-siding his scooter near Norway, Maine. Korn, 69 years old, was transferred to a trauma center in Portland, Maine for treatment. Almost two weeks later and unable to fly due to his lung injuries, Ken, accompanied by a nurse team, was transported home to Florida via limousine service. On day four, Carl Frazee, riding in early morning, wet conditions, struck a large, frost heave, pothole in northern Michigan and low-sided his scooter. Frazee suffered broken fingers and torn tendons in his right hand, a broken humerus, and bruised ribs. With no cellular service and off the official event route, Frazee was able to get the damaged scooter upright and rode almost 15 miles to Mackinaw City, Michigan, where he was able to contact event staff and a support truck. On day six, rider Lisa Fierro fractured her wrist while riding through the Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota. Requiring surgery, Fierro and her riding partner withdrew from the event. On day seven, rider Scott Culpepper, mere miles from the finish line hotel in Rock Springs, Wyoming, was struck by unsecured debris from a passing pickup truck and forced to withdraw from the event. Culpepper sustained minor injuries and damage to his scooter. The driver of the truck was never identified. On day eight, rider Stephen Cavill was injured after he struck a reflective road marker and lost control of his scooter while crossing Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. He received medical treatment for road rash along his side and abdomen from EMTs before he continued his ride and finished the event. By the end of the rally, 14 additional riders reported accidents without serious injuries while riding in the dirt and unpaved gravel portions of the event's route.

Rally Specifics

The Scooter Cannonball is held biannually taking place over eight to 12 days. The starting line and finish line locations change with each running of the event. Since 2010, the direction of travel between coasts has alternated between west to east. The event usually takes place in June or July but has been held as early as May and as late as September. There are no monetary cash prizes or purses for finishers of the event.

Entrant

An entrant consists of one specific scooter and one specific rider together satisfying the requirements under the rules for participation in the rally. Any substitution of scooter or rider after the start of the event will disqualify the entrant, and the rider must always be the sole operator of the scooter. Pillion passengers are permitted as transport passengers only and may not operate the scooter or aid the entrant rider in their record-keeping and documentation requirements for scoring purposes. Riders may informally establish teams with other riders to combine support resources, assist with planning, or ride together during the rally, however, riders are only awarded points based on their specific performance and must individually maintain their own documentation for scoring purposes.

Rider

Entrant riders must possess a valid driver’s license with the appropriate endorsements for a scooter or motorcycle as required by the issuing authority without time, road, or passenger restrictions. Riders are expected to always wear appropriate riding clothing and safety equipment while riding during the event.

Scooter

Participation is limited to scooters with an engine displacement of less than 280cc. A scooter is defined as a two- or three-wheeled vehicle that satisfies at least three of the following five conditions: unit construction of engine, transmission, and rear swingarm; wheels no larger than 10 inches; originally equipped with a step-through frame; originally equipped with running boards or leg shield; and a single-cylinder engine design. The scooter must be registered, insured, and must have all the equipment as required for legal use in its registered state. Engine replacements are limited to those with cases used in a production motor scooter under the event’s rules. Plumbed or Jerrycan auxiliary fuel systems are permitted provided they are mounted securely to minimize the chance of becoming separated from the scooter. A handicap system was established in 2012 to normalize all scooters to a hypothetical late 1970s two-stroke scooter. The handicap is applied to points scoring as a percentage. The formula factors the scooter’s actual engine displacement, original year of manufacture, and age of the engine.

Route & Scoring

The route is planned by the event’s organizers and is preferred, but riders are not required to follow it. Each day’s route has a total of five control checkpoints, including a starting control checkpoint, three interim control checkpoints, and a final finish control checkpoint. To be eligible to qualify for points, the rider must depart each day from the start control checkpoint, pass through all three control checkpoints, and arrive at the finish control checkpoint on the designated day in the rally. The control checkpoints together create a total of four route segments.

Points are awarded for the completion of each route segment. To be awarded points, the rider must provide photographic and GPS evidence as proof that they arrived at each location. The event uses a proprietary mobile phone app as a means for riders to document their travels and submit their evidence at the end of each day’s ride. A standard time is established for each route segment, and each route segment has a fixed-point value award that is determined by the travel distance between the control checkpoints that define the route segment. For each segment a rider completes, points are deducted for each minute the rider deviates from the standard time, adjusted by the entrant's handicap factor for that segment. No more than 75% of the route segment’s maximum point value may be deducted.

The intent of the scoring and points system is to provide a competitive yet legal way of ranking the performance of the riders; keep riders on mostly the same route without having to specify and monitor every turn; provide partial credit for partially completed days; and provide a tracking method that is quick and easy for riders to document and spectators to track their progress.

Bonus Checkpoint Locations

Bonus checkpoint locations were introduced to the event in 2018 as another means to keep riders on the same route, create additional navigational challenges, and manage scoring volatility. Bonus locations are strategically, geographically chosen and assigned a point value that awards riders for following the preferred route versus bypassing for faster or higher speed interstate highway alternatives. Bonus locations have a fixed-point value and may only be claimed in the time between the rider’s departure from the starting control checkpoint and the final finish control checkpoint for the day’s route. The rider must be awarded points on each of the day’s four route segments to be eligible to receive any bonus points for that day. Like checkpoints, riders document their arrival at the bonus checkpoint location using the event’s mobile phone application.

Disqualification & Penalties

Riders may be disqualified and jeopardize their eligibility to participate in future events for acts of unsportsmanlike conduct or endangering other riders or the public—including excessive speeding, traffic citations, or reckless driving. Riders who are unable to participate for multiple days due to mechanical failure may only be eligible to receive minimum points when they resume. All riders are required to depart from the event's designated starting line location on the first day of the event to be eligible for scored participation.

Support

Riders may receive mechanical or personal aid from third parties while riding in the event without the risk of point penalty or deduction. To be awarded points on a segment, the rider must complete the segment in its entirety under the power of only the scooter and/or rider (pushing), or commercial ferry. If the scooter is towed or otherwise transported during the segment for service or repair, zero points are awarded for that segment. If able, the rider may resume riding and scoring beginning at the next checkpoint. In 2021 and 2023, the event offered support vehicles to participants carrying limited spare parts and towing capacity for those with broken scooters.

Culture

Early knowledge of the event spread mostly by word of mouth and through internet message boards. At the time, it was common for riders to maintain blogs during the event’s earlier years that documented their preparations and participation. Early organizers and participants preferred to keep the event out of the media spotlight and its route inaccessible to the public.

By 2016, the event had pivoted from its early speed-based scoring to its present-day classic rally format. While some participants continued to blog, most shifted to sharing their travels on social media websites. That year, the documentary, It’s Not a Race: The Scooter Cannonball Run, was released on DVD and through streaming services. In 2017, the event began using a Facebook page as the primary means of communicating event news and information to the public. In 2021, the event posted daily live video streams from the starting and finish line locations on its YouTube channel.

Monetary Prizes & Sponsorships

In its history, the event has never awarded finishers of any position or status cash or prize money. Winners and participants are entitled to the proverbial bragging rights. The event does however award medals or similar swag items to finishing participants. In the rally’s earlier years, riders have ridden under formal and informal corporate sponsorships. Typically, under these arrangements, some or all the rider’s participation expenses, scooter, and riding gear are paid for by the sponsor. The 2012 Scooter Cannonball was the last event year where a participant was known to have received sponsorship. The event continues to allow riders to receive sponsorships so long as the rider is not incentivized monetarily or otherwise by sponsors to finish or win the event.

Riders Forum

Since its inception, the event has hosted message boards as its primary means to connect its community. Access to the message boards is generally restricted or limited to those who have previously participated or have registered for an upcoming event.

2016: It's Not a Race: The Scooter Cannonball Run

In 2012, indie film producers, Jared Sloan and Chachi Ramirez, filmed over 300 hours of footage covering the 2012 Scooter Cannonball. While the film chronicles the entire event, it more closely follows four riders, Lawson Clarke, Aaron Hiatt, Oscar ‘Oz’ Lang, and Starr Markham.

Clarke, whose raw language earned the film its R rating, is the film’s focus. Entering the event with little-to-no riding experience, the documentary captures Clarke effectively learning to ride the scooter while struggling mentally and physically to reach the finish. Lang and Hiatt, both riding small 50cc scooters, have an extreme adventure ride coast-to-coast. Markham was the event’s only vintage rider that year who ultimately completed the trip without support. The documentary was finished with the support of 218 Kickstarter crowdfunding backers in 2015 and released in 2016. It is available on-demand through Vimeo VHX.

2020: Slow Ride Home

Directed by Portland indie film creator, Jesse Morrow, Slow Ride Home captures eight members of the Seattle-based Soldiers of Destiny scooter club’s participation in the 2016 Scooter Cannonball on smaller 125cc scooters. Although the documentary takes place during the rally, the event itself is not the focus of the film. The film was released in 2020 and is available on-demand through Amazon Prime Video.

2021: USA TODAY: A closer look at the Scooter Cannonball

In July 2021, USA TODAY published an in-depth feature on the event. The piece, written by George Petras and illustrated by Veronica Bravo, interviewed participants in the then-upcoming 2021 event and through extensive illustrations accurately captured the event’s rules and format.

Related Events

Event promoter Alan Speers organized “The Real [Scooter] Cannonball” to take place in May 2013. The event, sanctioned by the Motor-Scooter International Land-Speed Federation, followed the Cannonball Run Challenge format as a speed race between the Red Ball Garage in New York City, New York and the Portofino Hotel in Redondo Beach, California. The event had a total prize purse of $2,500.

A short-format, European version of the event named “Cannonball Scooter Run” was announced in November 2021. The event is scheduled to take place over five days in May 2022 in Belgium and the Netherlands. Participation is limited to vintage Vespa and Lambretta scooters.

Records

Most Finishes by Same Scooter & Rider

• (5) 2007 Piaggio MP3 250ie, Mark Anderson, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016
• (4) 2007 Vespa GTS 250ie, David Bednarski, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014
• (4) 1996 Honda Helix, Mike Smith, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016

Most Finishes by Rider (without support truck assistance)

• (6) David Bednarski, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2021
• (5) Mark Anderson, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016
• (5) Matthew Benintendo, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018
• (4) Tom Donohue, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2016

Smallest Finishing Scooter (by displacement, without support truck assistance)

• 2009 Yamaha C3 (49cc), Aaron Hiatt, 2010

Oldest Finish Scooters (by displacement, original stock engine)

• 1960 Sears Allstate, Phil Carey, 2012
• 1964 Lambretta Riverside LI, Kieran Walsh, 2008

Best Coast-to-Coast Time (aggerate raw time, all days)

• Rich Glass, 42 hours, 2012 (highly modified Vespa GTS 250)

Oldest Finishers

• Dewey Cadillac, 77 years, 2010
• Mike Halburnt, 77 years, 2021

Youngest Participants

• Brandon Smith, 20, 2018 (started)
• David Bednarski, 25, 2008 (finished)

External links

• Official Website
• Official Event YouTube Channel
• 2016: It's Not a Race: The Scooter Cannonball Run Documentary
• 2020: Slow Ride Home Documentary
• 2021: USA TODAY: A closer look at the Scooter Cannonball

This article "Scooter Cannonball" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Scooter Cannonball. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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