First Cannonball Run

Gurney/Yates Win First Cannonball, Polish Racing Hierarchy Finish Close Second. By Brad Niemcek - Competition Press & Autoweek, December 1971.

Redondo Beach, Calif., Nov. 17, 1971 – Dan Gurney and Brock Yates co-drove a Kirk F. White Ferrari Daytona coupe to a new unofficial record for cross-country vehicular travel here today. In the process, the team outran a field of seven others to win the first official Cannonball Baker Sea To Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash.

Gurney, the "retired" veteran of international racing, and Yates, a senior editor of Car & Driver magazine, covered the distance between New York City and the Portofino Inn on the Pacific Ocean here in 35 hours and 54 minutes.

They were only 53 minutes faster than the second-place finisher, a Chevrolet Sportsvan entered by Briggs Chevrolet-Ferrari, South Ambory, New Jersey for the three co-founders of the Polish Racing Drivers of American, Tony Adamowicz, Oscar Koveleski and Brad Niemcek. The PRDA team covered the distance in 36 hours and 47 minutes.

In fact, less than two hours separated the five fastest finishers, even through the event was run through rain, snow, sleet and got at various points long the routes the teams traveled.

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