Chariots Head For Rome In Cannonball 8000

Driving enthusiasts from all over the world will assemble in London over the weekend of September 16/17/18, 2005, for the London to Rome Cannonball 8000 - an epic, 1250-mile driving event that visits five countries in three days.

Now in its third year, the Cannonball 8000 is breaking from its previous format for 2005, and for the first time, the city of Rome is the final destination. To get there, teams will drive through the rolling countryside of Belgium, transit Germany and its legendary autobahns, and cross the spectacular Austrian Alps before heading down to Italy. And if that wasn’t enough of a challenge, there’s the opportunity for drivers to tackle Germany’s infamous Nurburgring en-route - enabling enthusiasts to try their hand over the daunting Nordschleife course, as featured by Jeremy Clarkson in a recent showing of BBC TV’s Top Gear motoring programme.

The event, which is most definitely not for the faint-hearted or weak-willed, is not so much a race as an endurance event with style. Five-star hospitality and accommodation are de rigueur, and the event concludes with a champagne reception and a Grand Ball in Rome.

To date, over 80 teams have entered, with interest coming from as far afield as New Zealand, the USA and Austria. As in previous years, the event attracts a wide variety of vehicles, from mouth-watering exotics to the novel and inexpensive.

"One of the great aspects of the Cannonball 8000 is its attraction to motoring enthusiasts from all walks of life, who enter into the spirit of the event," says organiser, Conrad Wall. "Last year’s entrants came from truly diverse backgrounds, with road-going rally cars, hot hatchbacks and all manner of supercars participating - we even had an ex-American police car take part!

This year is already shaping up with what promises to be a bumper entry, and with that in mind, we have imposed a limit of 100 cars for the event."

For more information about the Cannonball 8000 visit www.cannonball8000.com