Click image above for high-res gallery by the author and guest photog Jason ThorgalsenThere are several Cannonball Run-type rallies that take place around the country (around the world in some cases). Fast cars breaking the sound barrier as they hustle from coast-to-coast in search of fame and glory. Well, that's how some of them started, at any rate. Nowadays the rallies tend to be a bunch of rich folks with exotic cars touring the States with a smattering of track sessions here and there to really test the cars and drivers. Luxury hotels and VIP parties mark the nights and moderately fast (in theory) highway cruises mark the days. One of these new age rallies just kicked off on its maiden run from the Santa Monica Pier over the weekend. And it was quite a celebration.
The cars are familiar, some of the faces too, but this rally has a slight twist. Billed as a sort of exotic car vacation run, the
Joy Ride Rally has a deeper purpose. Part of the entry fee from each driver goes to support the
Salvation Army's Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. The rallyists will follow a route through the Southwest and end up in New Orleans in about a week, to view some of the damaged areas first hand. We were on hand for the launch from the Santa Monica Pier and tagged along for a bit to get some shots. The police escort was a nice touch, but we had to explain to every single officer that we were indeed part of the entourage despite our lack of a supercar. The cars gathered on the classic wooden pier with a big crowd enjoying the free show.
Follow the jump for the rest of the story, plus video of the departure courtesy Duane Steiner at
SoCalSpeedZone!
[Source: Joy Ride Rally]
