Club Arnage

Tragic event during Gumball (rally??????????)

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1264048,00.html

and here

http://jalopnik.com/cars/gumball-3000/gumballers-nick-morley-and-matthew-mcconville-arrested-after-hit+and+run-fatality-257447.php

and here

http://jalopnik.com/cars/il-est-mort/scumball-3000-absolves-drivers-of-wrong+doingmay-be-living-in-dream-world-257602.php

Interesting to note that a major global player in sports wear had been associated with this excuse for total mindless rich idiots to ignore the rules which has resulted in the death of one innocent guy and the serious injury of his wife.

I wouldn't use the c word on here but I was tempted. >:(

This statement sums up their mentality perfectly.

Yes, because I know whenever in an accident, the immediate first response of any scumballer is to head straight for the closest border crossing without stopping to administer help to the individuals they've just run over -- in order to get help. That's right -- the border is the best place to find critical medical supplies, hospitals and you know, safe passage from the authorities. – Ray Wert

I was watching some of the coverage on Extreme TV. What a bunch of twats most of them are, rat-arsed every night and then jump into a high powered car next day to race each other. The organizers say that they all obey the road laws of whichever country they are in. From what I saw, they ignored them all and were actually racing. Plenty of TV footage to prove the organizers wrong.

There are loads of reports coming out on this now. There have been lots of serious accidents during this event (is it an event or just a happening)
A few years ago one car ended up in a field, some considerable distance from the road and on its roof. I think that it was some sort of red Ferrari. The driver was a total tosser who  along with most of his fellow gumballers had been seen getting pissed the previous night. Oh for a JCB to have been in the way.
And how do ADIDAS get out of this one

We were talking about this earlier.

What absolute fuckwits (wonder what the autocensor will do to that!).

This isn't motorsport, this is hooliganism in the same way that joyriders tear round estates putting people at risk.

Events like this have no place on public roads - motorsport should be on closed tracks and closed stages or in a safe "timed stage" environment. 

Those of us involved in motorsport choose to take risks - other motorists and pedestrians don't and should not be put at risk. 

This type of event should be banned and whilst I'm sure these chaps feel remorse for what they've done I hope they are treated in the way that the local laws require and don't manage to buy their way out of this. 

On our way home from Brands we were overtaken by some of the scumballers, but the most I saw were on the hard shoulder accompanied with a policecar... Also the fact that at least seven of those twats lost there driverslicense in the Netherlands due to excessive (over 50 km/h over the limit) speeding says enough about obeying the road laws....

And there's the problem Piglet...
Joyrider = Poor kid who is a Hoologan, Vandal and Hoodie' and should be 'Cracked down on hard' because they're scum

Scumball = Rich people and Tara P-T who are just having fun and should be given all  the TV coverage they desire because they are 'Celebs'..

I've always thought that the ability to buy a £300,000 car should not be the only judge of whether you should have one.. :)

Absolute and utter insanity. The event organisers should be strung up too. In this age of litigation and green bandwagoneering this kind of moronic idiocy plays right into the anti motorsport lobby. Motorsport can be run on public roads ie. Mille miglia etc. But only when properly sanctioned. I compete on Historic road rallies and the driving standards are generally excellent. I think that this tragic incident is more likely to be a result of the mentality of the spoilt little shits involved.

Sorry that's what i meant to say about timed stages where I think you have a minimum time for completing a distance to allow for speed limits? 

There are many, many people in many different walks of life who work hard, whether they put their lives on the line day in, day out (and many do) to provide and maintain the freedom and security that these moronic imbeciles enjoy.  The least that such self-centred egoists could do when they indulge themselves is to behave responsibly when something goes wrong.  But seemingly they can't even manage to do that.  within the bounds of propriety, words fail me......... 

MG Mark

And how do ADIDAS get out of this one

Seems to me that someone has dropped a real bollock here. Do these people not know the history of this event and the problems that it has caused. There is a comment on one of the forums that ADIDAS have re directed all contact from the official ADIDAS Gumball site to their own but there does not seem to be a comment and that competitors were all encouraged to remove the ADIDAS company logo from the sides of their vehicles.

There are several threads on Pistonheads about this, and some comments that its possible that the car which was hit (i.e. the local guy) may have been at least partially to blame for the accident.  There is also at least one report that the two Brits involved did wait at the scene until the ambulance arrived.  However this could all be the Gumball organisers trying to get some positive press.

The accident happened on the 2nd (Wednesday) the other drivers weren't told about it at the drivers briefing yesterday Thursday) morning and it wasn't until it hit the mass media and forums that they decided to cancel the Gumball.

Certainly on Pistonheads there have been threads about the dangers of a fatal accident hitting this event and other similar ones, and of course it gives no pleasure to say "I told you so".

I am not sure what positive press any large corporation could expect to get from an event like this which appears to condone drink driving, reckless driving, dangerous driving, in fact any kind of driving other than safe driving.

In a few weeks many of us will be driving down to Le Mans and is it any surprise that with the antics of groups such as those on the Gumball the police are clamping down on speeding in France?

Latest news now is that the "race" is officially stopped. Serves them right.
Somebody should tell them Cannonball Run is a movie, not real life >:(


Go find a race track, and ruin your toys there.

Totally true,

But these people will get out of it, because they are rich and can pull strings, I know its wrong but that the way life is going has gone

As I was told years ago,

Life is like a Sh*t Sandwich
The more bread you have,
The less sh*t you have to eat.


Sorry for anybody who are eating sandwiches for lunch today.

Words fail me. My heart felt sympathies to the victims and their families. I have seen bits of coverage for this event before and thought what an outstandingly stupid idea it was.

I am struggling from going to google to find out if these w+nkers have a 'club gumball' so I can sign up and tell them just what I think of them and their moronic event.......

Here's a question that'll upset a few people....

So, whats the difference between a scumballer doing well in excess of 100mph, and someone going to LM doing well in excess of 100mph down the peage???????

I know the scumballers are likely to be doing some dodgy driving too but....

I'm not one of those green people, (etc) who are against speeding, how could i be with a TVR and an Aston, but bragging about excessive speeds on a foreign motorway just doesn't do it for me I'm afraid.

Or have I missed the point.....

I have quite a bit of sympathy for that argument actually Geoff..............

However as I do not drive down to the worlds greatest motor race at speeds in excess of the speed limit I feel perfectly entitled to throw the odd proverbial rock at these tw+ts....

Err um I think that you are missing the point and let me say that I have also been known to ignore certain statutary limits. :angel:

These guys are racing, there is no other way to describe what they get up to. Most of them seem from the footage to be hooray henry's who are after an egotistical buzz. If they want to race then get a licence, fit a cage and get on the track or do a track day.
If you have seen any of the footage from recent events then a lot of the event takes place on mickey mouse roads so we are not talking about 2 and three lane motorways. The other thing is that a lot of the roads used are rural and rural in that part of the world means rural ::)

This event has been a major fatal accident waiting to happen particularly as most of the drivers seem to indulge in evening piss ups, again footage has been shown on tv with some of them looking as rough as bears bottoms the following morning.

Driving to le mans quickly where suitable and driving all the way like your on fire is very different.

I have seen 100 mph under takes on the hard shoulder from this lot. They were always going to kill someone, and now its happened.
I go to Europe to enjoy the roads with my biker mate as if and when we may sped, in the Uk i face a ban ?, lose my job ? And then treated worse than a criminal. If i get caught or do anything wrong in Europe, i get kicked out the country a big fine etc. Its a reason why we dont tour the UK.

I feel very sorry for the death and the families, ive seen too often crashes.

I will wait until an official report is realeased to make my quote, there is every chance we dont know anymore than is being reported.

If the Artist driving (painting is a good job ) has comitted these offences, he will be serving time very soon, and he will deserve it.

If a porker sriving toff undertook white van man in this country, there would be a punch up. The Europeans seem a little more reserved than some our our Bretheren.

I wonder what the headlines will read when a local gets hit head on by a pillock going round the Houx annexe Roud-a-bout, pissed out his skull.

Regardless of this most recent incident, they have been enough near misses in the past for us to draw a pretty good idea on the state of mind of the average Gumball 'driver'.

I saw some of the coverage of the IDIOTRACE on telly, it was obvious that some of these people shouldnt be in charge of a Dinky car.

The Rally is an insult to motorsport and those of us who love it. That two lives were shattered by irresponsible cretins is awful and I hope the guy's poor wife gets better.

The driver and his buddy should rot in a jail for as long as the law (locally) allows and the Briitish Government should resist calls to get them out early, too.
 
Shame the Rally gets any publicity and a shame that somehow all of a sudden it is getting tacked on to my trip to Le Mans every year.

I've been going for some years now, been in a happy convoy of Brits, Dutch guys and members of every northern European nation's car owners, on the way down and back. We all seem to drive with a wide grin on our faces and although at times the streams of cars have the occasional "fasterthanme" user they often seem to be French car drivers. But I haven't yet seen any British cars that were blatantly faster than the stream by huge margins. Heading for Calais I left Rouen last year in company with a guy in a Bentley "poshfast Spur type thingy" an Aston DB7 a TR6 and many other superb motors. After we passed the poor geezer with the burnt out Combi which held us all up terribly and blatted off again to the next peage, when I looked around the lines of cars at the peage there was the Bentley, over there the Aston behind him the TR and all the rest.

Worramisaying? Well fast road use or not the general rules of decent proper driving were being held to.

I hardly consider this to be like the Gumballtwatts at all!

For all the drinking we do on site, (yes me too!) I'm sure most of us have a clear enough head and bloodstream before we leave La Sarthe to be OK on the road

I blarry hope so anyway!

I take Nordic's point about the Annexe roundabout and have seen it a couple of times now, and each time it gets worse.

But thankfully there don't seem to be that many Sarthaise drivers daft enough to go round it on MAD FRIDAY evening, you wont get me near the place in a car on Friday evening...

 :o

Found the Gumball web site forum, worth a look at; make up your own mind up on the postings, but now I know why I like CA, DFH, Sebring fans and United Race fans forums.

http://forums.gumball3000.com/index.php?sid=52e4f3cbcb2b2ce6b91219669d964d77

Was going to join, so I could express a few views, but life is to short.

Interesting point Geoff.

I can't see so much difference in various car-related "antics" on the trek to the Sarthe and the Gumball (which I recall incidentally was promoted heavily at LM last year); people die and are hurt in accidents on the way to and from Le Mans from time to time. I'm not saying it's right but it is a fact. And it's always bothered me that when I go on the pit straight for the LM prize giving, everyone's either drinking or recovering from a terrible hangover. Then think about all those cars streaming out of the circuit immediately post-race, who's drivers have spent the thick end of a week hammered beyond all logic. You'll never convince me that they are all within legal limits to drive and when did we ever have so much forum tub-thumping regarding that?

I'm not interested in how much money folk have got and how they chose to spend it, whether or not they are "celebs", or what cars they drive.  I'm not going to fill myself with righteous "Daily Mail" indignation, certainly not on the basis of a very brief and uncorroborated Sky News report. I'm equally unsure that the organisers have ever called it a "race" or is this simply more media sensationalism? Believe it or not, being Tara P-T isn't actually a crime, but dangerous driving is. As is leaving the scene of an accident, although the proper facts have yet to emerge. If there's a prima facie case, the people involved should be tried in a Court of Law, just the same as if you or I had been involved. If found guilty they should be punished. End of story.

Surely it's sensible to wait and see what really happened, not rely on initial media reports which may be both inaccurate and "sensationalist". It's all a matter of opinion, but I strongly believe we need to examine the actual facts here before we all get on our high horses.

It is a fair point although at least on the Peage everyone is going in the same direction, and will not be crossing the road at right angles etc.

However some of the driving I have seen on route to le Mans does defy belief, but at the same time the driving seen on the Gumball is even worse!

Channel 4 broadcast a series of programmes about this bunch of t*ss*rs.  5 minutes and I could not watch any more.  Breaking speed limits on open roads which are free of pedestrians is one thing.  But what these guys do is just criminal.  Some of them haven't just had one too many but are totally p*ss*d out of their heads when they get in their cars - and god knows what else they have sniffed/smoked/injected on top of that.  The expression "more money than sense" is no more apposite than when it's applied to some of them.  Pity somebody has to die to bring this to people's attention.  And calling it a "Rally" just gives it a serious sounding name which brings motorsport (which the Gumball most certainly is not) into disrepute.

I'm fairly consistent about this high horse from which I type.

I dislike some of the driving (and the bragging) to LM, I have said for a long time that there will be a fatality (not the first I think?) at the roundabout and in the town centre or on a campsite.  A couple of years ago some tosser in a TVR chose to wheelspin on MB around the roads that we were camped alongside - he thought this was great fun for half an hour at 2am.  Nice one dickhead, I felt less secure in my tent adjacent to the roadway.  How sober do I think he was? 

I break speed limits - mainly on big open motorways and some A roads.  I avoid speeding through motorway workings where I feel that the workers deserve to be as safe as they can be (it's the marshal in me!).  I don't break speed limits in towns and villages where I believe they exist for a reason. 

I don't though go out with the intention of driving like a dickhead - as I believe a lot of folks do on their way to LM and around LM - my standard description is that clearly a lot of people clearly leave their brains home for safekeeping!! 

Sadly the Gumball strikes me as a bunch of people who do go out with the intention of driving like dickheads (as do some LM'ser), I've also seen a short amount of the coverage and that has clearly coloured my perception of them. 

Interesting point Geoff.

I can't see so much difference in various car-related "antics" on the trek to the Sarthe and the Gumball (which I recall incidentally was promoted heavily at LM last year); people die and are hurt in accidents on the way to and from Le Mans from time to time. I'm not saying it's right but it is a fact. And it's always bothered me that when I go on the pit straight for the LM prize giving, everyone's either drinking or recovering from a terrible hangover. Then think about all those cars streaming out of the circuit immediately post-race, who's drivers have spent the thick end of a week hammered beyond all logic. You'll never convince me that they are all within legal limits to drive and when did we ever have so much forum tub-thumping regarding that?

I'm not interested in how much money folk have got and how they chose to spend it, whether or not they are "celebs", or what cars they drive.  I'm not going to fill myself with righteous "Daily Mail" indignation, certainly not on the basis of a very brief and uncorroborated Sky News report. I'm equally unsure that the organisers have ever called it a "race" or is this simply more media sensationalism? Believe it or not, being Tara P-T isn't actually a crime, but dangerous driving is. As is leaving the scene of an accident, although the proper facts have yet to emerge. If there's a prima facie case, the people involved should be tried in a Court of Law, just the same as if you or I had been involved. If found guilty they should be punished. End of story.

Surely it's sensible to wait and see what really happened, not rely on initial media reports which may be both inaccurate and "sensationalist". It's all a matter of opinion, but I strongly believe we need to examine the actual facts here before we all get on our high horses.
[/quote]

Mr Zarse, all good points, well made.

Ah yes, Channel 4, the motorist's friend.  :(

How do we know the drivers were "totally pissed"? Were they breathalysed? Did we actually see them snorting bingo up their hooters or freebasing on The Horse? I freely admit the participants are, to put it mildly, "not really my type of people". But do we really know all these brickbats are cast iron fact? (Apart from some of them driving like cocks on occasion, that's taken as read.)

I'm sorry, but I'm very suspicious of the media and their underhand political intentions. The BBC are a case in point, they have such an anti-car attitude it's ridiculous. And now it's all "carbon" this, "footprint" that, "receding ice caps are killing the polar bear" the other. As I hope we all know, the Great Global Warming Swindle is possibly the biggest scientific con trick played on mankind ever, but you'd never guess that from the mainstream media.

Yes you are right, Andy.  The booze was there for all to see - bottles and bottles of 'poo the night before and the same people driving the next morning.  The rest, you're right, I have no evidence except the odd behavioral clue!  Pure conjecture on my part.

Of course we shouldn't completely rely on "sensationalist" media reports. But they went through our little country, which is only about 100 miles wide. Verdict: 8 drivers licences seized and two cars impounded. There might be some truth in what they write :-\

Oh yes, Andy, I forgot to say that the Channel 4 series about the Gumball was by no means anti.  It involved the presenter hitching lifts in various vehicles and seemed to be squarely aimed at a certain sort of petrolhead (like some of the LMsters described above, for instance.)

I've seen these braying tosspots on the TV before, usually in programmes squarely aimed at a particular demographic;- all lads mags and fake tits.

An incident like this has been waiting to happen, and as ever, it's the innocent parties who lose out.

The next gumball (If it happens) should see a nice 8 inch long iron spike fixed to each steering wheel and dashboard. That should calm down the driving somewhat.

You're right Termie, it's not a rally, just a hoory henry jaunt through foreign countries where you might not get the book thrown at you. It could be loosely argued that it's more like a reliability trial, if everyone wasn't driving like a see you next tuesday.

You buy a ticket on the gate at a circuit, or pass a sign on your way into a stage. On that ticket or sign are printed the words 'motor sport is dangerous'

I bet the residents of macedonia never got to read anything like this.

Holy mackerel!!! A friend of mine had Bingo up the hooter once, and I can tell you he was none too pleased about it. Bingo, that is...

I remember seeing a Porsche up a tree in the late eighties, and a TVR up another one, both in a lane near the Mulsanne kink in the early hours. I thought I'd discovered a Sports Car Orchard, but it turns out both drivers were pissed and had been playing chicken. They never made it home for kippers, and I suppose that's Darwinism in action before our very eyes.

I'm terrified for poor old Bingo now, I hope this sort of thing doesn't catch on.
H

OK a difficult one this.

There can be little doubt, I would have thought, that what happened on the Scumball was an avoidable tragedy, but we are kidding ourselves if we think that none of those who are interested in, or perhaps even participate in the 'rally', attend Le Mans...

I guess that the difference between Le Mansters and Scumballers is that of the latter group the majority drive like complete tw*ts whereas among the former the majority seem to drive with at least a  modicum of restraint.

But here comes another but...  There is no doubt in my mind (I have been going long enough to witness it) that some of those heading down to Le Mans are RACING - perhaps only against those in their own group but the manner of their driving makes it apparent that is the case.  These folk are just as big a bloody liability (and disgrace) as the 'official' Scumballers.

This site is populated by people who love motorsport in any number of guises.  We read about, watch it on the TV, over the internet and, of course at the track.  Some of us here may even be lucky enough to participate in motorsport.  BUT PLEASE CAN WE LEAVE IT ALL WHERE IT SHOULD BE - ON THE TRACK, SPECIAL STAGE, DRAG STRIP (whatever is your bag) AND NOT ON THE PUBLIC HIGHWAYS

Totally agree - which is one of the reasons that we take the scenic route to Le Mans and travel on the Wednesday.  The journey is part of the trip. 


Think I might know this person - and yes he is a class one dickhead. 

I have never seen the "antics" on Houx roundabout - we always go into Le Mans on the Friday for the Drivers' Parade.  But I have been on a coach returning to the camp site that was subjected to what I can only describe as a mob banging on the sides of the coach.  The French driver was taking no prisoners - how no one was killed I don't know. 

Unfortunately a lot of blokes consume stupid juice instead of alcohol at Le Mans.

I gave up trying to go quickly on public roads years ago.  There's just too muck traffic, so I head for the track.

One of the concepts of scumball, is that they go to places like Macedonia, where they might be able to go quickly.  The same probably applies to the drive to Le Mans.  But you can't drive like a Kamikazee pilot, you have to stay within your abilities and the conditions.

My sister and I have many times considered taking part in the gumball .The £8k entrance fee was the stopping point.

found the follwoing in wikipedia, lots of sources mentioned there:

On May 2, a convoy of four Gumball 3000 vehicles was involved in a traffic accident near the town of Struga, Republic of Macedonia. The Techart Porsche 911 Turbo of Nick Morley and Matthew McConville hit an oncoming car, at a reported speed of more than 200 km/h, after which, according to media reports, they tried to escape the country via the nearby border post. However, they were stopped and arrested by the police, and will be held in custody until their trial has begun. The casualties reported in the accident were the 67-year old driver of the other vehicle (a Volkswagen Golf), who died on his way to the hospital, and Margarita Cepunjoska, wife of Vladimir Cepunjoski, who died in hospital from injuries sustained in the crash on May 4. After being let out on bail, one of the two rally drivers involved in the accident, Nick Morley, tried to flee the country in a private jet. He was arrested again by the Macedonian police before he could board his plane.

Did they ever have any competitive sections? You would think with such exotic cars they could have had a convoy through cities and a competitive section somewhere. Then have a party. Always looked like it was doomed.