Preparations for the 2006 Bullrun event took place at the Gansevoort Hotel in Manhattan.  Cars rolled in throughout the Friday before the event.

MagnaFlow’s weapons of choice were the new Audi RS4 (sporting 420 hp and released to the public only days earlier) and the Panoz Esperante GTLM. From the start, it was clear that we were going to be underdogs, despite having Mario Andretti on our team (at least for the first day).  We were to be matched against cars like the Lamborghini Murcielago, the Mosler, a bevy of modded Vettes, AMG Mercedes’, Porsches and Ferraris. Carl Lewis (Olympic Champion and way-cool dude) brought two Spykers, there were several Gallardos and even the odd Ruf Porsche.  

At this point we’re thinking “well, these cars are fast, but how many drivers will actually drive them fast.”  Among this years’ entrants were Hayden Christiansen (Star Wars’ Annakin Skywalker) and a gathering of Fortune 500 business moguls. Most of them could afford any fines or tickets they received and to stack the odds in their favor, many cars carried scanners, laser jammers, radar detectors, laser blinders and so on. We had a cell phone and a map book.   

Both the Panoz and the Audi had navigation on board, but anyone who’s used navigation systems can attest that sometimes, a paper map is much quicker to thumb through.  Fortunately, both cars were up to the task, having been thoroughly checked out by MagnaFlow and Panoz technicians….we were counting on and were confident in our equipment.

The night before the event, we were invited to a party at the Penthouse of the Gansevoort. After some drinks, the MagnaFlow team and distinguished guests (including Mario) had a celebratory dinner…it sure felt like the last supper to our drivers.

Our drivers were Nick and Dan Paolone (both have some seat time in sports cars), Craig Lieberman (our Marketing Director, who has a fair amount of road racing experience) and JP Clinging, ( a hired gun, road racer and instructor to many programs).  Mario Andretti was on board for Day One, but this was as much for the press and grandeur as it was for his driving skills. Certainly no one expected Mario to pass on the shoulder with some of the mad Bullrun drivers.

After a gathering in Times Square the morning of the launch (and what seemed an interminable delay), the flag was dropped.  There was a mad rush to the Holland Tunnel and within minutes, the pack leaders were doing well in excess of posted speed limits.  The roads were nearly deserted within minutes, we were on highway 80 heading to Pocono Raceway.

The MagnaFlow Panoz was the first car to leave and Mario got out to a nice lead.

The RS4 was running in a group with Hayden’s F360 Modena and after dicing along at triple digits, we watched in fascination as Hayden got tagged and bagged by a Jersey State Trooper.  As we chortled to ourselves (the whole was captured on our video camera), we noticed a second set of red lights….we were getting pulled over too.

The Jersey State Troopers apparently have no sense of humor about this stuff and we were pulled from the car at gunpoint.  A brief check of our papers, a speeding ticket souvenir in hand and a stern lecture took about 30 minutes before we were back underway.

Things went downhill from there.

The rain came in and as we headed for Pocono Raceway ( a Nascar event was running), we were hoping to get our hot laps in before the weather ruined our chances of going fast on the oval…no such luck.

After a soggy lunch, we all raced for the exit gate where we were given our next destination courtesy of a little “route card.”  These cards simply give you an address…it’s up to you as to how you get there, what roads you take, etc.  The destination for the end of day 1 was Toronto Canada.

Getting from southern Pennsylvania to Toronto is no easy task. Going through Niagra Falls was beautiful, but the distance required to circumnavigate the lake is hardly a direct route.  Nevertheless, some clever navigating put us near the front, partially helped by the insane attrition. Both of the Murcielagos were dead by midday (one had an overheated front axle, the other had a tranny problem…damn, I hate that E-Gear nonsense). The Studebaker likewise retired somewhere in Pennsylvania.

We arrived in Toronto in 7th place in the Audi RS4, a surprising finish given our prolonged meal stop (we were hungry again after the light lunch).  The Toronto Hilton ( a spectacular city, great hotel and the friendliest people in the world) awaited us in lavish style…we pulled into the valet area like rock stars with hundreds of gathered and confused onlookers.