Canuck Cannonball???

Yesterday I posted a link to my blog on the Halifax Scooter Council's Facebook page, wondering if there was any interest from other scooter owners on a Cannonball Run. One post tweaked my attention. "ship your scoots to Nanaimo and we'll start a Canadian one that ends in Halifax" 

Whoa!! That's an idea and a half. Why the hell not? I have a couple of contacts in the motorsport industry, and it would give me something to plan over the winter. So now my brain is working in overdrive on this.

I don't want to call it a race, because racing scooters and small motorcycles, ultra-long distance and on public roads don't go hand in hand when trying to entice sponsors. So if I do this, it could be a rally style with set distances everyday, or it's the first one to the finish line any route you want. While obeying speed limits.....of course.



Ferries are a pain in the ass, and just slow everything down, so I figured why not start and end at two lovely parks. One on the Atlantic, one on the Pacific. Point Pleasant in Halifax to Stanley Park in Vancouver.

I know, I know, you folks on The Rock, left out AGAIN. When I was living there I would get pissed off too, about events being billed as "Across Canada" and have them terminate in Nova Scotia, or god forbid....Ontario. I would love to go all the way to Cape Spear, or at least start there, but it adds an extra two to three days and an expensive ferry ride. This journey is gonna be long enough. If any of you from god's country want to ride this, I encourage you to start at Cape Spear and ride to the start in  Halifax. You will be given extra points and have bragging rights.

If this goes ahead, what kind of bikes are eligible? Well, I'm thinking scooters from 150cc and up, including the maxi-scoots, and motorcycles up to 500cc. I mean doing this on your lazy boy on wheels Goldwing or Ultra Classic is luxury, and it has to be a painful challenge.

Sponsors. Well, sponsors are going to be the hard part, and the most important, not only to help fund this, but to attract riders as well. In no particular order, off the top of head:

Major OEM, Honda, Suzuki, BMW, Yamaha, Kymco
Hotel Chain, Holiday Inn, Best Western
Rider Apparel, Joe Rocket, Olympia
Parts, Parts Canada, Kimpex
Local Dealers
Media, Cycle Canada, Canada Moto Guide (I know a guy)
Satellite tracking, Find Me Spot
Rental Car Agency, Discount, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, maybe an RV rental

Or we go completely grassroots and have no sponsors.

Then there is insurance and the legal side of hosting an event like this, of which I know very little about.

Rules. The original Cannonball had one rule.....there are no rules. I think there will be rules, just not many of them.

Where this goes, I have no idea. It maybe as simple as a dozen or so riders showing up in Halifax and and the first one to Vancouver wins.

Stay tuned for more as this either unfolds, or folds up.