Bullrun 2011 Day 2 & 3

Following Bullrun 2011 Day 1 here’s our report on day 2 and 3 of the 2011 Bullrun Rally. Day 2 the Bullrun continued from Scottsdale, Arizona to Lajitas, Texas with some surprise checkpoints along the way. Day 3 lead the teams through the Texas countryside to Dallas.

Bullrun 2011 Day 2

With a 7:30am wakeup call, some Bullrunners called it quits early at the party last night. Combined with a late night driving leg, seeing many teams arrive as late as midnight, and an early wake up call, it seemed the logical thing to do. But many Bullrunners aren’t logical people, so partying until 5:00am seemed like a good idea at the time. Team Texas continued to party long after everyone, except for the Dudesons of course had already went to bed.

When the sun came up the following morning, it was straight to Vivid Racing in Gilbert, AZ for breakfast, and a look at one of the most state-of-the-art automotive tuning facilities in the world. They had some truly fantastic cars on display, and treated the Bullrunners to a live dyno tuning session. Team Arkansas, Brooke and Amanda, in the Lexus IS350 got a flat tire while en-route to Vivid Racing, and had to hire a tow truck to get the flat fixed. The problem was that they have custom wheels with a wheel lock, and didn’t bring the key along on the rally. They would spend the next day playing catch up.

Before anyone could figure out where they would be heading next, the route cards were handed out, and in a frenzy of squealing tires, the Bullrunners were off to their first route card checkpoint in the tiny town of Globe, AZ. Team DTA put on a smoke show for the fans at the Day 2 start line in their Scion xb, but just around the corner, an angry cop was waiting. Teams, CEC, Sea-Thos, Exotics Rally and Texas were among the first few teams to arrive to the checkpoint due to superior navigation. But soon after they picked up their route cards, they were spotted by the highway patrol and promptly pulled over. For what? Being Bullrunners of course. What else? The Bullrunners were handed Next stop, The Buckhorn Saloon and Opera House, Pino Alto, NM, for some good old Southern food.

Unsurprisingly, Team Exotics Rally in the white GT-R was the first to arrive with Team CEC in the C63 AMG in tow. As quickly as they arrived, the drivers were off again, this time to their next route card checkpoint in Van Horn, TX. As many drivers later found out, I-10 East was shut down by the police, and the road blocked off, in an attempt to pull over as many Bullrunners as possible. The drivers with CB radios learned of the roadblock and took alternate routes. Prada in Marfa, TX, was the next route card checkpoint. The overnight checkpoint awaited the drivers in the town of Lajitas, TX, where the Bullrunners enjoyed Fajitas for dinner. NASCAR and Dakar rally driver, Robby Gordon, was the first to arrive to the final checkpoint of the day with Teams CEC, Lamborghini, Royale and Exotics Rally close in tow.

Bullrun 2011 Day 3

After a very long and energetic party at the Lajitas Resort in Southern Texas, the Bullrunners shared their stories from the day before, and after many intense hours of partying, headed off to their rooms after hearing a rumour of another long drive the next day. Eurocruise and Lil’ Ice managed to catch up with the rest of the rally after their wrong turn yesterday, as did Team Arkansas after their fiasco with their flat tire, and having a tough time to find the right tools to remove their custom wheels. The drivers got into their cars and were given their first route cards. The first destination was Dublin, TX, 466 Miles away. The Dr. Pepper bottling plant would serve as the lunch checkpoint.

Team Maserati caught up to both of the Lamborghini Murcielago’s and the Yerman vRacing Teeme, Drake and Michael, heading out to the Dublin lunch stop. In a group with a few other cars, they decided to stick together. The drivers maintained safe driving speeds until they hit a roadblock. The Highway Patrol wasn’t very excited to see them. Seth and Tony in the GT-R heard about the roadblock on their CB radio, and decided to take an alternate route to Dublin. First into the Dublin checkpoint was Robby Gordon in his preproduction 2012 Jeep SRT-8! Not only has Robby already proved that NASCAR drivers know how to turn right, but they they are extremely competitive too.

The Dublin checkpoint at the Dr. Pepper bottling plant gave Bullrunners a unique experience. This bottling plant is the oldest in the United States, and makes their soda with real cane sugar. With a quick tour of the adjacent Dr. Pepper museum, and a bite to eat, it was time to say good-bye to the hospitable town of Dublin, and hit the highway to the next checkpoint, Dallas, TX, a further 115 miles. While en-route to the Dallas checkpoint, Mike and Shari of Team R S Sicks, got a flat tire. Unfortunate, but at least they got a break from visiting with the State Troopers. First into the Dallas checkpoint – none other than Seth and Tony, in the Hudson Jeans GT-R and Bill, Allen and Cindi Wu in the Trapster Patrol Car.

Read part one of our Bullrun 2011 report here.