Preamble: In the following report I’ll try to give an impression of the personal experiences I have made throughout the Gumball3000 start in Copenhagen. The shown pictures are just a small preview of what you can expect in the following days and weeks. So do not forget to check out my page and please give it a ‘like’ as well.
It all started two years ago when I attended the start of the legendary Gumball3000 rally in London. Back then I got that Gumball feeling from the first minute and I never got rid of it ever since. For me the Gumball3000 is not about the cars in the first place but about the atmosphere. Since last years Gumball3000 went through the United States of America it returned to Europe – Copenhagen to be precise – in 2013. Without hesitating I made my decision to attend this years start in the Danish capital.
Our adventure started on Friday, May 17th. Together with two very good friends of mine I headed to Copenhagen. Usually Copenhagen is a five-hour drive away but due to some heavy traffic jams it took us some whopping eight hours to get to the Danish capital. We checked in at half past ten in the evening. I imagine that most of the people would have gone to bed after such a long journey but we did not. Instead we were looking for some first Gumball3000 atmosphere in terms of cars or people.
Since I did some intense research beforehand it did not take us long until we found the hotel of the Gumballers. The first car we got to see was the 582hp strong Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG Cabriolet, which is limited to 100 pieces. We were in business now. Before we knew we were inside the private hotel garage in which there were loads of other Gumball cars including the phenomenal Romeo Ferraris Cinquone Abarth 500, which was especially built for this years rally.
After we went to bed at about four in the morning we got up three hours later. It was time to collect our press accreditation. Everything went smoothly and when we left the hotel a Maybach 57S with Lorinser parts from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia showed up. We decided to follow this super luxurious limousine since it was not stickered yet. We made the right decision. After a short refuelling stop, which included a chat with the owner as well as being allowed to sit behind the wheel of the Maybach, it guided us directly to the top-secret warehouse in the harbour of Copenhagen. Well, it should have been top secret in the end but it was not since we were not the only spotters there.
Once we got there we knew what paradise feels like. While the men of Raccoon Wrapping provided the last cars with stickers or even complete wraps we were allowed to take as many pictures as we wanted to. Around afternoon we went back to the city centre to take a closer look at the start grid. While most of the audience was not allowed to enter the grid we were kindly welcomed by the Gumball officials and allowed to get up close with the cars.
The highlights of this years rally showed up bit by bit. I’m speaking of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series, the SLR Stirling Moss or the Koenigsegg CCXR, which was accompanied by another Koenigsegg. Even Jon Olsson arrived shortly after us in his Rebellion R1K. After visiting the Gumball VIP-Party in the Copenhagen Opera House in the evening – sadly from the outside only – we went to bed quite early. At that point we were really looking forward to visiting the start of the 15th Anniversary rally.
We got up early once again. When we reached the city centre we were let onto the start grid once more. Thanks to our press accreditation we experienced the whole starting procedure up close and next to celebrities like David Hasselhoff, Xzibit or Dizzee Rascal who happened to stand right next to me at some point. Even the downpour – which started just in time like two years ago in London also – did not harm the atmosphere in any way. At this point drivers as well as visitors were really looking forward to the start.
The cars set off with screaming engines and smoking tires and when about two-thirds of the cars had passed we went to our car, which was parked within walking distance. Because of the heavy rain we were wet from head to toe by now. Our plan was to follow the cars to the Koenigsegg factory in Angelholm. Since we stickered up our car with some original stickers from this years rally we were allowed to follow the cars directly through the cheering crowds. The reactions we got were different and varied from scepticism to people giving us thumbs up.
Because of the pretty bad weather conditions we were not able to take as many pictures as we wanted to on our trip from Copenhagen to Angelholm. Our convoy consisted of both Koenigseggs, a Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 and a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. When we reached the Swedish border some Gumballers had decided to host a spontaneous party just outside the toll station. This party obviously included numerous rev battles such as the one of the two Oakley Design Lamborghini Aventadors.
As we passed the Swedish border we stuck to Team Cartu, which as most of you know is taking part with three cars in this years rally. For those who do not know, they are driving a Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB Series II, a Ferrari 458 Spider and a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. Both Ferraris are rolling on ADV.1 rims and have Novitec parts fitted. A Bentley Continental GT later joined us as well. On our way to Angelholm we passed several police patrols, which were already awaiting the Gumballers. Luckily we were not stopped, neither was Team Cartu.
After an hour drive we reached the Koenigsegg factory in the Swedish city of Angelholm. A huge crowd braved the weather just to take a look at the Gumball cars. We got our very own Gumball spirit once more as we were allowed to drive right through the cheering crowd behind Team Cartu’s cars.
Outside the Koenigsegg factory there were five different Koenigseggs parked plus some seven inside of it. Basically every model of the Swedish brand was present. To close our trip to Koenigsegg we got an exclusive tour around the production place. We were again allowed to sit inside a car. This time it was the marvellous Koenigsegg CCXR. After this it was time to say goodbye, as we had to head back home. Believe me we would have loved to follow the Gumball circus for some more time.
After all we now got an impression of what it feels like to be a Gumballer and which amazing adventures they are facing during the upcoming week. In the end I can only say that it was an epic trip and that it definitely was not my last Gumball3000 visit!
Text and photos by: Jan Götze
Text and pictures: Jan Götze
