Media
WHAT THE MEDIA HAD TO SAY
In date order before and after the event
This is where it all began. This is what started it all.
In this first article you can read the origins of the first ever Cannonball Run.
August 1979
Car Collector Magazine
3 Page PDF
"It is, simply put, a cross-country auto- mobile "event" (let's not call it a race) in which the drivers of any type of vehicle drive from a specified point on the east coast to a specified point on the west coast, over any route in the shortest amount of time."
27 January 1993
The Courier Mail Newspaper
Picture Only - No PDF - Click to enlarge
"At this stage there is a possibility it could be held in 1994... Limited to 500 entries or less with a hefty entry fee up to $20,000"
19 May 1994
The Age Newspaper
2 Page PDF
"The inaugural Cannonball Run starts in Darwin on Sunday, amid fears that someone may need the services of the highspeed Honda Prelude mounted paramedics."
The reference to Sir Jack Brabham competing is incorrect.
Interesting to note this car had real doctors on board.
May 1994
NT News - Territory Travel Magazine
Picture only - No PDF - Click to enlarge
Written before the Cannonball Run, however, at the beginning of the article making it sound like it was written after the Run.
24 May 1994
The Desert News
Picture only - No PDF - Click to enlarge
"Tim Linklater and Keith Pritchard - were killed at the checkpoint"
24 May 1994
The Age Newspaper
1 Page PDF
"But Federal Government Minister and Northern Territory Senator Bob Collins said the race, in which two Japanese competitors and two race officials died, should be abandoned and not held again."
24 May 1994
The Register-Guard Newspaper - USA
Picture only - No PDF - Click to enlarge
"The collision happened in central Australia as the high-speed cars were on a run towards Ayers Rock"
25 May 1994
The Age Newspaper
1 Page PDF
"Mr Hansford, who is competing in the race, said rally style stage timing with slowdown sections should be incorporated. He also queried the use the name ``Cannonball" with its renegade, unlimited speed concept: ``If the event had been called the Darwin to Ayers Rock rally we would have only one third of the bad publicity.""
28/29 May 1994
The Weekend Australia Newspaper
1 Page PDF
"Yesterday I had a silent meeting with my husband. He has spoken to me in a happy voice about his enjoyable experience. He deeply loved me, our two sons, and he had a passion for Ferrari's One of his dreams was to participate in the cannonball Run and he realised it"
28/29 May 1994
The Weekend Australia Newspaper
1 Page PDF
"...the Cannonball Run concept was fundamentally flawed and should never run again"
July 1994
Car Australia Magazine
6 Page PDF
"The Roads? Well, they're not dead straight, dead flat ribbons of black you might imagine... So this is Cannonball, NT - Style"
July 1994
Wheels Magazine
6 Page PDF
"Just because you drive a Ferrari, doesn't make you a Ferrari driver"
July 1994
Motor Magazine
8 Page PDF
"At 9.30am on May 24, 100 km south of Alice Springs, the dream of Allan George Moffat OBE exploded in a nightmare cocktail of Kevlar, carbon fibre and steel spilt in the red desert dust."
11 October 1994
The Age Newspaper
1 Page PDF
"Mr Wallis said he saw the car swerve on to gravel to the left of the road, then turn back on to the highway and crash, killing the two officials. He said he believed the Ferrari, the most powerful car in the event, was lost and did not know that the checkpoint was imminent."
17 October 1994
The Age Newspaper
1 Page PDF
"The coroner, Mr John Lowndes, is investigating the deaths of Japanese competitors Akihiro Kabe, 40, and Takeshi Okano, 35, and Cannonball volunteers Tim Linklater, 22, and Keith Pritchard, 31, on 24 May."
21 October 1994
Victor Harbor Times Newspaper - South Australia
2 Page PDF
"There are also four cars from this years Cannonball Run, including the Corvette which came third."
25 October 1994
The Age Newspaper
1 Page PDF
"Mr Moffat, a former racing car champion, said a top average speed of 140 kmh set by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport was ``too conservative""
Cannonballrun News Interview 1994 (about a week before the race)
Driver's Perspective
This video was taken from a driver’s perspective. Car number 200. It’s all in Japanese but the footage is great. You get the gist of what is being said just by watching the video.
The Cannonballrun from a drivers perspective. Charles Ryder.
This video was taken so he could show his wife (who was in hospital at the time) what the Cannonballrun was like. It’s not just about the times in the car. The video showcases Darwin and the Northern Territory, the awards ceremony, the works. Be warned, it’s a very long video. You might need to get a beer or two (or best make that half a carton in an eski beside you). It’s well worth the watch.
Cannonball Run 1:
7.30 Report 25/05/1994
Cannonball Run 2:
7.30 Report 20/12/1994
Cannonball Run 3:
Amateur Footage taken of John Shipham directing the cars coming into to a rest point at Erldunda 26/05/1994
Cannonball Run Preview
Cannonball Run Darwin 1994
A Current Affair: Channel 9 – 1994 Cannonball Run
Der Sport Spiegel – German
Nightline – 1994 Cannonball Run – Go Slow
Nightly News – Channel 7 – 1994 Cannonball Run
The Times: One Year After the 1994 Cannonball Run
Today: Channel 9 One year after the 1994 Cannonball Run
1994 Cannonball Run – Various Media Reports