The 25th Gumball 3000:
The Wildest Rally Visits Thailand
On a normal Tuesday evening, September 17th, 2024,
things were not normal around the Central World.
People were gathering, and police were on the street. All
of this was for the caravan of supercars driven by
billionaires from around the world. What is this event,
who are they, and why is it such a majestic event to
happen in Thailand once again?
Gumball 3000 is a name that will make This infamous rally is also known for its
any car enthusiasts go wild, but what is exclusivity. Technically anyone can
it really? apply to be in the rally, but in reality,
you will need to have a suitable
Gumball 3000 is an annual supercar- luxurious car, a lump sum to cover the
focused rally founded in 1999 by entry fee and other expenses, and a
British entrepreneur Maximillion status (they love to have celebrities
Cooper. The story of how Gumball joining the rally).
3000 came to life is simple. Cooper
said in a podcast hosted by Ben In one of his videos, Nico Leonard, a
Fowler, “The first rally came about famous watch expert YouTuber who
simply as a way of me just putting joined the latest Gumball 3000, broke
these friends of mine in the same room down the expenses he had to cover
together.” Cooper did pull it off and it after he had finished the rally. For the
was a bombing 7 days road trip across entry fee, Nico said that it varies from
Europe packed with parties every 100,000 USD to 120,000 USD
night. depending on the person. The
transportation fee cost him 27,000
The name “Gumball 3000” also has its USD. Insurance also costs a lot, with
origin. The “Gumball” part are referring his car being a Ferrari 812
to a saying from Andy Warhol that Competizione, and the insurance he
compared a gumball to chewing gum, paid was worth 15,000 USD. With all
saying people do it simply because other miscellaneous costs along the
they enjoy it, without any deeper way, it roughly came down to 150,000
meaning or purpose (Thairat, 2024). USD for participating in the Gumball
The “3000” part are referring to the 3000.
length of the first rally which is exactly
3000 miles. Cooper also said that the
first rally entry fee was also 3000
Euros. 3000 is a special number for
Mr. Maximilion Cooper.
The rally is celebrating its 25th
anniversary this year by rallying
through Southeast Asia. Starting from
Saigon, Vietnam, the participants
travelled through Singapore in their
crowd-inciting vehicles. Passing
Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand,
Malaysia, and Singapore
consecutively. This is the second time
this extravagance rally has visited
Thailand.
The first time was back in 2006 when
they cruised from Phuket to Bangkok
and then left via plane to their next After the news spread around that
stop in Salt Lake City. That time the they would come to Thailand, car
rally visited Thailand for a short trip. enthusiasts were clearing up their
Tan Wechakarn, a Thai motorsport schedules, waiting eagerly to see their
journalist, gave me some info during an dream cars being driven on Thai soil.
interview with him. Back then, they The first car came around 17:40 and
headed straight to the hotel and had afterwards, it was an excentric show.
the cars on display there. “For People were gathered on the
Bangkok, there was showing their cars Ratchadamri Road in front of the
at a hotel, but I do not remember Central World to see the cars come in
which hotel.” After further research, I and throttled away. It got more chaotic
found that the hotel mentioned was as time went by to the point that
the Mandarin Oriental. It seems like it police had to put up a makeshift
was not as much of an event back barricade. It is a very contradictory
then. sight to see, an insane crowd of like-
minded people, a bouquet of fastest
This time around, they do it from cars on Earth, and one of the most
border to border which is more traffic-jammed roads. This compilation
fabulous, and more like an authentic is the beauty of this iconic rally.
rally in which the starting point and
finishing point are connected by the
road.
Tanawat Kongwiwattanakul, a car
enthusiast who was at the Bangkok
Gumball 3000, gave some opinions on
the event. “There were so many cars
that I did not expect to see on Thailand
road– (Ferrari) 812 Competizione,
(Ferrari) 812 Superfast and the models
that had the most wow factor were
Koenigsegg Regera and Pagani Huayra
R.” Apon interview, Tanawat
mentioned that the rally served as a
fundraiser as well, not just billionaires
driving around. “They use the fund to
support the younger generation by
building auto shops for youths to have
a place to learn and earn money,” said
Tanawat.
Seeing these extravaganzas of cars
beat up in dust and mud is special.
Seeing the pinnacle of the automobile
being driven on Thai soil is a
memorable moment. Gumball 3000
became a memorable event for many
people, became a dream for some
people, and was loved by car
enthusiasts around the world.
Reference
1. Gumball 3000, 2006 รูปมาแล้วครับ.
(n.d.).
http://www.bangkokclassiccar.com
/forum/index.php?topic=2691.75
2. Nico Leonard Uncut. (2024,
October 2). HOW MUCH THE
GUMBALL3000 ACTUALLY COST
ME (& FERRARI UPDATE) [Video].
YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=SQDeDTj-9ok
3. Road To Success Podcast, Ben
Fowler. (2024, May 27). Gumball
Rally founder reveals why it costs
$200,000+ to enter [Video].
YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=7QkFHZGCJMQ
4. Thairath. (2024, September 16).
เซ็นทรัลเวิลด์ เตรียมต้อนรับ Gumball
3000 แรลลี่ซูเปอร์คาร์ระดับโลก.
www.thairath.co.th.
https://www.thairath.co.th/news/a
uto/news/2814609
