( Worldcarfans ) - Saleen Inc., manufacturer of the world's fastest production car - the Saleen S7 - today announced it will be sponsoring the world's largest road rally: "The Great American Run." This event marks the state-side arrival of Europe's most famous road rally taking place July 29 - August 4, 2007. To celebrate the inaugural U.S. rally, Saleen Inc. has been commissioned by Cannonball Run World Events, Inc. (CRWE) to uniquely modify 25 stock Saleen S281 "Extreme" Mustangs with an additional 50 horsepower (aftermarket upgrade*), and identical black-on-black paint and graphics packages. CRWE has reserved one of the modified 600 horsepower "Extremes" for the winner of the event.
On July 29, 2007, 400 cars will start from four originating cities: Washington D.C., New York, Atlanta and Miami, to embark on a 3000 mile coast-to-coast free-for-all. Each night, entrants will enjoy luxury hotel accommodations at four star hotels and extravagant parties. Each of the cars will ultimately regroup in Las Vegas, where the remaining drivers will gather for the final leg of the rally to Los Angeles for the event's award ceremony and track day at the historic Willow Springs Raceway.
"Saleen is proud to support an event of this magnitude that brings together all types of enthusiasts and all types of performance cars - foreign and domestic - in a fun and safe environment," said Steve Saleen, founder of Saleen Inc. "Our mission is not just about building the highest performance cars in the world, but also about building opportunities for car enthusiasts to share great experiences with each other. The Great American Run will be an experience enthusiasts will talk about for years to come."
CRWE is well known for developing safe and fun events with a track record of seven successful rallies. In fact, the object of the rally is not who can reach the final destination first, but rather who can most closely attain an average speed of 61 mph over the 3000 mile route.
"Safety is paramount to this event, and in the previous five years and seven events held in Europe, we have never had a serious accident," said Tim Porter, chief executive officer of Cannonball Run World Events. "We believe that this is due to the way we police our events with very strict rules. The object is to complete the course with an average speed at or below the national speed limit, rather than racing to be the first car to arrive."