Vroom With a View

Although it doesn't have the flaunt-the-law dangers of the Cannonball Run, the silver-anniversary edition of One Lap of America has enough horsepower to rival the 1970s cross-country street race. But unlike in its predecessor, drivers obey speed limits along the way. "These guys in the '70s went from Connecticut to California in less than 35 hours," says spokesman Tom Miller of Avon Lake's Design Engineering, where One Lap racers make a pit stop today. "That became illegal, obviously. They did it only four times."One Lap's challenge is for two-man race teams to get from one race track to the next in an allotted amount of time. Once they're on the oval, they try to post the fastest times. This year's course measures 4,000 miles over an eight-day span, starting with a track in South Bend, Indiana, and ending in Wampum, Pennsylvania. Between stops, the drivers eat gas-station grub and sleep in their cars. While they're in town, the competitors will show off their souped-up sports cars and modified minivans. Fans can also meet race creator Brock Yates, who wrote the screenplays for 1980's Smokey & the Bandit II and 1981's The Cannonball Run, and has edited Car and Driver. One Lap of America rolls in at 3:30 this afternoon at Design Engineering, 604 Moore Road in Avon Lake. Admission is free. Call 800-264-9472 or visit www.onelapofamerica.com.
Fri., May 9, 3:30 p.m., 2008