Spirit of Gumball
Alex Shapiro talks to Maximillion Cooper and Julie Brangstrup about the rally that crosses social boundaries and three-thousand miles.
The wealthiest and most-powerful people in the world don’t get together much. Musicians stay in studios while royalty cruise on yachts.
Hackers hide at computers and CEOs stick to boardrooms. But one unrivalled event brings them all together every year. The Gumball
3000 hops across continents in some of the world’s most-unique vehicles.
First-organised by race-driver, skateboarder, BMX-biker and fashion-designer, Maximillion Cooper, the event now represents high-
speed and hard-partying. Style and personality are more important than competition with the ‘Spirit of Gumball’ awarded to eccentric
characters best-representing Gumball’s wild philosophy.”
In 1999, Max brought friends together for a party-filled roadtrip. The fifty-three teams were an eclectic mix of skateboarders, CEOs,
fashion-designers, motorsports moguls and celebrities like Jay Kay, Goldie and Kylie, along with the future cast of MTV’s Jackass. Max
recalls, “There was an underground feel to it. I was at St. Martin’s Fashion School with people like Stella McCartney and John Galliano.
Ten years later they’re running the industry. I met London’s social scene, which included musicians, film stars and models.
“On weekends I was racing cars for very wealthy individuals and raising money to go looking for sponsors. Gumball was the natural
progression of getting together all those people I met over the years. It was about creating an experience.”
After the event’s second year, Max met Julie Brangstrup, his wife and Gumball’s director. Max explains, “It became a great partnership.
Julie got involved to help me out on financial things, which I have no grasp of reality on and add more structure to the event.”
Since then, Gumball has grown exponentially and now receives over five-hundred applications monthly. Max explains the selection
process, “Because we can fill the grid five hundred times over, it’s not just about filling it. We have an entry list on the wall and it’s about
choosing a mixture of cars and characters that will make the event amazing.
“It was never about creating a race on public roads, it was about building something that a skateboarder and a banker could enjoy
together and have an amazing experience. Gumball is all about people you don’t normally get in a room together, from DJs and the
Saudi Royal Family, to a mechanic who saved up for two years.”
Julie, who’s got degrees in Business and Psychology, explains, “People driving three thousand miles together become like a little club
and they get entertained by the most famous artists from around the world.”
----radio edit------
Teams also get into trouble with local police. Jodie Kidd, Jason Priestly and Adrien Brody are known to bribe authorities with
autographs, Max does his impression of Brody, “Don’t you recognize me? I’m in The Pianist. I’ve won an Oscar. You’ve gotta let me off!”
The spirit of Gumball also breeds playful sabotage. Flattened tyres are typical and 2006 included a fish in an intake. Julie describes
practical jokes during the journey’s four airlifts, “There’re strict logistics to how cars had to be arranged in airplanes. This year, cars
had their number-plates stolen, which meant they had to spend an hour justifying where these plates were. In the end, local police
helped them make new ones out of paper. It just makes it more challenging.”
Plans for 2008’s tenth-anniversary Gumball are under wraps. However, Max reveals that he’s been talking to North Korea. A first of its
kind, he proudly shows-off a letter from Kim Jong-il sanctioning Gumball’s crossing of the Demilitarized Zone between North and South
Korea. Guarded by soldiers on both sides, the border hasn’t been crossed since 1953. Also being discussed is a free rock concert in
North Korea’s national stadium, another first.
“It’s not just the venue itself. It’s the reasons why you’re there,” explains Max, “in Bangkok, the royal family hosted a party in an ancient
landmark. You had to take a boat across a river to reach it.”
Max and Julie explain that Gumball’s future is much more than fast cars and parties, “The rally is becoming a multicultural opportunity to
bring adventure to the world that didn’t exist before. It’s become a goodwill rally. Because of North Korea, we’ve been talking to the
United Nations. We’ll promote the 2008 rally as a peace tour. “
Alex Shapiro talks to Maximillion Cooper and Julie Brangstrup about the rally that crosses social boundaries and three-thousand miles.
The wealthiest and most-powerful people in the world don’t get together much. Musicians stay in studios while royalty cruise on yachts.
Hackers hide at computers and CEOs stick to boardrooms. But one unrivalled event brings them all together every year. The Gumball
3000 hops across continents in some of the world’s most-unique vehicles.
First-organised by race-driver, skateboarder, BMX-biker and fashion-designer, Maximillion Cooper, the event now represents high-
speed and hard-partying. Style and personality are more important than competition with the ‘Spirit of Gumball’ awarded to eccentric
characters best-representing Gumball’s wild philosophy.”
In 1999, Max brought friends together for a party-filled roadtrip. The fifty-three teams were an eclectic mix of skateboarders, CEOs,
fashion-designers, motorsports moguls and celebrities like Jay Kay, Goldie and Kylie, along with the future cast of MTV’s Jackass. Max
recalls, “There was an underground feel to it. I was at St. Martin’s Fashion School with people like Stella McCartney and John Galliano.
Ten years later they’re running the industry. I met London’s social scene, which included musicians, film stars and models.
“On weekends I was racing cars for very wealthy individuals and raising money to go looking for sponsors. Gumball was the natural
progression of getting together all those people I met over the years. It was about creating an experience.”
After the event’s second year, Max met Julie Brangstrup, his wife and Gumball’s director. Max explains, “It became a great partnership.
Julie got involved to help me out on financial things, which I have no grasp of reality on and add more structure to the event.”
Since then, Gumball has grown exponentially and now receives over five-hundred applications monthly. Max explains the selection
process, “Because we can fill the grid five hundred times over, it’s not just about filling it. We have an entry list on the wall and it’s about
choosing a mixture of cars and characters that will make the event amazing.
“It was never about creating a race on public roads, it was about building something that a skateboarder and a banker could enjoy
together and have an amazing experience. Gumball is all about people you don’t normally get in a room together, from DJs and the
Saudi Royal Family, to a mechanic who saved up for two years.”
Julie, who’s got degrees in Business and Psychology, explains, “People driving three thousand miles together become like a little club
and they get entertained by the most famous artists from around the world.”
----radio edit------
Teams also get into trouble with local police. Jodie Kidd, Jason Priestly and Adrien Brody are known to bribe authorities with
autographs, Max does his impression of Brody, “Don’t you recognize me? I’m in The Pianist. I’ve won an Oscar. You’ve gotta let me off!”
The spirit of Gumball also breeds playful sabotage. Flattened tyres are typical and 2006 included a fish in an intake. Julie describes
practical jokes during the journey’s four airlifts, “There’re strict logistics to how cars had to be arranged in airplanes. This year, cars
had their number-plates stolen, which meant they had to spend an hour justifying where these plates were. In the end, local police
helped them make new ones out of paper. It just makes it more challenging.”
Plans for 2008’s tenth-anniversary Gumball are under wraps. However, Max reveals that he’s been talking to North Korea. A first of its
kind, he proudly shows-off a letter from Kim Jong-il sanctioning Gumball’s crossing of the Demilitarized Zone between North and South
Korea. Guarded by soldiers on both sides, the border hasn’t been crossed since 1953. Also being discussed is a free rock concert in
North Korea’s national stadium, another first.
“It’s not just the venue itself. It’s the reasons why you’re there,” explains Max, “in Bangkok, the royal family hosted a party in an ancient
landmark. You had to take a boat across a river to reach it.”
Max and Julie explain that Gumball’s future is much more than fast cars and parties, “The rally is becoming a multicultural opportunity to
bring adventure to the world that didn’t exist before. It’s become a goodwill rally. Because of North Korea, we’ve been talking to the
United Nations. We’ll promote the 2008 rally as a peace tour. “
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