Scumrun
Encyclopedia
The Scumrun is an annual charitable
event in the form of a road rally
from the United Kingdom
to mystery destinations around Europe
. It has been running since 2006, originally as the Scumball 3000.
On each day a destination (plus, usually, intermediate checkpoints) is announced, but only to drivers who pass a breathalyser test to ensure their blood alcohol level is below the legal maximum to drive. At the end of each day those not driving in the morning participate in celebrations.
Much of the driving and celebrating is recorded for the purposes of producing a DVD
which is used to encourage further teams to participate in future years. Media coverage is found in publications such as Fast Car and Men and Motors, highlighting the antics and monies raised for much needed charities.
Communications are maintained between many of the cars using CB radios.
Typical vehicles include older BMW
5- and 7-series, Mercedes-Benz
W123 and W124 E-class
and W126 S-class
, Jaguar
XJ models, and a rag-tag assortment of Japan
ese sports cars. There have also been oddities such as black cab taxis and fire engines.
No other road event raises as much sponsorship via the combined efforts of its participants.
The name had to be changed from Scumball 3000 when the organisers of the Gumball 3000 complained, despite there being a clear distinction between the events with the Gumball 3000 involving extremely valuable sports cars and Scumrun raising vast amounts for charities each year.
The Scumrun logo was trademarked following the name change and due to the popularity of the event the company have had to take the protection of their brand / event very seriously which sometimes includes Legal advice in resolving conflicts from similar events.
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
event in the form of a road rally
Road rally
A road rally is a car rally that takes place on the public road. It is a popular sport in the United Kingdom, especially Wales, and has traditionally been the core of the "grass roots" of club-based amateur motorsport. However it has declined in popularity since the 1980s and now stage rallies are...
from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to mystery destinations around Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. It has been running since 2006, originally as the Scumball 3000.
Format of the event
Vehicles with a maximum purchase price of £500 – but often significantly upgraded by the teams of one or more drivers and passengers – are taken to a launch party in the UK before being taken by ferry to mainland Europe.On each day a destination (plus, usually, intermediate checkpoints) is announced, but only to drivers who pass a breathalyser test to ensure their blood alcohol level is below the legal maximum to drive. At the end of each day those not driving in the morning participate in celebrations.
Much of the driving and celebrating is recorded for the purposes of producing a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
which is used to encourage further teams to participate in future years. Media coverage is found in publications such as Fast Car and Men and Motors, highlighting the antics and monies raised for much needed charities.
Communications are maintained between many of the cars using CB radios.
Typical vehicles include older BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
5- and 7-series, Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
W123 and W124 E-class
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a range of executive-size cars manufactured by Mercedes-Benz in various engine and body configurations. The E initially stood for Einspritzmotor, ; a new feature in volume production vehicles at the time that the E-Class first appeared, with the E as a suffix to the...
and W126 S-class
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is a series of luxury sedans produced by Mercedes-Benz, a division of Daimler AG. The classification was officially introduced in 1972 with the W116 S-Class, which succeeded previous Mercedes-Benz models dating to the mid-1950s...
, Jaguar
Jaguar (car)
Jaguar Cars Ltd, known simply as Jaguar , is a British luxury car manufacturer, headquartered in Whitley, Coventry, England. It is part of the Jaguar Land Rover business, a subsidiary of the Indian company Tata Motors....
XJ models, and a rag-tag assortment of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese sports cars. There have also been oddities such as black cab taxis and fire engines.
No other road event raises as much sponsorship via the combined efforts of its participants.
Beneficiary charities
- 2011: Dreams Come True (around £80,000 raised)
- 2010: Clic SargentCLIC SargentCLIC Sargent is charity in the United Kingdom that was formed by the merger of Sargent Cancer Care for Children and Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood in 2005. The charity specializes in providing support for children with cancer....
(over £90,000 raised) - 2009: CHASE hospice care for childrenCHASE hospice care for childrenCHASE hospice care for children is a UK-based charity . It is intended to support and provide palliative care to families with children who are not expected to reach the age of 19 because of illness or incurable disease...
(over £65,000 raised) - 2008: Whizz-KidzWhizz-KidzWhizz-Kidz is a UK-based charity, formed in 1990, whose aim is to provide customised wheelchairs, tricycles, and other specialised mobility equipment, to disabled children....
(around £63,000 raised) - 2007: Winston's Wish (around £50,000 raised)
- 2006: The Sussex Snowdrop Trust (around £35,000 raised)
Destinations
- 2008:
NeversNeversNevers is a commune in – and the administrative capital of – the Nièvre department in the Bourgogne region in central France...
;
LuxembourgLuxembourgLuxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
;
NürburgNürburgNürburg is a town in the German district of Ahrweiler, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is also the name of the local castle, Burg Nürburg , which was built in the High Middle Ages. The town is best known for its 24 kilometer race track, the Nürburgring...
/ NürburgringNürburgringThe Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...
;
AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
;
return via BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... - 2009: BiganosBiganosBiganos is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-See also:*Communes of the Gironde department*Parc naturel régional des Landes de Gascogne-References:*...
; / 
PyreneesPyreneesThe Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
(optional route);
AndorraAndorraAndorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
(optional route); MataróMataróMataró is the capital and largest city of the comarca of the Maresme, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia Autonomous Community, Spain. It is located on the Costa del Maresme, to the south of Costa Brava, between Cabrera de Mar and Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, to the north-east of Barcelona. , it...
; Millau ViaductMillau ViaductThe Millau Viaduct is a cable-stayed road-bridge that spans the valley of the river Tarn near Millau in southern France. Designed by the British architect Norman Foster and French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux, it is the tallest bridge in the world, with one mast's summit at . It is the...
; Nonette, Puy-de-DômeNonette, Puy-de-DômeNonette is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.-References:*... - 2010: AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
; MaastrichtMaastrichtMaastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
; LuxembourgLuxembourgLuxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
; NürburgNürburgNürburg is a town in the German district of Ahrweiler, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is also the name of the local castle, Burg Nürburg , which was built in the High Middle Ages. The town is best known for its 24 kilometer race track, the Nürburgring...
/ NürburgringNürburgringThe Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...
; VersaillesVersaillesVersailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
; ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... - 2011: StrasbourgStrasbourgStrasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
; NurembergNurembergNuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
(Nazi party rally groundsNazi party rally groundsThe Nazi party rally grounds consist of about 11 square kilometres in the southeast of Nuremberg, Germany...
);
PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
; ChemnitzChemnitzChemnitz is the third-largest city of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Chemnitz is an independent city which is not part of any county and seat of the government region Direktionsbezirk Chemnitz. Located in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains, it is a part of the Saxon triangle...
; VöhlVöhlVöhl is a community in Waldeck-Frankenberg in Hesse, Germany not far southwest of Kassel.-Location:Vöhl lies in the northern part of the Kellerwald-Edersee Nature Park on the Edersee, a man-made lake.-Neighbouring communities:...
; BrugesBrugesBruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
Name change
Scumball 3000 was the brainchild of Edward White (Managing Director) who created the event to assist National Childrens charities in raising much needed funds to continue with the support they offer. The event provides a unique format that ensures the participants receive professional care and organisation throughout resulting in high repeat custom compared to similar events. Scumrun sells out each year and works closely with border crossing agencies as well as ferry operators to ensure the route is well planned and tested whilst providing support during the event itself to all participants where possible.The name had to be changed from Scumball 3000 when the organisers of the Gumball 3000 complained, despite there being a clear distinction between the events with the Gumball 3000 involving extremely valuable sports cars and Scumrun raising vast amounts for charities each year.
The Scumrun logo was trademarked following the name change and due to the popularity of the event the company have had to take the protection of their brand / event very seriously which sometimes includes Legal advice in resolving conflicts from similar events.
See also
- Mongol RallyMongol RallyThe Mongol Rally is a car rally that begins in Europe and ends in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. The principal launch is from Goodwood Circuit, United Kingdom, with subsidiary starting points in other European countries. It is described as the "greatest adventure in the world"...
, a similar (but much longer) light-hearted charity-fundraising driving event