Footballing legend Robbie Fowler has just completed a grueling 1200-mile drive across Europe as part of the iconic Gumball 3000 rally – and admitted that blasting out songs from some of the classic musicals was a perfect way to pass the 25-hour journey.
The Liverpudlian, who found the net 183 times for his hometown club during his career, has just completed the European leg of the Gumball 3000 as part of Team Betsafe. He was co-driven by ITV kids TV presenter and entertainment reporter Anna Williamson.
The Gumball 3000 is an annual celebration of supercar metal, world-renowned celebrities, music, action sports and charitable fundraising. Fowler and Williamson joined a field of exotic cars and celebrities that tackled the first leg across Europe.
The duo took the start on Sunday (24 May) and drove their British-built Range Rover from Stockholm in Sweden to Amsterdam in Holland, via Olso in Norway and Copenhagen in Denmark. After driving for a total of 25 hours, they reached the finish of the European leg yesterday (Tuesday).
Although the Team Betsafe duo had an event film crew in their Range Rover and were never short of conversation, they also found solace in music along the 1200-mile route.
“I like music, it’s no secret and I’m not embarrassed about it, but when I told Anna that I like musicals she got her phone out and produced all these songs so we could have a good little sing-song in the car,” Fowler explained. “We were singing Les Miserables, Moulin Rouge – all the classics.”
As well as passing the time with some singing, Fowler and Williamson were also treated to other special events by the Gumball 3000 organisers to break up the journey. They visited the Koenigsegg factory in Ängelholm, Sweden to have a ride in one of the 200 mph-plus hypercars, but one of Fowler’s standout memories was driving in convoy with his team-mates across the 16km Øresund Bridge between Sweden and Copenhagen.
“One of the highlights yesterday was the leg from Sweden to Denmark,” he said. “That was absolutely sensational. I’ve done so many good things in my life but driving along that bridge yesterday will be lodged in the memory bank for a long, long time. It was like we were filming an action film. It was brilliant.”
With his first experience of the Gumball 3000 under his belt, Fowler says he’d jump at the chance to contest the event again in 2016 – despite feeling “shattered” when he and Williamson finally reached Amsterdam.
“This is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I’m glad I’ve done it. I really, really enjoyed it,” he said. “If you’d asked me whether I’d do it again after I got out the car in Amsterdam, I’d have said no. But now the dust’s settled, I’d like to come back next year.”
European leg complete, around 100 cars and their drivers will transfer to the USA for part two. On Wednesday, a mix of cargo and passenger planes will shift the whole event from Schiphol airport in Amsterdam to Reno in Nevada. From there, the route will stop in San Francisco and Los Angeles before reaching its final destination, Las Vegas, on Friday 29 May.
