We may have been the first out gay team to take part in a motorsports event as Team G.L.A.M. but it looks like the Rainbow Rampage is taking it to the next level. The self-described ” Ultimate Gay Party” is a 7-day motor rally that takes part in Europe and the U.S. leading up to gay pride events in Budapest and San Francisco.
From their press release:
The first rally begins in Brighton, England with parties and a grand official send off before crossing the channel and heading to the first stage destination: Paris. Following a course designed to highlight spectacular non-highway roads, participating in fun challenges that urge participants to take in their surroundings while enjoying a non-stop gay festival of Europe’s greatest cities; Paris, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Berlin, Prague and Vienna. The Rainbow Rampage is essentially a large group road trip that precedes the gay pride parade in Budapest, where the tour ends. Participants are given free entry to participate in the parade as a grand finale that also includes luxury accommodations at one of Budapest’s famous spa hotels.
Gay and lesbian travelers the world over are famous for their outrageous parties and an appreciation for the unique and sophisticated. While Americans have an unabashed love affair with cars producing everything from SUV’s to electric hybrids and even ‘art cars,’ Europeans have a more subtle love of ‘the grand tour.’ By staging two similar events with few entry rules (any road-legal vehicle may enter) there are bound to be a terrific variety of vehicles and drivers making each event completely unique. For example: while the European route focuses on major urban destinations, the American route kicks off in Seattle and has the first stages in the legendary nature attractions of Crater Lake in Oregon and Tahoe resort area in Nevada before heading off to Las Vegas and Los Angeles before the grand finale in San Francisco with the infamous Love Fest.
Lead Organizer, Guy Zucker, hopes that there will be a growing “awareness that this event is taking place,” and that organizers are looking for “local support … especially reaching [out] to the gay community at each stage along the way.” It may be the first event of its kind but with GLBT travelers accounting for ever increasing participation in major cities and luxury vacations known to be gay friendly destinations, it was only a matter of putting it together.
Event Dates:
Brighton to Budapest
June 28, 2008-July 4, 2008
Seattle to San Francisco
September 27, 2008-October 3, 2008
For more information on the event, visit the Rainbow Rampage web site. Who knows, there may have to be a Team G.L.A.M. entry in both the U.S. and European versions!