450 getting behind the wheel on Route 2014 for Cannonball

Irish drivers are well used to being stuck in the middle of traffic jams.

But when the snail-paced commute involves watching the world’s most expensive cars zoom by as they are driven by Wonder Woman, a cluster of models, and an ex-Boyzone member holding a pitch-fork and insisting on speaking as “buck-toothed Billy Joe”, it’s safe to assume there may be an unexpected reason for the delay.

The annual Cannonball fundraising drive kicked off in a madcap mix of revving vehicles and adrenaline-fuelled participants at Dublin’s Three Arena yesterday as some of Ireland’s best known names got behind the wheels of €25m worth of super-cars in the name of charity.

Now in its sixth year the event, which is the largest road trip in Europe, will over the coming two days see Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Aston Martins, and Rolls Royces come to towns across the country in a bid to raise funds for the Make A Wish Foundation.

More than 450 people are taking part in the campaign this year, grabbing their chance to get behind the steering wheels of vehicles most can only dream of owning.

The participants include celebrities such as models Nicki Hughes and Roz Purcell, musician Niall Breslin, and a bizarre mix of car-lovers dressed as their favourite comic book and film characters.

“So far I’ve met Wonder Woman, Darth Vader, two Arabs, and a man dressed as a chicken. It’s just like Mass on a Sunday,” actor and comedian Simon Delaney explained.

“I’m a fan of Mercs but I don’t know a lot about cars. As far as I know, there’s an engine at the front and a boot at the back.”

Another of the stars at the launch was former Miss World Rosanna Davison, who said the money being raised by the three-day Cannonball drive will add to the near-€600,000 raised by the event since 2008 and be essential to young children benefiting from the Make A Wish Foundation.

“It’s great for us to know we’re doing some good, and for the children involved in the charities,” she said.

“It’s such a great day for it and there’s so many people dressed up and enjoying themselves. I have a cheerleader outfit in the car as well, I just wanted to see how game for it people were first.”

Ah yes, the costumes. While the cluster of car fiends included those dressed up as Doc from Back To The Future — complete with a DeLorean and a working flux capacitor — The Hulk and Spiderman, one still stood out from the crowd.

Insisting on staying in character as an unkempt pitch-fork holding, dungaree-wearing “southern swamp dweller” called “buck-toothed Billy Joe” as he danced on top of his truck, it’s safe to assume any Boyzone fans hoping for autographs from Shane Lynch may be in for a surprise if they approach him this weekend.

For full details on the drive’s route between now and Sunday evening, and how to donate to the Make A Wish Foundation, log on to www.cannonball.ie.