Wrestling superstar Bill Goldberg is the host of Bullrun, a rally across the U.S. Twelve rally teams enter their own cars in a cross country rally lasting 20 days and over 4,000 miles for a cash prize. To learn more about Bullrun read “What is Bullrun?”

To catch up on this seasons’ excitement, read “Bullrun: Corona to Mojave Airplane Graveyard”, and “Bullrun: Mojave Airplane Graveyard to Eagle Field”

Bullrun Starting Leg: Eagle Field to The Duck Pond (by Palo Alto Airport)

As the Bullrun teams rested overnight at Eagle Field, someone was up to nasty deeds stealing teams’ maps. Now Bullrun teams are scrambling to find new maps. Early on, Teams Mini Cooper and Lexus decide to form an alliance. On the way to the Duck Pond, Team NSX switches it up from last week when they were buddies with Team Lambo, and teams up with Team Challenger. Once teams find The Duck Pond, their next Bullrun clue sends teams to Howard’s Landing in Walnut Grove, CA.

Team Challenger won this round of Bullrun.

Bullrun Landmark Leg: Howard Landing, Walnut Grove, CA

At Howard’s Landing, Bullrun teams discover they have to cross the river on the ferry to reach checkpoint #2 on the other side. The first two teams to arrive at the landing and cross the river are Bullrunners BMW and Lambo. Team Lexus and other Bullrun teams arrive at the landing just in time to see teams BMW and Lambo making their way across the river on the ferry. Everyone thinks this makes them just a ferry crossing behind the leaders - but they are wrong. Team Mustang notes the time is 6:58pm when they arrive at Howard’s Landing and points out a sign that is slightly hidden in the weeds stating that the ferry drivers’ supper break is from 7:00 – 7:20pm. While Bullrun teams start jockeying their cars for position in order to get on the ferry first, a member of Team Mini stood in front of Team NSX’s car so they could not move their vehicle allowing the other Team Mini member to put their car in front of Team NSX. In response to this move Team NSX states, “What comes around goes around.” Is that a threat? Yes, indeed it is. While all the other Bullrunner teams are focused on getting the attention of the ferry driver, NSX notices the maps on the front seat of Team Mini’s car. He grabs them, throws them into his car and, without thinking about what he is doing pushes the lock button and closes the door with the keys still inside.  Meanwhile, Team Lexus is trying to body frisk the other teams looking for the missing maps. While Team NSX is trying to figure out how to unlock their car, all the other Bullrun teams cross the river on the ferry. (All except Team Viper, who is still lost.)

Bullrun Final Checkpoint: Howard’s Landing to Sacramento Rail Yard

Finding Sacramento is easy for all the Bullrun teams. Finding the Sacramento Rail Yard is not; seems like the Rail Yard is not listed on anyone’s map. All the Bullrun teams are talking to each other but no one is having any luck finding the final checkpoint. All teams are trying to get directions from locals and driving in circles not very far from each other. Finally all teams find their way to the final checkpoint. It is too close to call who the winner is of this Bullrun round. Teams will have to wait until morning to find out.

Bullrun teams are gathered for the announcement of the winner of this leg of the race. Team Challenger comes in first with a time of 6:15:21. Team Viper is in last place and Team Hemi Cuda in second to last place and will automatically be thrown into the Elimination Challenge. Team Challenger chooses Team Lambo as the third team to go to the Challenge, but Team Lambo shows everyone what an immunity card looks like. Team Challenger’s second choice is Team Hummer.

Bullrun Elimination Challenge: Heist

The Rules: Bullrun drivers will navigate their way to the warehouse, busting through the Bullrun glass barrier to get inside. Once inside, the driver must stop in the designated area while the passenger exits the vehicle to retrieve a briefcase found in one of three lockers. Once the passenger is back in the vehicle with the briefcase and buckled up the driver may continue on the course and bust their way through a locked gate to get outside. When they get outside, the driver must negotiate a sometimes muddy dirt track and avoid the pursuing cops. The fastest two vehicles completing the course and stopping in the designated finish box wins and avoids elimination.

The first to tackle the Elimination Challenge is the 1972 Plymouth Barracuda with a new 6.1 Hemi engine. Team Hemi “drives it like they stole it” with only one small snag when the passenger had trouble buckling back in.

Second up is Team Hummer in their 2009 stock Hummer. They are surprisingly fast through the Challenge course and show the other teams why they should be afraid of them on a dirt course.

The last to take on the Challenge is the 2008 Dodge Viper with a 10 cylinder twin turbo. The third team should have an advantage by having other teams go ahead of them so they could see the mistakes to avoid. But Team Viper must not have been paying attention to the other teams when they went through the course. The driver’s first mistake is to turn the wrong way to enter the course, and then he babies the Viper through the Challenge course. Is he afraid of scratching it or what? It is obvious to viewers that this driver has never really “driven” the car as he fishtails all over the place and slows down for bumps in the road.

It’s no surprise that Team Viper finishes the Elimination Challenge in last place with a time of 2:05 and is thus sent packing. Team Hummer came in first at 1:33 and Team Cuda is still safe with a time of 1:39.

Bullrun Leaderboard: Eagle Field to Sacramento Rail Yard

1. Team Challenger – 6:15:21

2. Team Lexus – 6:37:46

3. Team BMW – 6:41:00

4. Team Hummer – 6:42:25

5. Team Mustang – 6:43:02

6. Team Mini Cooper – 6:45:43

7. Team NSX – 6:57:53

8. Team Lambo – 7:04:12

9. Team Hemi Cuda – 7:14:24

10. Team Viper – 8:20:19 - Eliminated in Round Three

11. Team Corvette – Eliminated in Round Two

12. Team VW – Eliminated in Round One

Bullrun: Round Three aired Thursday, March 4 at 10pm on SPEEDtv.

[Sources: Bullrun, SpeedTV, Gunkee]