Although novice crew members envision the Race Across America as a road trip, they soon find that they experience none of the freedom of the road. They are prisoners, held hostage by a persistent itinerary and the relentless ticking of the clock. The allure of the open road has met the harsh reality of travel, and vehicles have begun to fill up with fast-food debris. It’s ironic that traveling across a continent can feel so claustrophobic. Franz Spilauer’s

all-Austrian support crew were stuffed into a car and a dented brown van for the duration of the 1987 RAAM. Having only one member who spoke English, the crew got lost numerous times. Adding to the confusion was the fact that Spilauer’s support crew were accustomed to European races, where distances were measured in kilometers, not miles. Not that it really mattered: the odometer in their follow vehicle was broken.