A long-time, masterful driver and car aficionado, Tim “Maverick†Porter has become known throughout Europe as one of the driving world’s most notorious bad boys and the man behind the revival of the renowned Cannonball events. After hosting seven successful rallies over the past five years in Europe, Porter is now bringing the infamous Cannonball Run Europe event back to its true homeland: the United States. What will become of the largest car rally in North America, The Great American Run, which will take place this Sept 2008. Often referred to by the French as Carlos the Jackal due to his inability to never get caught during his rallies, Porter is the pulse of the Cannonball events. His humour and passion are the underlying energy that makes the events come to life. At age 16 he began a mechanical apprenticeship at Mercedes, thus setting the stage for his life-long love affair with cars and driving. At 28 he started working for a main dealer, but soon after he began building engines and soon realized he had a natural talent for taking engine performance to the next level. In order to build upon his skills he started his own business importing high performance Japanese cars. While running his import business during the day, Porter spent his nights racing in Europe and he began to contemplate bringing back the Cannonball rallies on the roads of Europe. Initially Porter had hoped to take 25 cars on the first Cannonball, and was overwhelmed yet ecstatic when some 67 cars participated in his first event that covered approximately 3,000 miles in four days. This inaugural rally earned Porter his ongoing reputation as one of the most evasive, unstoppable drivers to date. Out-maneuvering road blocks in France, Switzerland, Austria and Germany, Porter was never stopped and did not even got caught for speeding. Hence, the French nickname Carlos the Jackal. Five years and seven major events later, Porter has franchised his rallies in the UK, Russia, Europe and Australia, and is now re-introducing the ultimate Cannonball to America with The Great American Run. He has spent the last two years driving throughout the U.S. to map out the routes and plan several hidden surprises for 400 of the world’s most hardcore driving enthusiasts, ensuring that the American race will be the biggest and most memorable to date. And as always, Porter will be participating in the rally, challenging other drivers in one of his self-enhanced 500bhp promo cars.