Day 0 at Gumball 3000->ke4396 is one of the busiest, most hectic and most exciting days of the entire rally. All of the cars finish arriving, the last of the vinyl sponsor wraps goes on, driver registration happens, the swag room is open, and all of the seemingly millions of small last-minute things compound into one large problem that needs fixing. With one of our journalists missing and communication systems failing, among other issues, our trip didn’t start out smoothly.

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It all started with sunrise, which in the city of Stockholm happens to be around 4 am. I woke up in a panic, noticing how bright it was outside my window. I was supposed to meet the crew of Team AnastasiaDate and AsianDate in the lobby of my hotel at 9 a.m., and judging by the sun it was at least 10. But then I rolled over to see the clock and it was displaying 5:45. I was so convinced that the clock was wrong that I had to call down to the front desk to double check what time it was. With my panic over, I decided it might be best to just get up, shower and start my day. Plus according to my key card, breakfast starts at 6:30, and I was starving.

After the shower I head down to find that its Saturday, so that means that breakfast doesn’t start until 7:30. I have an hour to kill, so I decided that I should go out and see a bit of Stockholm. What I actually found was a beautiful city that was still completely asleep. There was not a soul on the streets, no cars and no traveling boats. It was like a ghost town. It was also the only point of peace, quiet and serenity I would have for nearly 24 hours.

As sleepy Stockholm began to wake and writhe with the motion of people and machines, our rag-tag group of journalists and PR personnel made our way to the Grand hotel and we walked into the massive cluster of confusion that is the Gumball signups. There were dozens of people running in every direction, looking for wristbands, paperwork employees, and more. It is an organized chaos that manages to work, but only just barely.

A few hundred yards from the hotel all the cars are beginning to line up on the bridge, and the army of Stockholm residents have begun to amass on the sidewalks to see the millions of dollars’ worth of machinery that are sprawled across the streets in front of Stockholm Castle. There, in the quagmire of smartphone-wielding citizens, sat dozens of automobiles, with many more arriving by the minute. It is the true spectacle of Gumball to the highest magnitude.

As for our rag-tag team of journalists, film and photo crew, and the various PR professionals, we had lost a member the night before due to an altercation in front of a club. After a bouncer was left with blood on his face, our (apparently) fearless journo found himself inside the law box of the local Swedish constabulary. We had no word of when he would be released.

We also had iffy communications. In a move of pure genius, Ryska Posten Events, the logistics firm for this trip, created an iPhone app that would host seating charts, daily agendas and a map that would track all users so we couldn’t get lost. They also provided every one of us with a matching iPhone so we could use the app without draining our own data plans. Sadly, the app was still in beta and it broke more often than it worked. With our main form of communication and guidance on the fritz before we even started our journey, it seemed like this could be a nightmare of a trip.

But this is Gumball, and we won’t be stopped or slowed down by inconveniences and troubles.

From the grid, to dinner, and then to the special Gumball 3000 launch party at The Wall, one of the most exclusive clubs in Stockholm, every moment of our day was busy, crowded and loud. By the time many of us were filtering back to the hotel, the sun was once again beginning to carve its arc into the sky.

I hope all my colleagues stayed hydrated. Gumball officially starts in the morning, and there is no time for hangovers or bad decisions.

Stick around for more coverage of the Gumball 3000 Rally on TopSpeed.com later.