After a nine-year absence, The Red Bull Soapbox Race made a spectacular return to London in an adrenaline-fuelled, madcap blaze of glory and Team Fast Car smashed the course in a very respectful 53 seconds-ish in our mini dragster. Not bad eh?
SEE TEAM FAST CAR’S SOAPBOX DRAGSTER RUN (video has the wrong name on it by the way)
70 teams competed along with us for the ultimate accolade of the UK’s best soapboxers – creators and drivers of vehicles powered by nothing but gravity and sheer stupidity.
Like us they zoomed down a specially constructed 420m course at speeds of up to 52 kilometres per hour, attempting to avoid falling foul of obstacles including tricky steps Apples and Pears and huge jump Big Air – designed to give the teams as tough a ride as possible and ensure crashes galore. Amazingly we made the whole course unscathed and in one piece.
Infiniti Red Bull Racing Principal Christian Horner told us: “It’s been an absolutely fantastic day; the effort from all the participants, the enthusiasm of all the 20,000 people here, a stunning day weather wise… it’s been a perfect afternoon. (It was) an event that only Red Bull could put on!”
The judges, Infiniti Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner; Chief Designer at Infiniti Red Bull Racing, Rob Marshall; street trials pro-rider, Danny MacAskill and Downhill Mountain Biker, Gee Atherton; were looking out for creativity and showmanship as well as speed – and the entrants did not disappoint.
Team Fast Car Principal, Team Captain, Driver, No 1 Mechanic, and Tea Boy Midge (above) before his non-record breaking run said: “I don’t know whose idea this was, but if I’m alive at the end of this I’m talking to HR. Please tell my Mum I love her. Goodbye and godspeed. ”
Team Spit-Phya from Newcastle, made up of motorbike engineers; Team Captain Mark Wells, Ian Wride, Greg Seed and Rory Norton, stormed to victory with their soapbox which was inspired by Great British land speed record vehicles.
Team Captain, Mark Wells, said: “The team has worked incredibly hard and we’re all amazed…Genuinely I’m just elated… We were inspired by the old Great British land speed record racers Donald Campbell and John Cobb and we just wanted to celebrate that. I am amazingly proud of this team.”
Judge Gee Atherton said: “The winners were very impressive, the car was absolutely spot on. They had the style and they managed to put a bit of a show on for the crowd at the start. Definitely one of my favourites… and they managed to survive the track as well which is a bonus!”
The Results: Top Ten
1. Team Spit-Phya: The Phya-Bird (Newcastle-Upon-Tyne)
2. Coffin Dodgers (London)
3. Does My Scrum Look Big in This (Barnet, Herts)
4. Bangers and Smash (London)
5. Blue Suede Shoe (Derbyshire)
6. The Runaway Bakers (York)
7. Chariots of Fire (Cobham, Surrey)
8. Get Them to Ze Chopper (London)
9. Millie the Moth (Ashford, Kent)
10. A Piece of Cake (Exeter, Devon)
For the full results and more photos check out Red Bull Soapbox Race
