A participant driving through the course for the Red Bull Soapbox Race held in Alexandra Palace, London in 2017.
A participant driving through the course for the Red Bull Soapbox Race held in Alexandra Palace, London in 2017

The Red Bull Soapbox Race is a soapbox race organised at least once a year by Red Bull. During its final phase, amateur pilots challenge one another by presenting hand-made, motor-less vehicles, judged for their aesthetic, their speed and their road-holding.[1][2]

Originality and extravagance play an even greater role in the competition, as each team is also rated for their showmanship and the soapboxes are often inspired by folklore, pop culture, motorsport or everyday-life themes in their creation. Some notable examples include Pokémon-based karts and playful reproductions of the Popemobile or Mr. Bean's Mini.

First held in 2000, over a hundred races have been held in multiple countries around the world ever since, usually attracting thousands of spectators and putting the primary focus on the most creative and entertaining side of the competition.[1]

History

The inaugural event was held in Brussels, Belgium on April 30, 2000.[3] Races have since been held all across the globe, covering every single continent at least once, excluding Antarctica.[3] The first race out of Europe took place on March 30, 2003, when the sixth edition ever was organized in Auckland, New Zealand: this was also the first time the competition was held in Oceania. Auckland would later host the soapbox race thrice more, in 2005, 2013 and 2015.

In 2004, the event was organized in four different locations throughout the year, including Durban, South Africa.[4] The same location was chosen one year later, and the country would host the competition twice more, in 2006 (in Johannesburg) and 2010 (in Soweto): South Africa still represents the only African nation to have held the soapbox race.

The competition first arrived in the United States in 2006, when a new edition was held in St. Louis, Missouri: ever since, a total number of seventeen races have taken place throughout the country.[5]

In 2007, the race spread to the Caribbean for the first time, as Jamaica hosted a new edition. Instead, South America first got to know the event better the following year, when two different editions were held in Brazil: the first one took place in Fortaleza on June 8, while the second one was organized in Porto Alegre on September 21.

The circle was completed between 2012 and 2013, with three subsequent editions being organized in the same number of Asian countries: China (although the event was hosted in Hong Kong), India and Oman.[6][7][8]

Currently, 2017 has featured the largest amount of races, with eleven different races taking place between Europe, North America and Asia throughout the year.

2020 actually featured just one edition of the race, held in Santiago (the third time overall, as the Chilean capital city had already hosted the event in 2011 and 2016) on March 14.[9] The second one was set to be held in Florence, Italy on June 7,[2] but was later cancelled due to the emergency measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Still, the seventy selected projects were rated and awarded by the deputed jury in October of the same year.[10][11]

Rules

A participant to the race held in Alexandra Palace, London (2017) driving through the course on a Pokémon-inspired soapbox: creativity plays a huge role in the competition, as the style of every single vehicle is inspired by folklore, pop culture or everyday-life themes.
A participant to the race held in Alexandra Palace, London (2017) driving through the course on a Pokémon-inspired soapbox: creativity plays a huge role in the competition, as the style of each vehicle is inspired by folklore, pop culture or everyday-life themes.

The vehicles must have steering and braking capability.[3][12] Teams are judged on both the time taken to complete the course, as well as creativity of their design and the showmanship of a performance at the start of the race, meaning the team with the fastest time is not necessarily the winner.[13]

Tracks

In the 2013 London race, one team reached a speed of over 50 kilometers per hour as they completed the 430 metre course in 33 seconds.[13] The Cork 2004 course down St. Patrick's Hill was the steepest ever used at the time.[14]

Notable participants

In 2008, a team from Queen's University Belfast set the world speed record for soapbox racers at Stormont, Northern Ireland, at 72 km/h (45 mph), before entering the vehicle, Equmes 1, into the Red Bull race at Stormont later in the week.[15][16]

On May 16, 2015, the Dutch racing driver Max Verstappen, a Formula One driver for the Red Bull racing team himself, opened the race in Valkenburg, Netherlands, driving a soapbox that resembled his own STR10 racing car.[17]

On 7 July 2019, YouTubers Zac Alsop and Jamie Rawsthorne of "The Zac and Jay Show" entered the London race. In a Monopoly-themed run, they threw around £1,000 into the crowd.[18]

Races

No. Date Course length Location City Country/Region Entrants Winning Team Spectators Reference
1 30 April 2000 Brussels  Belgium
2 2 September 2001 Roundhay Park Leeds  United Kingdom 50 The Garage [19]
3 2 September 2001 800 metres Kurpark Oberlaa Vienna  Austria
4 7 July 2002 750 metres Bern   Switzerland 62 Kuhl Runnings
5 8 September 2002 Bochum  Germany
6 30 March 2003 700 metres Auckland Domain Auckland  New Zealand 80 Rubber Duck Racing 44,000
7 2004  Netherlands
8 20 June 2004 250 metres St Patrick's Hill Cork  Ireland 63 Crazy Babies [14]
9 8 August 2004 650 metres Knebworth Park Stevenage  United Kingdom 84 Team Volvet Underground
10 17 October 2004 445 metres Trematon Drive Durban  South Africa 67 Team Flower Power [4]
2005 La Rue d'Ouchy Lausanne   Switzerland
2005 445 metres Trematon Drive Durban  South Africa 70+
13 February 2005 700 metres Auckland Domain Auckland  New Zealand 80 Wanganui Motors Transformers
18 September 2005 Schloss Solitude Stuttgart  Germany
27 August 2006 Jan Smuts Avenue Johannesburg  South Africa 54 [20]
24 September 2006 800 metres Kurpark Oberlaa Vienna  Austria
29 October 2006 Forest Park St. Louis, Missouri  United States 42 Fast Food
11 August 2007  Jamaica 43 The Pier One Team
30 September 2007 0.5 miles (800 m) Fremont Avenue to North 36th Street Seattle, Washington  United States The A-Team [21]
14 October 2007 0.25 miles (400 m) College Hill Providence, Rhode Island  United States 61 The Good, The Bad and The Nerdy (The Numerator 2.0) [22]
11 May 2008 Brussels  Belgium
25 May 2008 Stormont Belfast  United Kingdom 47 Ruddell Metals [23]
8 June 2008 Praia do Futuro Fortaleza, Ceará  Brazil 39 Elvis não morreu, bebeu! (Elvis did not die, drank!)
6 September 2008 550 metres Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  United States Deuces Wild
7 September 2008 West 4th Avenue Vancouver, British Columbia  Canada [24]
21 September 2008 400 metres Corrida em Porto Alegre Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul  Brazil 29 Gangster's Team Gravity Race
4 October 2008 Eden Park Cincinnati, Ohio  United States
25 October 2008 Denver, Colorado  United States
29 24 May 2009 Maçka Istanbul  Turkey 60 FIRE(Ateş)
29 August 2009 10th Street, Piedmont Park Atlanta, Georgia  United States Yongsa Dragon Breath
6 September 2009 Medellín  Colombia
26 September 2009 Grand Ave. and 5th Street Los Angeles, California  United States Ironheade 105000
18 October 2009 Sacher Park Jerusalem  Israel
24 September 2010 Diepkloof Xtreme Park Soweto  South Africa 50+ Team Zooma [20]
6 November 2010 Fundidora Park Monterrey  Mexico
23 April 2011 Estrada da Rainha Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina  Brazil
23 May 2011 Los Angeles, California  United States 38 The Lakers Fanwagon 115000 [25]
12 June 2011 Zagreb  Croatia
3 July 2011 Stockholm  Sweden
25 September 2011 Parque Nacional de Bogotá Bogotá  Colombia 60
2 October 2011 Praça do Papa Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais  Brazil Red Bule Uai Sô
21 November 2011 Santiago  Chile 68
5 May 2012 380 metres Brussels  Belgium 85 Toga Max 2
10 June 2012 10th Street, Piedmont Park Atlanta, Georgia  United States 36 SweetWater [26]
16 September 2012 Austin Ranch Dallas, Texas  United States 40 Oregon Trail [27]
23 September 2012 Warsaw  Poland 80
15 October 2012 To Shek Street, Ma On Shan  Hong Kong  China 42 [6]
2 December 2012 Mumbai  India 50 [7]
19 April 2013 Muscat  Oman No Flying Yoke [8]
14 July 2013 500 metres Halde Hoheward Herten  Germany 68 Zeitrider 55,000
14 July 2013 420 meters Alexandra Palace London  United Kingdom 70 SpitPhya [3][13]
25 August 2013 Nygårdsparken Bergen  Norway
29 September 2013 Taipei National University of the Arts Taipei  Taiwan [28]
11 November 2013 Buenos Aires  Argentina
13 November 2013 700 metres Auckland Domain Auckland  New Zealand Team Zoom Car Wash
6 April 2014 400 metres La Heradura Lima  Peru 52 Rapidos Y Sabrosos 25,000
15 June 2014 Parc de Saint-Cloud Paris  France 50 Rugbyman en Folie 38,000
24 August 2014 Yesler Way Seattle, Washington  United States 36 Nickerson Street Saloon Rainier Rocket [29]
14 September 2014 Amfiteatrul Mihai Eminescu Bucharest  Romania 51 Vegetarian Cannibals
28 September 2014 National Palace of Culture Sofia  Bulgaria
28 September 2014 500 metres IFSC Headquarters Turin  Italy 61 Let There Be Rock 40,000
16 May 2015 350 metres Cauberg Hill Valkenburg  Netherlands 60 Der Mergelvreters [17][30]
12 July 2015 420 metres Alexandra Palace London  United Kingdom 65 Absolute Radio Breakfast Club [31]
99 29 August 2015 1,500 feet (460 m) Eden Park Cincinnati, Ohio  United States 41 Peep My Ride [32]
100 4 September 2015 Amman  Jordan
101 6 September 2015 300 metres Beaver Hall Hill Montreal, Quebec  Canada 45 The Docs (Back to the Future) 25,000 [33]
102 20 September 2015 400 metres Goiânia, Goiás  Brazil
103 24 October 2015 1,200 feet (370 m) North Ave, Old Fourth Ward Atlanta, Georgia  United States The Grease Monkeys [34]
31 October 2015 Montjuïc Barcelona  Spain 70 TMC Men in Blue
15 November 2015 Centennial Parklands Sydney  Australia
22 November 2015 700 metres Auckland Domain Auckland  New Zealand Red Stag Hunters
5 June 2016 St Patrick's Hill Cork  Ireland 60+ Jumbo Breakfast Roll [35]
3 September 2016 Colina Park Cluj-Napoca  Romania 41 [36]
11 September 2016 Atizapán Mexico City  Mexico Chile en Papas de Calabaza
9 October 2016 Baku  Azerbaijan
13 November 2016 Buddh International Circuit New Delhi  India [37]
13 November 2016 Hiranandani Gardens in Powai Mumbai  India 50 The Other Guys
27 November 2016 Calle Talinay, La Reina Santiago  Chile Calcetin Con Rombosman [38]
9 July 2017 420 metres Alexandra Palace London  United Kingdom Brooklands Special
19 August 2017 Helsinki  Finland
19 August 2017 350 metres Cauberg Hill Valkenburg  Netherlands 70 Return of the Legend
20 August 2017 The Botanical Garden Aarhus  Denmark
20 August 2017 Elysian Park Los Angeles, California  United States 61 OJ & the White Bronco
10 September 2017 410 metres Mont-de-l’Enclus Kluisbergen  Belgium 70 Pattyn Packing Lines
10 September 2017 La Rue d'Ouchy Lausanne   Switzerland 70 The Fly
24 September 2017 Palace of the Republic Almaty  Kazakhstan
1 October 2017 National Taiwan Sport University, Taoyuan Taipei  Taiwan
1 October 2017 Parc de Saint-Cloud Paris  France 51 Drum Team
23 October 2017 Yomiuriland Amusement Park Tokyo  Japan
24 June 2018 500 metres Villa Borghese Rome  Italy [1]
8 September 2018 1,500 feet (460 m) Eden Park Cincinnati, Ohio  United States The Sea Cowboys (aka the Swamp Monkeys)
9 September 2018 Parque Eduardo Sétimo Lisbon  Portugal The Mean Machine
7 July 2019 420 metres Alexandra Palace London  United Kingdom 59 Gas Gas Gas 20,000
15 September 2019 Kaunas  Lithuania 60 Klumpė
28 September 2019 The Colony Ranch The Colony, Texas  United States Skeeter Done, (aka the Swamp Monkeys)
6 October 2019 Yomiuriland Kawasaki, Kanagawa  Japan Banana Cabaret [39]
14 March 2020 Zona de Pits, Parque Metropolitano Santiago  Chile 30 Los Pícaros del Bío Bío [9][40]
7 June 2020[41] 500 metres[12] Piazzale Michelangelo Florence  Italy 70
18 June 2022 Iowa State Capitol Des Moines  United States 25,000 [42]
26 June 2022 Porta del Paese Città di San Marino  San Marino 40 Car-ota Gag Garage
3 July 2022 Alexandra Palace London  United Kingdom 67 Go Go Gadget Soapbox [43]
22 October 2023 Tbilisi  Georgia Tech Crush
3 March 2024 Indrohit Mail Road Hyderabad  India

Prizes

The winners of events receive a trophy and various special prizes, such as a trip to the Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix to meet Carlos Sainz (Hong Kong 2012[6]), a tour of the Red Bull Racing Factory, including a high performance track day (London 2013[3]). In the 2007 Providence race, the three highest scoring teams received trips.[22] A People's Choice Award is given to the audience's favorite team.[22] Prize money is also awarded for the best charity entrant - 5,000 Euros for the 2004 Cork race.[14]

Reception

In 2007, the New York Times contrasted the creative nature of the Red Bull series adult based teams, with the traditional American view of youth based Soap Box Derby, where design options were limited.[5] Reviewing the 2008 Belfast race, the News Letter related that it was "difficult to describe the quality of the lunacy on display"[23] Reviewing the 2011 Los Angeles event, the Huffington Post described it as a piece of rare wholesome fun so rare in modern-day big cities, and through the various designs and teams it showed creativity and the human spirit, with flashes of great ingenuity and engineering, and capturing the zeitgeist.[25] Previewing the 2015 London event, the Evening Standard described the series as a global phenomenon.[13] Reviewing the 2015 Montreal event, the Montreal Gazette said the races were not for the faint hearted, even for spectators.[33]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Red Bull Soapbox Race, approda su Blaze la corsa più stravagante del mondo". Wired (in Italian). January 15, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "La corsa di "auto" più pazza del mondo arriva a Firenze". FirenzeToday (in Italian). Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Thomas, Emily (July 15, 2013). "PHOTOS: Soapbox Races Make An EPIC Comeback". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "No horse but Flower Power at box cart race". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  5. 1 2 Hughes, C. J. (October 21, 2007). "Soapbox Derby - Red Bull". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 Soapbox racing takes off in Hong Kong, archived from the original on October 16, 2012, retrieved August 10, 2016
  7. 1 2 "India's first Red Bull Soapbox Race wows crowds - ZigWheels". ZigWheels.com. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Omanis lap up first Soapbox Race". gulfnews.com. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  9. 1 2 "Red Bull Soapbox Race 2020: Santiago de Chile". www.redbull.com. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Red Bull Soap Box Race 2020" (PDF). September 22, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Red Bull Soapbox Race 2020". www.redbull.com. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  12. 1 2 "Red Bull Soapbox Race 2020 - Rules" (PDF). Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Tally ho! Red Bull Soapbox Race 2015 headed for Alexandra Palace". May 12, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  14. 1 2 3 "Soapbox drivers didn't need any stimulants to fly without wings". The Irish Times. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  15. ↑ "SOAP BOX DERBY. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Students break soapbox record". BBC. May 23, 2008. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  17. 1 2 "Formula 1 gossip: Button, Maldonado, Grosjean, Hakkinen". BBC Sport. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  18. ↑ Alsop, Zac (August 3, 2019). "We Crashed badly in the Redbull Soapbox London". YouTube. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Soap stars box clever at park wacky races". www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  20. 1 2 "Fast and frikken ridiculous in Soweto". TravelStart Blog. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Red Bull energy drink brings iconic soapbox races to Fremont | The Falcon". www.thefalcononline.com. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  22. 1 2 3 Tyagi, Hari (October 15, 2007). "Soapbox cars race down College Hill". Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  23. 1 2 "Soapbox derby brings out the daring and the daft". www.newsletter.co.uk. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Red Bull Soapbox Race Makes First-Ever Canadian Pit Stop in Vancouver". Newswire Canada. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  25. 1 2 Political, Wyatt Closs; Strategist, Pop Culture; Observer, Keen; www.bigbowlofideas.com, Voracious Consumer (May 23, 2011). "2011 Red Bull Soapbox Race Designs -- Rate 'Em!". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  26. ↑ EndPlay (June 11, 2012). "Red Bull Soap Box Derby features crazy cars, racers". Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Ridiculously-dressed teams, cars falling apart at Red Bull Soapbox Race". Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Soap box racers compete in Taiwan". USA Today.
  29. ↑ "Red Bull Soapbox Race 2014". August 25, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  30. ↑ South, Holland Expat Center. "Red Bull Soapbox Race". Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Red Bull Soapbox Race: Dozens of home-made vehicles compete in madcap". July 12, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  32. ↑ Harrington, Ashley. "'Peep My Ride' wins 99th Red Bull Soapbox Race in Eden Park". Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  33. 1 2 "The meek will not inherit the world of Red Bull". September 7, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Greenville team wins soapbox race". Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  35. ↑ "More than 30,000 spectators for Red Bull Soapbox spectacular". June 6, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  36. ↑ "Cluj: 41 de vehicule artizanale inedite în concursul Red Bull Soapbox Race". Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Red Bull Soapbox Race Returns To India On November 13th - ZigWheels". ZigWheels.com. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  38. ↑ "Red Bull Soapbox Race Santiago 2016". November 27, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  39. ↑ "Red Bull Box Cart Race, 6th Oct, 2019 | Tokyo Cheapo".
  40. ↑ "Bases de Promoción 'Red Bull Soapbox Race 2020'". www.redbull.com. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  41. ↑ The race was originally set to be held on June 7, 2020, but was later cancelled due to the emergency measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On October 21 of the same year, the deputed jury gathered to select and rate seventy projects, awarding the best three ones.
  42. ↑ "Red Bull Soapbox Race Cruising Into Des Moines". www.catchdesmoines.com. January 24, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  43. ↑ "Red Bull Soapbox Race London 2022: Official Event Page". redbull.com. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
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