Amateur racers from around the world have donned wacky costumes to take part in Red Bull’s Soapbox Race.
On Sunday, thousands of people flocked to Alexandra Palace in London to see the event’s return to the UK.
Amateur drivers and crews made soapboxes for the downhill race.
Participants in the Red Bull Soapbox Race, Alexandra Palace in London (Jonathan Brady/PA).PA Wire/PA Photos – Jonathan Brady
Rookie Duckies, a team from Lancashire, participated in the race with their soapbox Quack-In–A-Box.
It was inspired from the idea of a Jack-in-the Box with a huge duck on a spring. The team members dressed as a duck or a large egg.
Melanie Heyworth, Rookie Duckies pilot told the PA news agency. “We haven’t a clue what we’re doing but we’re here for the laughs.
Around 70 teams of amateur drivers took part (Jonathan Brady/PA)PA Wire/PA Images – Jonathan Brady
“We wanted a design that would make people smile, so general silliness, over-the-top costumes and lots of colour were our main objectives.”
“The teams have been great – lots of support, lots of camaraderie.”
Each team consisted of four people – which included one driver, one co-driver and two pit crew.
Participants were judged on creativity, speed, and showmanship by a star judging panel consisting of Kriss Kyle, Red Bull breakdancer Sunni and Elz the Witch.
Many of the crews were inspired from their favorite TV shows and fictional characters in films like Top Gun, Harry Potter, Ghostbusters.
One team, The Handsome Homes, included a large donut on their bright pink soapbox. The Pink Lightning was inspired by The Simpsons.
Their entire vehicle crashed after the crew made their first jump. “exploded”.
Each soapbox vehicle is unique and inspired from TV shows or films (Jonathan Brady/PA).PA Wire/PA Photos – Jonathan Brady
“This is our third year doing the Red Bull Soapbox event and we really enjoy it,”Dan, one among The Handsome Homers, spoke to the PA news agency.
“I think we are starting to build a theme of crashing on the first jump which is exactly what we did in 2019 and exactly what we did this year.
“We went over that first jump, nose-hit the ground, the whole thing exploded – polystyrene and pieces of car went everywhere… And we had to pull the entire thing down the hill just like we did in 2019.”
Rebel Alliance, another team, hails from Sherfield on Loddon in Hampshire. They said that they had been working on Star Wars-themed soapboxes for over a year.
It was called Rebel Alliance X Wing and had four wings that crossed in an X formation. The team was dressed in Star Wars costumes, including Storm Trooper outfits.
One crew dressed up as pigeons to race (Jonathan Brady/PA).PA Wire/PA Photos – Jonathan Brady
Hayley Claughton (42), a member of the team, shared her story with PA: “Performing in front of cameras, our family and friends is nerve-wracking but very exciting.
“Our soapbox has been in the making since 2018 but Covid got in the way.
“We all loved the Red bull Soapbox competition and figured after so much time apart with lockdown it would be a great project for our three families to work on.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience and a dream of ours.”
Team Oral Health attempted to clean up the track with their vehicle that promotes good dental hygiene. They raced in You Know The Drill, a toothpaste-shaped soapbox.
They were dressed in scrubs, blue gloves, and carried toothbrushes.
Team Go Go Gadget Soapbox was crowned overall winner of the event for the soapbox that was inspired by Inspector Gadget.