Spectators from all over came to Mount Adams to watch nearly
40 teams compete for Red Bull Soapbox Race fame. Team Taco Bull took
home first place, and The Crapple Jax took home the People's Choice
Award.
- Location: Mount Adams
- Event Date: October 4, 2008
Event Details
On October 4, Red Bull Soapbox Race came screeching
into Cincinnati's Mount Adams area as 40 teams put their skills to the
test driving homemade human-powered soapbox cars down the urban
1/4-mile "track". They were challenged with steep descents, turns, and
ultimately, the clock as they strived for soapbox stardom and a place at
the podium.
More
than 30,000 race day revelers crowded Mt. Adams in hopes of
catching a glimpse of a flying pig, a crashing Barbie or a Mad Hatter on wheels at Red Bull Soapbox Race Cincinnati. Ultimately it was Canadian Team Taco Bull that sped into first place with their
north of the border charm and south of the border car, winning an
unforgettable NASCAR experience for each member.
“It’s our second Red Bull Soapbox Race. We wasted St. Louis and crashed because we were going too fast, so this one was a great race. Lots of fans cheering us on…everyone was excited. It’s the greatest excitement in the world!” exclaimed driver Greg Martin.
New York team Mummy’s Revenge took
the second spot and a high-performance race clinic where they’ll learn
to drive a real race car. Local favorite, Cincinnati Three-Way,
nabbed third place…good people to know as we hear they won a
blow-out viewing party courtesy of Red Bull. The People’s Choice
award, chosen via SMS voting, went to Cincinnati’s Westlake High
School students of The Crapple Jax.
Although soapbox racing was born in
Ohio, Red Bull Soapbox Race put a new spin on the concept by judging
human-powered racers on not just speed, but showmanship (read: really
bad dance performances) and creativity. Judges included Cincinnati Reds
pitcher Jared Burton, Eliot Sloan of Blessed Union of Souls,
wakeboard superstars JD Webb and Adam Errington and Bengal’s
Cheerleader Shannon Lake.
In anode to “Office Space”, E-Haw
and the Razor Thongs attempted to break all racing records by speeding
through the course via a stapler, correction: a swingline with wheels.
Unfortunately, a couple of bumps along the road caused the car to miss
the mark….but hey, it is a good story for the water cooler on Monday.
Other memorable moments included Jesus speeding down the course with
his holy rollers and Chicago to Cincinnati losing their way at carnage
corner (…and we thought they’d be prepared for a strong headwind).
While this sounds like fun and games, these quirky racers had to obey
some rules of the road. All driving machines must be entirely
human-powered – no stored power or external energy sources allowed.
Secondly, all vehicles must be less than six feet wide, less than 20
feet in length and no more than seven feet from the ground. And
finally, all crafts must weigh no more than 176 lbs (not including the
driver).
The pioneering adventure doesn’t
stop in Cincy… San Franciscans and Denverites get a chance to shake
their tail feathers and race at top speeds this fall. San Francisco
will take to the streets on October 18 and the Mile-High City makes it
driving debut on October 25.
