The Red Bull Soapbox Race is a soapbox race organised by the Red Bull company. First held in 2000, over a hundred races have been held in multiple countries around the world.
History
The inaugural event was held in Brussels in 2000. Races have since been held across the globe, from South Africa to Australia. It didn't arrive in the United States until 2006, by which time 35 races had taken place. Also there were no races in Jamaica until 2007, which was the 36th race. The 40th race was the first in Northern Ireland in 2008. The first race in Colombia was the 48th race much later in 2009.
Rules
The vehicles must have steering and braking capability. 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.
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. The Cork 2004 course down St. Patrick's Hill was the steepest ever used at the time.
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, a tour of the Red Bull Racing Factory, including a high performance track day. In the 2007 Providence race, the three highest scoring teams received trips. A People's Choice Award is given to the audience's favorite team. Prize money is also awarded for the best charity entrant - 5,000 Euros for the 2004 Cork race.
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. Reviewing the 2008 Belfast race, the News Letter related that it was "difficult to describe the quality of the lunacy on display" 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. Previewing the 2015 London event, the Evening Standard described the series as a global phenomena. Reviewing the 2015 Montreal event, the Montreal Gazette said the races were not for the faint hearted, even for spectators.
