The Billericay Soap Box Derby is an annual event hosted by the Rotary Club of Billericay.
I hadn’t been able to go since 2018 (you can read about that event here: https://motorsportformentalhealth.com/2018/05/08/billericay-soap-box-derby-2018/) so it was nice to make a return to Sun Corner, especially on such a lovely spring day!
The Rotary Club of Billericay, along with all the participating teams, have really made a special event here and I hope that other organisations around the country take note.
Firstly there are teams entered by businesses such as these two very professional karts. The first was by TECNIQ – a design and engineering company based in Witham who work with automotive manufacturers on their “halo” cars such as the AMG Project 1.
Team TECNIQ also took the prize for best constructed soapbox.
The second was by ADP Classic Racing – a part of TECNIQ. ADP specialise in restorations and preparing vehicles for historic racing.
The soap box derby is also a great opportunity to raise awareness and money for their cause. There were quite a few entries for different charities, but the one I’m going to highlight today is REMAP with the REMAP Flyer.
REMAP have 65 branches across the U.K and provide custom made equipment to help disabled people with unique needs. You can learn more about them here: http://remap.org.uk
Finally, some of the local schools get involved!
Brightside Primary School entered the kart below, which won the prize for the fastest student entry! Quilters Junior School and a couple of local nurseries also had entries.
I think this kind of event is fantastic for schools to get involved in. At junior level, building the karts is great for creativity and learning to work together as a team. At a higher level its a good step to learning about chassis development, how brakes, steering and tyres work. You could even use them as a platform to teach basic aerodynamics.
It’s a brilliant thing for kids that want to get into motorsport/automotive or STEM in general. Hopefully more schools field teams in the future!
Here are a few other entries around the pits that really caught my attention. There were a lot of really creative entries!
The space ship by NASA (Nerdy Adults Showing Age if I remember correctly) and the house from Up were very cool!
The Star Wars team, pictured above, won the fastest wacky racer prize!
When it was time to race I set myself up by the launch ramp. Some of the teams had dance routines and shows before launching the karts. It was good fun!
There was also a small collection of classic cars on display from the South Eastern Vintage & Classic Vehicle Club, including their little Morris Minor van “Buttercup”.
A green MGA and a early MG Midget.
A Mk1 Cortina in a very pleasant two-tone green.
A Wolseley 15/60 from the Pininfarina designed range of BMC cars.
Classic icons! A VW bus and Mini.
A 4th generation/SN95 Ford Mustang.
This is a Daihatsu Charade, which is a very rare little car these days and a pleasant suprise to see.
My favourite car there was this little pre-war Singer. (I believe it’s a Series Nine but please correct me if I’m wrong). It was a wonderful little thing!
According to the Phoenix FM website (https://www.phoenixfm.com/2024/05/07/thousands-bask-in-the-sun-at-the-billericay-soapbox-derby/) an estimated 10,000 people came out to watch the racing which is a superb turn out! I hope everyone that went had a great time, and I hope to see you all again next year!
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By Richard Francis
