PLANS for Westbury’s Soapbox Derby are getting into top gear.
The event, planned for 22nd May, promises to be ‘The Steepest and Most Challenging Course in the UK’, winding (hurtling) down the picturesque chalk escarpment above at the White Horse.
A budget has been finalised for the event, with the members of the town council allocating up to £11,550 for the “largest engineering event in the south west” but councillors hope most of the cost will be covered by sponsorship.
Members of the planning and resources committee (P&R) confirmed the budget for the highly anticipated, high octane Soapbox derby at a meeting last week.
Cllr Michael Amos assured the other councillors that despite the committee allocating £11,550 for the event, the majority of the costs would be offset through sponsorship.
The Soapbox derby was supposed to be held last year but had to be postponed due to the restrictions put in place due to covid.
Teams of engineers will be up against colleges, schools and the general public to take on the obstacle laden course. The course length is 850m long with a max speed of 70kph with an average gradient of 8.4% and a maximum one of 18.4%.
There will be also be a drag race for local junior schools and a gravity race for the younger children.
The idea behind the event is to encourage more youngsters to find enjoyment in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) as well as cementing the link between the local industry/businesses and local schools through workshops.
Every White Horse Soapbox team will be asked to follow a historical engineering theme when it comes to decorating their vehicle. This could range from Viking Ships to the Pyramids.
“As a Westbury Town Councillor I’m really excited about business, education and a real appreciation of the Westbury’s green spaces all coming together for a brilliant event! “ said Cllr Michael Amos while project manager Ryan Child said, “I think I’m most looking forward to seeing how the teams incorporate the Historical Engineering Brief into a streamlined cart that won’t just fall apart!”
To enter or to find out more, visit http://whitehorsesoapbox.co.uk/
