WILTSHIRE’S leading high tech companies and educators will be hurtling themselves down the picturesque escarpment of the White Horse at Westbury’s first official Soapbox Derby this summer.
Elite teams of engineers from across the county will be battling it out to see who can build the best soapbox cart and avoid all the route obstacles to get the fastest time possible on 21st May.
Each team will individually race three times down Long River Hill and the soapbox that manages the fastest time will be crowned the winner. Teams that will face-off against each other include: Royal Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, Wiltshire College, University Motorsport, University Engineering and AB Dynamics.
Ryan Child, Westbury Town Council’s events manager said, “The event is focussed on being a practical introduction to STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) for the county’s young people, plus a real test for seasoned engineers. The first run will be at 11am, although the event itself, which features live music, a beer tent and an engineering fair, will start at 10am.”
The course itself has been described by organisers as the steepest and most challenging course in the UK, with a maximum gradient of 18.4% and a top speed of 40 mph.
The course is extremely steep, so five obstacles will be set up to increase the technical difficulty of the course. Teams must also design their soapboxes with a clear Historical Engineering Theme in mind.
The engineering fair has also grabbed the attention of leading high tech institutions including the Dyson Foundation, Nuffield Research, Raspberry PI and the Institute of Design Engineers, all of which will be showcasing their expertise, opportunities and fun exhibits through the day. According to the organisers, White Horse Soapbox Derby will serve as the first outdoor, all-action engineering fair in the UK.
In addition to the main race, the White Horse Soapbox Junior Derby will challenge primary school children to ‘drag race’ their self-propelled cars over 30 metres.
Parking is limited on site so a park and ride service will be running around Westbury through the day, with more information available on ‘White Horse Soapbox’ on Facebook.
Local businesses Arke Ltd, Daykin Estates and Torn have sponsored the event, ensuring it to be a day to remember.
