Soapbox Race
No potholes, cobblestones, or unfinished bridges could stop the team from Stellenbosch from winning the Red Bull Box Cart Race. Here's how they cooked up their victory...
The colourful streets of the Bo-Kaap in Cape Town, were brightened with more cheer on Sunday 6 November when 22,000 spectators enjoyed a day filled with thrills and spills.
The bold, the brave and the totally ‘bananas’ tackled the steep 600m track on the slopes of Signal Hill with the iconic Table Mountain as backdrop. In the end no South African-esque obstacle could stop The Potjie Boytjies team from winning the Red Bull Box Cart Race from some 57 other teams.
THE TRACK
The intricate track was designed by Giniel De Villiers and featured a cobblestoned obstacle course by one of the sponsors, American tyre company BFGoodrich, The Potjie Boytjies used their pot-like structured cart to navigate through at a proper pace (although one should never rush a real potjie, this one was on the boil). The team of five from Stellenbosch also delivered the most impressive skit performance ahead of their race, which wowed the judges and played an integral role in their victory — teams were judged on the creative concept of their carts, entertainment factor and speed.
THE WINNERS
“When we decided to submit our form three months ago, part of the discussion was looking at what it means to have the Box Cart Race coming back to South Africa after four years,” commented The Potjie Boytjies. “We knew we had to do something uniquely South African, so we thought what better way than to have a potjie pot which symbolises a mixture and melting pot of flavours just like our country is a melting pot of different cultures and different people. We saw that as a good representation of our country and just a weird thing to see on wheels.”
“We spent over a week in building this cart with a lot of luck and support from the Stellenbosch community like the bicycle shops who gave us brake sets and more - we couldn't have done it without them,” said The Potjie Boytjies.
THE JUDGES
The judging panel had their hands full as they witnessed entertaining skits, crashes and a few DNFs. The panel included musicians Courtnaé Paul and Nasty C, international German racer and half of the Red Bull Drift Brothers Team, Elias Hountondji, 2009 Dakar Rally winner and Red Bull athlete Giniel De Villiers, vibe bringer Smech Precious and DHL Stormers hooker Siyabonga 'Scarra' Ntubeni.
“The event was a great success, judging by the number of people in attendance. The atmosphere of the historical Bo-Kaap was incredible, it was beautiful to see the Red Bull Box Cart Race fit into its colourful character,” said 2009 Dakar Rally winner Giniel De Villiers. “It was a pleasure to be part of the judging panel and to see the intention and effort put into building the carts we judged.”
Since the inception of this concept and the first race which took place in Brussels 22 years ago, over 120 Red Bull Box Cart races have taken place in all parts of the world. This global family event continues to bring cheer across communities. Last held in 2018 in Sandton Johannesburg, all the teams celebrated the return and countrywide cheer of this event in fine, wacky style, but it was the Potjie Boytjies who got the concept just right.
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