The Red Bull Soapbox Race or Red Bull Box Cart Race is a soapbox race organised at least once a year by Red Bull. During its final phase, amateur pilots challenge one another by presenting hand-made, motor-less vehicles, judged for their aesthetics, their speed and their road-holding.
Originality and extravagance play an even greater role in the competition, as each team is also rated for their showmanship and the soapboxes are often inspired by folklore, pop culture, motorsport or everyday-life themes in their creation. Some notable examples include Pokémon-based karts and playful reproductions of the Popemobile or Mr. Bean's Mini.
First held in 2000, over a hundred races have been held in multiple countries around the world ever since, usually attracting thousands of spectators and putting the primary focus on the most creative and entertaining side of the competition.
History The inaugural event was held in Brussels, Belgium on April 30, 2000. Races have since been held all across the world, covering every single continent at least once, excluding Antarctica. The first race out of Europe took place on March 30, 2003, when the sixth edition was organized in Auckland, New Zealand: this was also the first time the competition was held in Oceania. Auckland would later host the soapbox race thrice more, in 2005, 2013 and 2015.
In 2004, the event was organized in four different locations throughout the year, including Durban, South Africa. The same location was chosen one year later, and the country would host the competition twice more, in 2006 (in Johannesburg) and 2010 (in Soweto): South Africa still represents the only African nation to have held the soapbox race.
The competition first arrived in the United States in 2006, when a new edition was held in St. Louis, Missouri: ever since, a total number of seventeen races have taken place throughout the country.
In 2007, the race spread to the Caribbean for the first time, as Jamaica hosted a new edition. Instead, South America first got to know the event better the following year, when two different editions were held in Brazil: the first one took place in Fortaleza on June 8, while the second one was organized in Porto Alegre on September 21.
The circle was completed between 2012 and 2017, with four subsequent editions being organized in the same number of Asian countries: China (although the event was hosted in Hong Kong), India, Taiwan and Oman.
Currently, 2017 has featured the largest amount of races, with eleven different races taking place between Europe, North America and Asia throughout the year.
2020 actually featured just one edition of the race, held in Santiago (the third time overall, as the Chilean capital city had already hosted the event in 2011 and 2016) on March 14. The second one was set to be held in Florence, Italy on June 7, but was later cancelled due to the emergency measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Still, the seventy selected projects were rated and awarded by the deputed jury in October of the same year.
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 as they completed the course in 33 seconds. The Cork 2004 course down St. Patrick's Hill was the steepest ever used at the time.
Notable participants In 2008, a team from Queen's University Belfast set the world speed record for soapbox racers at Stormont, Northern Ireland, at , before entering the vehicle, Equmes 1, into the Red Bull race at Stormont later in the week.
On May 16, 2015, the Dutch racing driver Max Verstappen, a Formula One driver for the Red Bull racing team himself, opened the race in Valkenburg, Netherlands, driving a soapbox that resembled his own STR10 racing car.
On 7 July 2019, YouTubers Zac Alsop and Jamie Rawsthorne of "The Zac and Jay Show" entered the London race. In a Monopoly-themed run, they threw around £1,000 into the crowd.
In September 2024, YouTuber TomSka and a team from Surfshark VPN entered the race in Kaunas, Lithuania as part of an advertising campaign. The cart was themed around a toilet and had TomSka piloting the cart 'naked', though in reality he was wearing skin-coloured underwear, with the tagline "Why are you sharing your data, but not this?". TomSka also revealed that he had planned to film an episode for his series "TryHards" at the race alongside collaborator Eddie Bowley but that they had failed to secure places in time.
Popular podcast Have a word Entered the Race in 2024 with Adam Rowe and Sensei Carl behind the wheel, they did this as a special for Their Patreon
Races No.DateCourse lengthLocationCityCountry/RegionEntrantsWinning teamSpectatorsReference130 April 2000Brussels22 September 2001Roundhay ParkLeeds50The Garage32 September 2001Kurpark OberlaaVienna417 March 2002Melbourne57 July 2002Bern62Kuhl Runnings58 September 2002Bochum630 March 2003Auckland DomainAuckland80Rubber Duck Racing44,00072004820 June 2004St Patrick's HillCork63Crazy Babies98 August 2004Knebworth ParkStevenage84Team Volvet Underground1017 October 2004Trematon DriveDurban67Team Flower Power28 November 2004Lansdowne StreetMelbourne94BBQ boys from Monbulk2005La Rue d'OuchyLausanne2005Trematon DriveDurban70+13 February 2005Auckland DomainAuckland80Wanganui Motors Transformers18 September 2005Schloss SolitudeStuttgart27 August 2006Jan Smuts AvenueJohannesburg5424 September 2006Kurpark OberlaaVienna29 October 2006Forest ParkSt. Louis, Missouri42Fast Food11 August 200743The Pier One Team30 September 2007Fremont Avenue to North 36th StreetSeattle, WashingtonThe A-Team14 October 2007College HillProvidence, Rhode Island61The Good, The Bad and The Nerdy (The Numerator 2.0)11 May 2008Brussels25 May 2008StormontBelfast47Ruddell Metals8 June 2008Praia do FuturoFortaleza, Ceará39Elvis não morreu, bebeu! (Elvis did not die, drank!)6 September 2008Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaDeuces Wild7 September 2008West 4th AvenueVancouver, British Columbia21 September 2008Corrida em Porto AlegrePorto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul29Gangster's Team Gravity Race4 October 2008Eden ParkCincinnati, Ohio25 October 2008Denver, ColoradoTeam Save Ferris2924 May 2009MaçkaIstanbul60FIRE(Ateş)29 August 200910th Street, Piedmont ParkAtlanta, GeorgiaYongsa Dragon Breath6 September 2009Medellín26 September 2009Grand Ave. and 5th StreetLos Angeles, CaliforniaIronheade105,00018 October 2009Sacher ParkJerusalem24 September 2010Diepkloof Xtreme ParkSoweto50+Team Zooma6 November 2010Fundidora ParkMonterrey23 April 2011Estrada da RainhaBalneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina23 May 2011Los Angeles, California38The Lakers Fanwagon115,00012 June 2011Zagreb3 July 2011Stockholm18 July 2011Heroiv Krut AlleyKyiv4325 September 2011Parque Nacional de BogotáBogotá602 October 2011Praça do PapaBelo Horizonte, Minas GeraisRed Bule Uai Sô21 November 2011Santiago685 May 2012Brussels85Toga Max 210 June 201210th Street, Piedmont ParkAtlanta, Georgia36SweetWater1 July 2012Krylatskoye Cycling CircuitMoscow5616 September 2012Austin RanchDallas, Texas40Oregon Trail23 September 2012Warsaw8015 October 2012To Shek Street, Ma On Shan422 December 2012Mumbai5019 April 2013MuscatNo Flying Yoke14 July 2013Halde HohewardHerten68Zeitrider55,00014 July 2013Alexandra PalaceLondon70SpitPhya25 August 2013NygårdsparkenBergen29 September 2013Taipei National University of the Arts Taipei11 November 2013Buenos Aires13 November 2013Auckland DomainAucklandTeam Zoom Car Wash6 April 2014La HeraduraLima52Rapidos Y Sabrosos25,00015 June 2014Parc de Saint-CloudParis50Rugbyman en Folie38,00024 August 2014Yesler WaySeattle, Washington36Nickerson Street Saloon Rainier Rocket14 September 2014Amfiteatrul Mihai EminescuBucharest51Vegetarian Cannibals28 September 2014National Palace of CultureSofia28 September 2014IFSC HeadquartersTurin61Let There Be Rock40,00016 May 2015CaubergValkenburg60Der Mergelvreters12 July 2015Alexandra PalaceLondon65Absolute Radio Breakfast Club9929 August 2015Eden ParkCincinnati, Ohio41Peep My Ride1004 September 2015Amman1016 September 2015Beaver Hall HillMontreal, Quebec45The Docs (Back to the Future)25,00010220 September 2015Goiânia, Goiás10324 October 2015North Ave, Old Fourth WardAtlanta, GeorgiaThe Grease Monkeys31 October 2015MontjuïcBarcelona70TMC Men in Blue15 November 2015Centennial ParklandsSydney22 November 2015Auckland DomainAucklandRed Stag Hunters5 June 2016St Patrick's HillCork60+Jumbo Breakfast Roll3 September 2016Colina ParkCluj-Napoca4111 September 2016AtizapánMexico CityChile en Papas de Calabaza9 October 2016Baku13 November 2016Buddh International CircuitNew Delhi13 November 2016Hiranandani Gardens in PowaiMumbai50The Other Guys27 November 2016Calle Talinay, La ReinaSantiagoCalcetin Con Rombosman9 July 2017Alexandra PalaceLondonBrooklands Special19 August 2019TähtitorninvuoriHelsinkiSaippua Loota Kustoms19 August 2017CaubergValkenburg70Return of the Legend20 August 2017The Botanical GardenAarhus20 August 2017Elysian ParkLos Angeles, California61OJ & the White Bronco10 September 2017Mont-de-l’EnclusKluisbergen70Pattyn Packing Lines10 September 2017La Rue d'OuchyLausanne70The Fly24 September 2017Palace of the RepublicAlmaty1 October 2017National Taiwan Sport University, Taoyuan Taipei1 October 2017Parc de Saint-CloudParis51Drum Team23 October 2017Yomiuriland Amusement ParkTokyo24 June 2018Villa BorgheseRome8 September 2018Eden ParkCincinnati, OhioThe Sea Cowboys (aka the Swamp Monkeys)9 September 2018Parque Eduardo SétimoLisbonThe Mean Machine7 July 2019Alexandra PalaceLondon59Gas Gas Gas20,00015 September 2019Kaunas60Klumpė28 September 2019The Colony RanchThe Colony, TexasSkeeter Done, (aka the Swamp Monkeys)6 October 2019YomiurilandKawasaki, KanagawaBanana Cabaret14 March 2020Zona de Pits, Parque MetropolitanoSantiago30Los Pícaros del Bío Bío7 June 2020The race was originally set to be held on June 7, 2020, but was later cancelled due to the emergency measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On October 21 of the same year, the deputed jury gathered to select and rate seventy projects, awarding the best three ones.Piazzale MichelangeloFlorence70 18 June 2022Iowa State CapitolDes Moines 25,000 26 June 2022Porta del PaeseCittà di San Marino40Car-ota Gag Garage3 July 2022Alexandra PalaceLondon67Go Go Gadget Soapbox3 December 2022Lansdowne StreetMelbourne30,00027 August 2023AargauerstaldenBern44Hinteer Dem Lenkrad28,0008 September 2023Abdoun CorridorAmman39Team Shalati10,000+22 October 2023TbilisiTech Crush3 March 2024Ramanaidu StudiosHyderabad28Kranken Wagen22 June 2024Queen Elizabeth Park RoadEdmonton58Cock-A-Doodle Crew30,00022 June 2024Alexandra PalaceLondon59The Hurry Houdinis31 May 2025Iowa State CapitolDes MoinesRolling Fish Heads35,00014 June 2025Capitol HillSalt Lake City48The Desert Rats50,00019 July 2025DowntownLos Angeles16 May 2026DowntownLos Angeles40Donut Media13 September 2026Tallinn Song Festival GroundsTallinn45Yksi Kaksi Kolme - Sauna24,000 4 October 2026Sandton DriveJohannesburg57The Livingroom Referees
Prizes 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 Jr. (Hong Kong 2012), a tour of the Red Bull Racing Factory, including a high performance track day (London 2013). 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