Toulouse. Rain of stars, surprise obstacles… All you need to know about the soapbox race, Sunday
By Guillaume Laurent
Published on
It’s an event as crazy as it is refreshing in this new school year: the 5e national edition of the incredible Red Bull Soapbox Course is being held this Sunday, September 18, 2022, on the Hill of Pech David a Toulouse. Here’s what you need to know about this event.
What are the terms?
Not less of 40 teams – who passed their technical control this Saturday -, are expected for the occasion and the kick-off of the race will be given at the stroke of 14 hours. The organizer announces in particular “Bigflo & Oli and many celebrities in the jury”, as well as a “surprise performance by Sebastien Ogier, eight-time world rally champion, on the track…
The route will be 530 meters long, on a wide track of… 4 meters! Soapboxes were built of wood, cans, or straw bales and other objects of all kinds. Red Bull argues that “the descent promises to be perilous”, since four surprise obstacles have been installed on the track”, in this case a jump, a wave, an obstacle at 180°C and another with… rugby posts!
How to get there easily?
If several solutions are available to you to join the route, by public transport, the simplest and fastest is to get there with the new urban cable car of Toulouse. With teleo, the organizer announces access to the event by six-minute walk, from the Paul Sabatier University stop, or the Oncopole stop.
A rain of stars for the event
“The hill of Pech David will be “the place to be” this Sunday, according to the organizer, who is delighted: “An audience of personalities and high-level athletes will take turns in teams of four all afternoon”.
At the table of jurythere will be many athletes well known to the general public, including the WRC driver Sébastien Ogierthe wakeboarder Jules CharraudStade Toulousain player Romain Ntamackthe former skier Luc Alphandthe rally-raid driver Cyril Despres, or the KTM Red Bull Racing rider Camille Chapeliere. Three illustrious Toulouse residents will follow one another by their side to decide between the teams: the rappers Bigflo & Oli and the very young (and ultra-talented) free-runner Lilou Ruel.
“All of these personalities will be recognized by content creators that young viewers will recognize, such as Akams, Ophenya, Ben Nevert, Lutti and the duo Charles and Melanie »announces Red Bull, which specifies that a Snapchat lens will be available on race day.
Among the participants, some will ride the mechanics aboard… a chocolatine ! And there will also be the quartet of the The Zuave team, young people from Toulouse who set up… a soapbox in the shape of a cake… on a mower!
What are the scoring criteria?
To decide between the competitors, the juries will note team creativity according to two criteria. Four members of the jury each award 1 to 10 points for the originality of the engines they will have reviewed in the paddocks, and live four other members of the jury will each allocate 1 to 10 points for the choregraphy of 20 seconds that the teams will do just before setting off on the track…
the stopwatch time will be determined and validated on the condition that the soapbox crosses the finish line with all of his crew (pilot and co-pilot) on board.
The final result will be calculated by subtracting the creativity score (maximum 80 points) from the class time in seconds. the smallest note obtained will designate the winner. Any ties will be decided by the fastest race time. And Red Bull announces the color: “The participants will have to compete in mastery to try to cross the finish line in one piecebecause the last hairpin bend will spare no one”.
A taste of the surprises awaiting you
In addition to the race, Red Bull also promises “surprises” throughout the day, and already gives a taste of the program: it is the former winner of the ski world cup who has become a racing driver Luc Alphand opening the track. He will comment on his descent live in a soapbox.
Halfway through, Sébastien Ogier will go down and up the track car driving a cross. The eight-time world rally champion “will also be co-pilot of Mathieu T., the lucky winner of the Red Bull Soapbox Race competition and they will both descend in a gleaming crate”. And the organizer, who promises “a festive and good-natured atmosphere”, adds that Toulouse Stadium will also be in the spotlight, under the eyes of international opener Romain Ntamack:
“Spectators will certainly also be surprised to see an official Stade Toulousain soapbox at the start.
Practical information :
5th edition of the Red Bull Soapbox Race
Sunday, September 18, 2022
Hill of Pech David in Toulouse
Free access to the public
12 p.m.: opening of the site
2 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.: class
5:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.: prize giving
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