Cart race for '40-year-old kids'

Soapbox cart racers must adhere to strict safety rules

Teams of soapbox cart builders and racers are preparing for the longest distance race of its kind to be staged in Britain.

The Cairngorm Soapbox Extreme will pit the skills of up to 24 groups against each other on a two mile track.

It uses the CairnGorm Ski Resort road, which varies from flat to a gradient of 1 in 10.

One of the organisers joked those taking part were mostly "40-year-old kids" with an interest in engineering.

Stephen Hall said: "It is predominantly kids who have never really grown up, or blokes with sheds.

There are very strict rules on safety Stephen Hall

"Many are from an engineering background."

Some teams pride themselves in constructing aerodynamic machines for under £100 while others are willing to spend £200 on materials.

Mr Hall said: "There are very strict rules on safety. We require them to have effective steering and good brakes and we test these before they can take part.

"There are also some restrictions on dimensions."

The idea to race down the CairnGorm was first suggested a year ago. It has been organised by the Scottish Cartie Association.

The road will be closed during the races on 25 and 26 July.

Sixteen teams have entered so far, with a maximum of 24 fixed so the event remains manageable.

Fastest soapbox

Entrants include Alford Bowling Club in Aberdeenshire and teams from Renfrewshire, Ayrshire, Berwickshire, Lincolnshire and Cheshire.

Team and cart names include The Cheats, Tickettyboo 2 and Bitter and Twisted.

The team behind the world's fastest soapbox cart are to compete at the inaugural event.

Suffolk-based Formula Gravity's VXR Nimbus reached a speed of 62mph at an event in Eastbourne last September.

The VXR Nimbus was built as part of a schools and engineering project.

It was driven by Jonny Ackroyd, nicknamed The Twig - a play on BBC Top Gear programme's driver The Stig.