Welton Soapbox Derby 2017
Last weekend was all about racing. On Saturday 15th July, I went to the Welton Soapbox Derby…again. Regular readers will appreciate that since the annual event was rebooted in 2014, I have been every year (previous reviews available below – read them if you can because it saves me writing the same things again).
I arrived in Welton around Midday and mooched around with my camera for a couple of hours. For your enjoyment,
I share some of my photos below.
The colour, the crowds and the chaos make the derby exciting and well worth attending but for me, the biggest appeal of the event is the creativity. Some of the soapboxes were just brilliant - imaginative, humorous and, but not always, well-constructed.
The White Horse pub, a model of the Welton boozer (steered with the walking stick), the Star Wars X-Wing fighter and Toothless the dragon were superb - the thought and attention to detail, amazing. Another contraption, shown below, was a more traditional, simple, timber framed design that saw the driver operating the steering with his feet. Bearing in mind that some of the racers were hitting 30mph, the chap was rather brave to have a go in this one. It must be so much harder to manage the subtle directional changes with your feet instead of your hands – the crash helmet very sensible.
The format followed that set in previous years, in fact some of the rides/riders were the same. With these things in mind, finding new angles for the write-up is getting more challenging. But I’ll have a go anyway.
I was chatting to one of the event crew at the Hollowell Steam Fair a few weeks before and learnt some interesting stuff.
Come on Lewis!
Click on any image to enlarge. Higher resolution images available, just get in touch if you'd like one.
I arrived in Welton around Midday and mooched around with my camera for a couple of hours. For your enjoyment,
I share some of my photos below.
The colour, the crowds and the chaos make the derby exciting and well worth attending but for me, the biggest appeal of the event is the creativity. Some of the soapboxes were just brilliant - imaginative, humorous and, but not always, well-constructed.
The White Horse pub, a model of the Welton boozer (steered with the walking stick), the Star Wars X-Wing fighter and Toothless the dragon were superb - the thought and attention to detail, amazing. Another contraption, shown below, was a more traditional, simple, timber framed design that saw the driver operating the steering with his feet. Bearing in mind that some of the racers were hitting 30mph, the chap was rather brave to have a go in this one. It must be so much harder to manage the subtle directional changes with your feet instead of your hands – the crash helmet very sensible.
The format followed that set in previous years, in fact some of the rides/riders were the same. With these things in mind, finding new angles for the write-up is getting more challenging. But I’ll have a go anyway.
I was chatting to one of the event crew at the Hollowell Steam Fair a few weeks before and learnt some interesting stuff.
- Like Glastonbury, it turns out that you need to book your slot early if you want to participate in the racing. This year’s entry process closed long in advance of the derby.
- The technology to support the event, broadcast, sound, speed measurement etc. is getting more and more sophisticated. You never know, maybe it will end up being televised before long.
- Entrants had come from as far afield as the Isle of Wight. I can only presume that the crews that were prepared to travel that kind of distance must have been the ones that rocked up with the most professionally presented and fabricated racing machines. You are going to want to win if you are going to go to all the expense of travelling so far.
Come on Lewis!
Click on any image to enlarge. Higher resolution images available, just get in touch if you'd like one.
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