The Idea
My idea and I apologise if it includes many other people’s ideas, is as follows. I must not forget my father and grandfather, who were an important part of my formative years, making me and keeping me on the road in various soapboxes. It has not escaped me that the many miles that I covered on the downhill farm tracks and nearby roads from about the age of five probably was the reason that I was able to have a successful rally career.
I feel the time has now come for people of all ages to return to their youth and get involved in soapbox rallying: fathers and sons; brothers and sisters; grandparents and grandchildren.
This is also an open invitation to any school, youth groups, colleges; in fact, anybody from any walk of life; we will even take entries from the W.I. The only qualification is a will to get on and do something that doesn’t involve sitting in front of a screen or propping up a bar. I would welcome a technically advanced soapbox from, say, a technical college.
But the big problem is making a start. It is not realistic to organise an event when there is an uncertain number of soapboxes of so many different specifications and sizes. I openly invite people to get on and make a rally soapbox and when we have about 40 we can get together and organise an event. In fact, Durham Automobile Club, one of the longest serving and most respected clubs in the North East, has indicated a willingness to put on a soapbox rally event. I feel that because there is no engine involved there are no regulations that are likely to hinder us from running such an event. A rally soapbox probably has a much right of way as a pedal cycle. Councils and Police Forces do not hesitate to encourage road closure for cycling events; I would hope that a rally soapbox event would attract similar support, especially if the event was run in aid of a suitable charity with a good sum of money raised.
But I am a realist and it may be that some Health and Safety type (somebody who hasn’t had a childhood) gets in the way. But let’s worry about that when the time comes.
There are undoubtedly hundreds of standard soapboxes around the country but if we are to organise a competition that will be fought out perhaps to the 100ths of a second, it is fairly important that a set of regulations covering the soapboxes are introduced and in particular any new-builds are built to last for years and to meet competitive regulations longer term. At an earlier event it may be that any old soapbox would be allowed to run but it seems somewhat unfair if the design of it is such that it holds a competitive edge and other people are not, for one reason or another, able to replicate the design. My intention is that eventually events should run with the rally soapboxes being of similar design; hence similar speed. Therefore the emphasis would return to the form we have always grieved for, that of the best driver who wins on the day.
The technical regulations I suggest are based on my own experience and are intended as a starting point bench mark, bearing in mind the idea is to get quantity of soapboxes and not quality. The white rally soapbox that is pictured was built using new parts for a total cost of £69, but I expect that many people will go for a similar but more advanced design. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that as far as construction is concerned the speed will be generated by the type of wheels and wheel bearings that are used.
On the other hand, the blue soapbox (pictured) is an original design. The owner claims that he spent less than £9, using second-hand BMX wheels. The soapbox is a little on the high side, meaning it is unstable and has no brakes. Any soapbox without brakes cannot be allowed to compete.