LISTEN/WATCH: Local chaps win the 2018 Red Bull Box Cart Race in Benoni-built bobsled
The green Lycra-wearing Benonians were the champions of the day.
Benoni has long had an association with wacky Red Bull events.
In the early 2000s, the energy drink company brought the Red Bull Flugtag to Homestead Dam where thousands of people gathered to watch home-made, human-powered flying machines pile off a six-metre-high ramp into the water below with the hopes of achieving flight.
Fast-forward to 2018 and a similar concept returned to Gauteng, this time the Red Bull Box Cart Race, which returned after an eight-year hiatus.
An eventful action-packed day saw Benoni’s own team, SA Bobsled, electrify the 25 000-strong crowds and the esteemed judging panel to win in spectacular fashion.
They impressed with their booty-shaking dance routine and a near flawless plunge down Johannesburg’s 500m Sandton Drive to be awarded the title and the winner’s trophy on September 16.
The winning team, dressed to the nines in body-hugging, green Lycra outfits, was a family affair with brothers Stuart and Gareth Turner teaming up with their father John and long-time friend Lloyd Herbst to make the bobsled.
The Red Bull Box Cart Race isn’t just about who blasts down the course in the fastest time, but the teams must also entertain the spectators and impress the judges with a slick dance routine.
Designed by South African off-road racer and Dakar Rally winner Giniel de Villiers, the 500m snaking course was a challenging one with all the requisite banked corners and jumps to challenge even the sturdiest of carts.
John said the guys originally entered a kart in 2006, but didn’t really come anywhere then.
“We had done it before, but it was just for fun then,” said Gareth.
“It came up again this year and we thought ‘hell, let’s just give it a go’.
“We did a bit of a sketch for a cart, sent it off and a few weeks later they said ‘you guys are in’.
“They had a couple thousand entries apparently and narrowed it down to 80 teams with 70 racing on the day.
“We ended up as champions.”
Stuart said the inspiration behind the bobsled idea was to create something unique that would initially get them into the cart race.
“Anyone can do a shopping cart, but we tried to put a twist on it.
“Everyone thinks it was us trying to do a Cool Runnings style, but at the end of the day South Africa doesn’t have a bobsled team, so the concept was wacky enough to get us in.”
Asked how long it took to put the cart together, John added: “There were quite a lot of beers had and a lot of late nights fiddling about, trying to sort it out.
“Gareth came out with the original design, but there were changes going on along the way and eventually it all came together.
“We tested it aerodynamically by having a braai in front of it with a fan.
“The smoke went perfectly over it so we knew it was aerodynamic.”
Manufactured at a small factory in Benoni South, the cart took about five weeks to be constructed.
Lloyd said the cart was made of ‘blood, sweat and tears’.
“It was quite a taxing experience.
“The frame is square tube and there’s a fibreglass shell on the front that is body fillered to hell and back – if I ever see any more body filler I’ll go crazy.
“The body filler made it look really good though in comparison to some of the other carts.”
Gareth, who drove the cart down Sandton Drive, said the scariest part of the race was the tricky chicane on the route.
“If we could get through there quickly without crashing we would do quite well and we did,” he said.
“We had the third fastest time down overall (51 seconds), but I think it was the good cart, good skit that we had combined with the outrageous costumes.
“The theme was followed from start to finish.”
Lloyd believes the green Lycra costumes won it for the team in the end.
“Lycra is comfortable, it just doesn’t look good,” he said.
“It’s not as breathable as you think, it’s hot as hell in there,” added Stuart.
They added they had to go to the bathroom in pairs, like women, to unzip the Lycra costumes from the back.
“Us manly okes are not that flexible, so it was quite bizarre,” said Gareth.
WATCH a video of team SA Bobsled in action:
The gents are hoping to defend their title if the event returns.
“We’ll always be putting our names down for events like this,” said John.
“It’s a group of guys getting together and being stupid for a couple of weeks and then being even more ridiculous on the day,” added Stuart.
LISTEN to the full interview which is running on Caxton Radio:
https://soundcloud.com/benoni-city-times/logie-g-interviews-the-2018-red-bull-box-cart-winners-the-sa-bobled-team-from-benoni
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