Fareham team Go Go Gadget Soapbox inspired by Inspector Gadget wins Red Bull Soapbox Race 2022 in London

RACERS from Fareham inspired by a cartoon series have won this year’s Red Bull Soapbox Race in London.
By Freddie Webb
Published 4th Jul 2022, 15:11 BST
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Team Go Go Gadget Soapbox blitzed the competition in their Inspector Gadget inspired creation at the event at the weekend.

The squad of four friends consisted of two engineers, a mathematician, and a doctor.

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Fareham based Team Go Go Gadget Soapbox won the Red Bull Soapbox Race in London. Picture: Leo Francis / Red Bull Content Pool.Fareham based Team Go Go Gadget Soapbox won the Red Bull Soapbox Race in London. Picture: Leo Francis / Red Bull Content Pool.
Fareham based Team Go Go Gadget Soapbox won the Red Bull Soapbox Race in London. Picture: Leo Francis / Red Bull Content Pool.
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Charlie Gough, the team captain, was ecstatic with the result.

He said: ‘We thought we’d posted a good speed, but we didn’t think we were going to win! It feels amazing – this is our fourth time doing it and we’ve just been getting slowly better each time.

‘This year was the one, so we’re very happy.

‘The water jump was terrifying, but the whole course was petrifying.’

Fareham-based winners Go Go Gadget Soapbox posing for a portrait at the Red Bull Soapbox Race in London. Leo Francis / Red Bull Content Pool.Fareham-based winners Go Go Gadget Soapbox posing for a portrait at the Red Bull Soapbox Race in London. Leo Francis / Red Bull Content Pool.
Fareham-based winners Go Go Gadget Soapbox posing for a portrait at the Red Bull Soapbox Race in London. Leo Francis / Red Bull Content Pool.

The rest of the squad members of Go Go Gadget Soapbox include Julie Emmanuel, Lauren Webb and Al Stewart.

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While speeding down the track, the driver had to negotiate a daring water jump and a variety of obstacles to reach the finish line.

Many other vehicles fell foul while riding down the gruelling track, but the Go Go Gadget Soapbox managed to bring home the trophy.

A total of 67 teams hurtled down the course outside the Alexandra Palace, London, in front of a packed crowd of 18,000 people.

Team Go Go Gadget Soapbox competing at the Red Bull Soapbox Race in London. Picture: Mark Roe / Red Bull Content Pool.Team Go Go Gadget Soapbox competing at the Red Bull Soapbox Race in London. Picture: Mark Roe / Red Bull Content Pool.
Team Go Go Gadget Soapbox competing at the Red Bull Soapbox Race in London. Picture: Mark Roe / Red Bull Content Pool.

Spectators saw several incredible designs, including a Star Wars X-wing Fighter, Marvel Comics’ Deadpool squaring off against Wolverine, Wallace and Gromit, and a soapbox inspired by Fortnite.

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Some people travelled from as far as Cumbria and Devon to compete in the event, with one team taking a seven hour flight from Dubai to feature in the race.

SEE ALSO: Pictures show wreckage of five-vehicle crash that caused a main Portsmouth road to close

As well as the fastest time, competitors were judged on their creativity, with the most outrageous, the preposterous and the ostentatious designs being credited.

Showmanship and personality was also considered by the judges, with competitors making 20-second performances before the race.

The judging panel consisted of Kriss Kyle – Red Bull athlete and professional BMXer – Sunni, award winning break-dancer, presenter and content creator Elz The Witch, and the motorcycle collective, VC London.

It was the first Soapbox Race since 2019, having previously been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Related topics:FarehamLondonSpectators