Sandton Drive readies for gravity-powered Red Bull Box Cart Race

Homemade carts, wild costumes, daring drivers, and spectacular crashes are coming to Sandton Drive.

Forget the usual Sunday lunch, mall outing, or lazy afternoon on the couch on October 4 and head to Sandton Drive in Sandton for a day of gravity, guts, and chaos.

Read more: WATCH: Box cart races down Sandton Drive

The Red Bull Box Cart Race is making its return to Johannesburg and is set to transform Sandton Drive into a downhill playground where homemade carts will race towards the finish line with nothing but gravity powering them.

The event is expected to leave spectators on the edge of their seats as teams take on a course filled with jumps and obstacles, while trying to keep their unusual creations and themselves in one piece.

But while speed is important, winning is not simply about being the fastest. Teams must first impress judges and the crowd with a skit before launching their carts down the course.

Among the teams preparing for the race are Noma Yini, whose concept draws inspiration from township hustle, and Kwik Kwik Nawu Nawu, a group of final-year mechanical engineering students from the University of Cape Town.

For Noma Yini, the race is about more than building an unconventional vehicle. “That spirit of hustle, creativity and resourcefulness is what our name represents,” the team said, describing its approach as “creative, kasi, unpredictable”.

The team also sees the event as an opportunity to challenge perceptions about who belongs in spaces such as the Box Cart Race. “We wanted to say, ‘Why not us? Why can’t we be here, have fun and create something crazy too?'” the team said.

For Kwik Kwik Nawu Nawu, meanwhile, the race offers one final adventure before its members graduate and go their separate ways. “For most of us, this is probably one of the last times we’ll all be together before we graduate and go our separate ways,” the team said. “So we thought, why not build one last crazy project together?”

Their cart is designed around a chaotic delivery mission, with the race representing its final delivery. And despite the fun and theatrics, the students have their eyes firmly on the prize.

“First and foremost, we want to win. We’ve put a lot of thought into it, and we think we’re going to absolutely kill it,” the team said.

Also read: Box Cart Day at Junior College in Sunninghill

Once the skits are over, the real test begins. The carts are entirely homemade and non-motorised, with no engines, batteries, or other external sources of power allowed. Gravity provides the propulsion, while functioning steering and brakes are compulsory.

The course is expected to provide its own share of drama, with jumps and obstacles designed to test both the carts and their drivers.

The Red Bull Box Cart Race takes place from 11:00, and entry is free.

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