Red Bull Soapbox Races in Atlanta
Saturday morning came and it was a rare weekend day when I have nothing planned. I immediately remember seeing a Reddit post about the Red Bull soapbox races happening today, October 24th 2015, and I decide to make it a plan for a day of entertainment and photo opportunities.
After grabbing a quick shower, I check the location of the races a again on Google Maps. I decide it would be wise to take the Marta train south and just walk North Street to avoid traffic and parking problems. This proves to be a wise choice later.
Next I grab my bag of camera gear that was sitting on my kitchen table. It was already packed with everything I would need and so I rushed out the door to drive to the North Point train station in Dunwoody. It was about fifteen minutes after 10am at this point and figured I would make it to the races just as the pits opened at 11am, so I could get a close view of the cars and teams.
I spent about hour walking around the pits observing and shooting photos of the various teams and their creations on four wheels. Some were very creative in their design with well thought engineering. Some were a little less creative and obvious not much time spent on engineering either.
After hearing that the races would start soon, I exited the pits and headed down the hill that held the track form with hay bales, mobile fencing and a wooden jump. Crowds had already lined the track and was near impossible to get anywhere near the most exciting point, the jump. So I found a spot that offered a possibility of getting a decent view of the cars from the start and that is where I stayed for the length of the event.
I was at least able to see the teams perform their skits on a giant big screen monitor across from me and then watch as the cars launched down a ramp onto the course. As each car staged on the ramp, a fellow crowd member but stranger to myself would comment about the car and predict if it would make it down to the bottom of the hill in one piece. Often we were right in our predictions but a few times we both were surprised.
The sun came out in short bursts, breaking through the cloud cover but temperature remained mild which was good for all those in attendance. We have to think this was especially good for those teams dressed up in elaborate costumes.
About midway through the race, Red Bull sent out young ladies with coolers full of the their popular beverage. They handed them out to all those along the hay bails of the track and I was lucky to get one myself. Not a huge fan of the beverage but it was ice cold and refreshing at the time.
By the end of the day, over 30 cars and teams had performed hilarious skits and piloted some interested creations down the course. Some did it with style, some did it with speed and some did with both while others failed to even make it down the full course. Not matter how well the teams performed or were scored it was entertaining for the crowd who all seemed to be in good spirits enjoying the antics and the teams all seemed to be having fun as well making for a great free event in the middle of the Atlanta, Georgia. If you missed it, I highly suggest attended next year’s race.
Most of the images from the event seen here can be purchased through my stock photo agency here.