More than 35,000 spectators packed into Stormont Estate on Sunday as the Red Bull Soapbox Race returned to Belfast with a day of gravity-fuelled entertainment, elaborate creations and high-speed chaos.
Hosted by former Ireland rugby international Andrew Trimble and television presenter and social media personality Kayleigh Trappe, the event featured 40 teams from across the island of Ireland taking on the challenging downhill course in front of thousands of spectators.
Competitors navigated a 610m route featuring six purpose-built obstacles, including jumps, ramps and water hazards, with homemade soapbox machines put to the test in a colourful afternoon of racing and entertainment.
After a day filled with dramatic crashes, creative costumes and impressive engineering, the Wicklow team, “The Pretengineers”, claimed overall victory thanks to a standout combination of creativity, speed and showmanship. Armagh’s “Who You Gonna Call?” secured second place, while Newry team “Wheely Wonkas” completed the podium in third.
Competitors were judged by a panel including Irish hockey international Ayeisha McFerran, podcaster Gerry Lavs, motoring journalist Darren Liggett, fitness creator Keeva Neely, and DJ Onai, winner of Red Bull Turn It Up.
The event marked the return of the Red Bull Soapbox Race to the island of Ireland for the first time since 2016, when 30,000 spectators attended the Cork edition of the event. Stormont Estate previously hosted the spectacle in 2008.
First launched in Belgium in 2000, the Red Bull Soapbox Race has grown into a global phenomenon, combining creativity, engineering and fearless downhill racing in cities around the world.
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Image Credit: Red Bull Content Pool
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