Tens of Thousands Attend Red Bull Soapbox

An estimated 40,000 fans lined both sides of 10th Street and packed into Piedmont Park for the Red Bull Soapbox Race on Saturday afternoon.

And while there weren’t as many spills as there were three years ago when the event first came to Midtown, there were certainly plenty of thrills - as in the laughter variety.

Thirty-seven non-motorized vehicles sped, puttered and destructed along the race course and they came in a variety of shapes and designs. Pre-race choreographed dance routines and skits factored in the voting by the panel of judges, which including Atlanta City Councilman Alex Wan.

The teams came from eight different states inclduing California, but , located at 1144 Piedmont Avenue, only had to travel a few hundred yards to the starting line. Its soapbox was constructed to look like a "Fishbowl," the restaurant’s signature drink.

Other soapboxes were designed to look like women’s pink high-heeled shoes, a cornhole board, and the Georgia Tech ‘T’ among others.

When it was all done, the SweetWater Brewing Company’s entry took home first place honors with its flying fish design that sported retractable fins and the ability to pop wheelies along the course.

“It was a total team effort,” remarked SweetWater’s Team Leader, Brian O’Connell. “It’s a challenge to figure out how you can work within the limits and still do something that gets the crowd excited. It was a narrow margin, we just inched it out. It was fun to bring it home to Atlanta.”

Another local entry, the Atlanta Rollergirls Racing Devils, took home the People’s Choice Award. See our pictures from the festivities and we invite you to submit yours, too.

Did you attend the Red Bull Soapbox Race? What did you think?