Members of the public are being invited to Barrow Park in Barrow-in-Furness this coming Sunday (June 23) to get an early look at vehicles designed and built by teams from across the North West for the inaugural Barrow BID Super Soapbox Challenge, to be held during the final weekend of the month.
Entrants to the event – taking place in the town centre on Saturday June 29, will gather at Barrow Park one week ahead of the challenge to have their vehicles checked-over by the organisers’ scrutineering team.
The scrutineers will check each vehicles’ safety by ensuring all rules have been followed – including checks on dimensions and brakes, ahead of Barrow Carnival’s Colour Run in the park later on that day, Sunday, June 23.
Supported by the Barrow Business Improvement District, scrutineering at Barrow Park on Park Avenue will be held in the centre of the event field from midday, when the gates open.
Andrew Pearson, from organisers The Super Soapbox Challenge, says, “This is a great chance for people in Barrow and beyond to come along and have a first-look at the variety of vehicles that teams of local designers have come up with. From individual to larger team entries, we’re expecting to see a great variety of designs. We’ve even got engineers from BAE and the Orsted windfarm working on their inventions!”
The Barrow BID Super Soapbox Challenge, sponsored by BAE Systems will see competitors speed down a ramp on Dalton Road near the top of Portland Walk, down to the finish line at Abbey Road on June 29.
Michael ‘Eddie’ Edwards, better known as ‘Eddie the Eagle’ – who competed in the ski-jump at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary for Team GB will swap his skis for a soapbox when he becomes the first person to be launched down the ramp.