No potholes, cobblestones, or unfinished bridges could stop The Potjie Boytjies team from winning the Red Bull Box Cart Race.
The colourful streets of the Bo-Kaap were brightened with cheer on Sunday 6 November when 22 000 spectators attended the global non-motorised Red Bull Box Cart Race in South Africa.
The event had over 50 interesting teams with the most peculiar concept carts attempting to go down the racetrack in the fastest time. Teams included ‘The Flintstones,’ ‘Max Speed,’ ‘Morning Glory,’ ‘Filions,’ ‘Phala Phala Bank,’ and team ‘Dala What You Must’ headed by South African comedian Jason Goliath, just to name a few.
Team ‘Dala What You Must’ participating in Red Bull Box Cart Race in Bo-Kaap
Image: Wayne Reiche / Red Bull Content Pool
The second team to take on the intricate track designed by Giniel De Villiers which featured a cobblestoned obstacle course by one of the sponsors, American tyre company BFGoodrich, The Potjie Boytjies used their pot-like structured cart to navigate through at a fast pace. The team of five from Stellenbosch also delivered the most impressive skit performance ahead of their race, which wowed the judges and played an integral role in their victory — teams were judged on the creative concept of their carts, entertainment factor and speed.
The judging panel had their hands full as they witnessed entertaining skits, crashes and a few DNFs. The panel included musicians Courtnaé Paul and Nasty C, international German racer and half of the Red Bull Drift Brothers Team, Elias Hountondji, 2009 Dakar Rally winner and Red Bull athlete Giniel De Villiers, vibe bringer Smech Precious and DHL Stormers hooker Siyabonga ‘Scarra’ Ntubeni.
“The event was a great success, judging by the number of people in attendance. The atmosphere of the historical Bo-Kaap was incredible, it was beautiful to see the Red Bull Box Cart Race fit into its colourful character,” said the 2009 Dakar Rally winner and Red Bull athlete Giniel De Villiers. “It was a pleasure to be part of the judging panel and to see the intention and effort put into building the carts we judged.”
Last held in 2018 in Sandton Johannesburg, the winning team, The Potjie Boytjies wanted to celebrate the return and countrywide cheer of this event through their concept.
Potjie Boytjies in action during Red Bull Box Cart Race in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town in South Africa
Image: Craig Kolesky / Red Bull Content Pool
“When we decided to submit our form three months ago, part of the discussion was looking at what it means to have the Box Cart Race coming back to South Africa after four years,” commented the Red Bull Box Cart winning team in South Africa, The Potjie Boytjies. “We knew we had to do something uniquely South African, so we thought what better way than to have a potjie pot which symbolises a mixture and melting pot of flavours just like our country is a melting pot of different cultures and different people. We saw that as a good representation of our country and just a weird thing to see on wheels.”
Since the inception of this concept and the first race which took place in Brussels 22 years ago, over 120 Red Bull Box Cart races have taken place in all parts of the world. This global family event continues to bring cheer across communities. This togetherness even came across in the creation of this pot-like cart.
“We spent over a week in building this cart with a lot of luck and support from the Stellenbosch community like the bicycle shops who gave us brake sets and more – we couldn’t have done it without them,” The Potjie Boytjies concluded.
Participants compete at the Red Bull Box Cart Race in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town in South Africa
Image: Craig Kolesky / Red Bull Content Pool
The Bo-Kaap community welcomed all 22 000 spectators with open arms as their busy streets enabled this family event to take place along their beautifully coloured homes and business structures.
For more information on the Red Bull Box Cart Race 2022, visit the official website or join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #RedBullBoxCartRace
