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No potholes, cobblestones, or unfinished bridges could stop the team from Stellenbosch from winning the Red Bull Box Cart Race. Here's how they cooked up their victory...
This is a summary of an original article written by Jazz Kuschke, and can be found here.
On Sunday, November 6, 22,000 spectators took part in an action-packed day that illuminated the vibrant Bo-Kaap's streets in Cape Town.
The steep 600-meter track on Signal Hill's slopes was run by the brave, the daring, and the completely insane against the backdrop of Table Mountain. The Potjie Boytjies team eventually prevailed over the other 57 teams in the Red Bull Box Cart Race despite all South African-inspired obstacles.
The Potjie Boytjies used their pot-like-structured cart to move through at a suitable rate, through a cobblestone obstacle course built by one of the sponsors, American tire giant BFGoodrich, on the intricate circuit that Giniel De Villiers designed(although one should never rush a real potjie, this one was on the boil). The five-person Stellenbosch team also put on the most outstanding skit performance prior to the competition, which impressed the judges and contributed significantly to their triumph. Teams were evaluated on the originality of their cart concepts, entertainment value, and racing speed.
“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 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.”
The judging panel was overloaded as they had to deal with humorous acts, accidents, and a few DNFs. Musicians Courtnaé Paul and Nasty C, international German racer Elias Hountondji, half of the Red Bull Drift Brothers Team, 2009 Dakar Rally winner Giniel De Villiers, vibe-setter Smech Precious, and DHL Stormers hooker Siyabonga "Scarra" Ntubeni were all on the panel.
Strict judging from the panel
© Mpumelelo Macu / Red Bull Content Pool
“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 2009 Dakar Rally winner 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.”
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