Hosting the event are Molly Carlson, a Red Bull Cliff Diving athlete and Internet celebrity from Montreal, and Craig McMorris, a well-known Canadian professional snowboarder. The competition took place in the famous Parc Olympique in Montreal, where a course full of technical challenges for the pilots was set up.
Enthusiastically welcomed by fans of both teams, the drivers faced a series of challenging obstacles, including the Great Canadian Crossing, a snowstorm, negotiating a chicane and a series of rollers. The teams competed to record the best qualifying times, before competing in one-on-one duels all the way to the finish line.
At the end of the competition, it appeared that height and weight played a key role in the soapboxes’ performance. Max stood out as the fastest downhill, followed by Daniel in second place and Checo who followed him closely.
Daniel said: “I had never done a soapbox competition before. It’s surprising, but zero horses scared me more than 700! At the beginning we discussed how weight could affect our performance, and we predicted that Max would have an advantage over me, followed by Checo and Yuki. In the end, we were right!”.
Max said: “When everyone competes on the same soapbox, the differences narrow; generally, whoever weighs more has a certain advantage, and I think I was the heaviest of the four of us. So, you know, when it comes to going down, this aspect becomes a significant advantage.”
Checo added: “It was a fun experience, although a little hectic. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to jump as much as I would have liked; I gave it my all, but I wasn’t able to get off the ground as I had hoped. I knew it would be a challenge mainly between Max and Daniel, due to their weight and downhill advantage. I was almost certain that Yuki would be the least favorite, since he is much lighter than even me!
Yuki concluded: “The main objective was to drive fast and not brake at the chicane, in the end I succeeded and I’m happy, this was my strategy, but it didn’t work!”.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
- Each driver received a personalized soapbox, featuring their name and race number.
- 80 Visa Cash App RB and Oracle Red Bull Racing fans were invited to watch the racing live, with the opportunity to meet the drivers in person.
- The path was divided into several key challenges:
- The “Great Canadian Crossing”, enriched by silhouettes of hockey players, maple leaves and raccoons.
- A “Snowstorm” that drastically reduced the visibility of the pilots
- A “Prairie-inspired Chicane” that tested the drivers’ driving skills with tight, challenging corners
- Finally, a stretch that simulated the Rocky Mountain ramp, complete with a series of rollers, to conclude the ride.
- During qualifying, each driver completed one lap of the course to establish their best time. Max took pole position, followed by Daniel, Checo and Yuki.
- The event culminated in one-on-one battles between Checo and Yuki, and between Max and Daniel.
Soapbox racing is nothing new in Montreal: the last time the Red Bull Soapbox was held in Canada was 2015, with the event staged in Victoria Square. This summer, on June 22, Red Bull Soapbox will return to Canada, this time in Edmonton, where 60 teams will compete with their homemade soapboxes. It will be an opportunity for participants to demonstrate their ingenuity and construction skills, trying to earn the title of heroes of the day.
