The soap-box cart-race day has been and gone, and I have only just found time to write and show the photos. The theme this year was ‘musicals’ and Graham chose “Springtime for Hitler”, which , strictly speaking is a musical within a musical.
The cart’s dimensions and weight have to be kept scrupulously within the rules, so a lot of measuring and weighing goes on throughout cart construction. The old cart was stripped of its glory from last year’s theme, which was “rock and roll” and the cardboard boxes are stacked and ready to commit themselves to this year’s theme.
I took several pics as it progressed, and here they are below. Please note Graham’s innovation which he introduced to his carts in the mid-nineties ( yes he has been racing them annually since 1993! he retired for a couple of years but is now back in full swing)
You will see that the brakes are , in actual fact, scrubbing brushes. These are extremely effective as he finds that they not only brake efficiently , but they clean the wheels as well! He holds a certificate from Gordon Murray for ” Best Innovation”.
Those of you who have attended the race will know how serious it is , as you can see by the photos. Thank you Alan and Charlie for these !
The contestants line up:
And now we have the tank in action…..The Slalom:
The Poubelle Run:
The Long Drive:
Graham won the “best theme” and here he is collecting his prize.
A grand day out, which finished with a delicious supper, the divine sticky toffee pudding for dessert, then stargazing into the night, whilst sitting around the campfire. Halcyon days and nights indeed!
lizkingsangster 
Great to see the progress of ‘Springtime for Hitler’ and Graham collecting his prize! Looks as if it was a fabulous day x
Well done! This is just terrific! Just as soon as my son, Paul, awakes I intend to share this with him. It’s too bad that Graham doesn’t live nearer to us, as I’m sure Paul would appreciate his expert advice on the project he’s just taken on: the conversion of a 1947 Ford, 1.5 ton dump truck into a “ratrod.” Paul will not have his license to drive for another two years, but we hope he might have his vehicle road-worthy by then. I will send a couple of photos via email for Graham to see…
Ooh G will be v. interested in that! He loves anything that has the word truck in it! He and a friend are off tomorrow for an adventure in the yellow jelly mould , only for a day to see some trials biking, but I am sure there will be tales to tell!
A fabulous reward for graham .. bravo Mr Sangster ..
Thank you liz for sharing ..your pics.
How fantastic! And great to see all those Hawaiian shirts together. Must have been a treat round the camp fire. Well done Graham!