Lincoln will host its first-ever soapbox race in 2024, as ‘Krazy Races’ announce plans to come to the city.
The race will hit the city’s streets on Sunday, September 15.
The event’s organiser, Danny Scoffin, said: “Lincoln was on our wish list of places we wanted to go to. It’s quite a hilly city. It’s an iconic, recognised area. From our point of view, we’ve done a lot in the west midlands, so going into the east felt like a natural step in that part of the country.”
Soapbox racing takes place across the world, and involves teams of people designing, building and then racing homemade soapboxes downhill.
Sarah Belcher Events organises the ‘Krazy Races’, which have taken place across the country. They have held events in Wolverhampton, Stockport, Northwich, Swansea and Lancaster, among others.
Danny said: “We get a lot of people who have said ‘You need to come to Lincoln!’, so it’s been one of the places at the top on our list.”
He added: “We want people to use the event to come out on the day, and come into the city and local businesses. There’s a lot of shops and restaurants, so we want to go to a place that helps, not hinders them.”
The route will be announced in the new year, with consultations taking place. ‘Krazy Races’ is working with Lincoln BIG (Business Improvement Group) to host the event.
The organisers expect between 15,000 and 20,000 spectators on the day.
Danny said: “Our big mission is to make the best economic impact we can on high streets. Our aim for the Lincoln event is to support as many local businesses as possible, and make it a big day for them.”
The race will see between 20 and 40 teams race handmade soapboxes along a downhill track. It aims to bring customers to local businesses and raise money for charities.
“We put opportunities in to raise lots and lots of money. We insensitive teams to raise lots of money for the different charities. We’ve had things like penalty shootouts and cake sales, all sorts of things,” he said.
The event has seen a strong response since its announcement, with 15 teams signing up in the first 24 hours.
Feature Image courtesy of Sarah Belcher Events/Krazy Races, from their Northwich event.