A POPULAR annual racing event is returning after two years, which will see more than 60 teams battling it out as money is raised for charity.
The Great Dunmow Soapbox Race is coming back to the town and will see teams in a variety of different shapes and sizes of karts, facing jumps, near misses and crashes.
Jordan Bright, who is part of the organising committee, explained what people can expect on the day.
He said: “Soapbox racing is people building homemade novelty go-karts, powered by nothing but gravity.
“So, we push them down a hill, and they go down the course, avoiding obstacles, and doing jumps – it is just great fun for all ages.
“So many different people enter the race, from professionals to everyday people, and we are urging people to be creative and imaginative.”
The event will be the third held by Great Dunmow Round Table, with the race raising money for the Round Table and their chosen charities.
In 2019, the Great Dunmow Soapbox Race became the second-largest in the UK, seeing crowds of up to 20,000 people watching on, with more than £40,000 raised for the Round Table, Mind West Essex, and St Clare Hospice.
The last event was won by 'Fast & Furious Flitch House', a tapas restaurant in Dunmow.
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The waiting list for the 2022 event is more than 200 teams, and due to the sheer popularity of this event, extra measures are being made to facilitate the thousands who are expected to attend on the day.
That will include three giant screens, a larger film crew, more entertainment, and more exhilarating and challenging obstacles.
Jordan added: “We are massively excited to bring it back.
“We learned loads, and wanted to make it bigger and better, so were gutted when the 2020 and 2021 events were write-offs.
“We are expecting thousands to come, and there will be live music, stalls and rides.”
“It is free entry. We know we could make more money, but we wanted people to have fun without having to spend any money.
“We just want people to come and think 'wow', and just have a great time.”
The race is on May 1, from 10.30am to 5pm on Braintree Road, Great Dunmow.
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