Cape Town - No potholes, cobblestones or unfinished bridges could stop The Potjie Boytjies from claiming victory at the Red Bull Box Cart Race on Sunday.
The iconic streets of the Bo-Kaap welcomed over 22 000 spectators and more than 50 carting teams including Phala Phala Bank, and Dala What You Must, headed by South African comedian Jason Goliath, in their creative concept carts as they attempted to go down the slope-like racetrack in the fastest time.
The second team to take on the intricate track that featured a cobblestoned obstacle course, the Potjie Boytjies used their pot-like cart to navigate the course at a fast pace.
The team of five from Stellenbosch also delivered the most impressive skit performance ahead of their race, which wowed the judges and played an integral role in their victory — teams were judged on the creative concept of their carts, entertainment factor and speed.
The judging panel included Nasty C, international German racer and half of the Red Bull Drift Brothers Team, Elias Hountondji, 2009 Dakar Rally winner and Red Bull athlete Giniel de Villiers and DHL Stormers hooker Siyabonga ‘Scarra’ Ntubeni.
With the last Red Bull Box Cart event held in 2018 in Sandton, Johannesburg, The Potjie Boytjies wanted to celebrate the return through their concept.
“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,” The Potjie Boytjies said.
“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.
“We spent over a week in building this cart with a lot of luck and support from the Stellenbosch community, like the bicycle shops who gave us brake sets and more. We couldn’t have done it without them.”
De Villiers said 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.
“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,” De Villiers said.
Since the inception of this concept and the first race that took place in Brussels 22 years ago, over 120 Red Bull Box Cart Races have taken place in all parts of the world.
Cape Times