In a world that likes to reminisce, nothing could be more evocative of the ‘good old days’ than the soapbox and thanks to a recent revival, QinetiQ have provided us with a new, improved version.
A team of scientific and engineering experts at QinetiQ have developed ‘The Carruca’, one of the most technologically advanced soapboxs in the UK. Designed especially for the Goodwood Soapbox Challenge which takes place this weekend (26-27 June), QinetiQ will be flying the British flag against such racing car giants as Lotus, Porsche and Ford.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is the highlight of the racing and vintage car enthusiast’s calendar. The soapbox race takes place every year and is an extremely serious event for those competing. The competition involves designing and building a soapbox, which doesn’t have an engine, but does have all the other characteristics of a car, such as a chassis, brakes and aerodynamic bodywork. There are two categories for racing; the roadster (an open cock-pit soapbox); and the streamliner (an enclosed cockpit soapbox).
They are raced down a mile-long circuit, clocking up speeds of over 40 mph. This is repeated the following day, and the car averaging the best overall time is named the winner. The Carruca, which is Latin for ‘four-wheeled carriage’, will be racing in the roadster category.
Encouraged by the high standard of graduates currently working with them, QinetiQ developed an internal competition to find a team with the best design for the entry to this year’s race at Goodwood. The winning design was developed by Nick Williams, Chris Jones and Tom Farrow, who have been guided in the manufacture of the machine by scientists and engineers specialising in vehicle systems, aerodynamics integration and composite materials. The project has been led by Mike Bayes. The driver of the soapbox will be Tom Farrow, a Year in Industry student, who will be taking the wheel in both races.
“The team has worked incredibly well together and as a result we really have a winning chance with The Carruca. As a company we are proud of the talents of the younger generation currently working with us and this has really given them a chance to show off their different skills,” comments Michael Bayes, Technical Project Manager at QinetiQ.
