PagodaTron: A Day to Remember

I'm curious what Red Bull thought when they realized that a hurricane was going to roll through Manayunk on the day of their first of four Soap Box Races across the US this year. Could they possibly have imagined the crowds and madness that would ensue. I highly doubt it. The rain held off for a good part of the morning and gave everyone a little hope that maybe they would stay dry. It wasn't until around 11:30 or so when the torrential downpour started and refused mercy for the rest of the day. The pits turned into a raging river as the water made its way down the wall. We went from sweating half our body weight in those foam costume ovens to actually having the chills. Hind sight, I wouldn't have it any other way. 10,000 soak and wet screaming fans, enough red bull for a small country, and 36 teams willing to rip down the most infamous hill in Philadelphia made the event epic.

From what I hear everyone got a kick out of the craft, costumes, and skit. The rain really weighed down the foam causing some unneeded friction on the tires. We also had a mechanical as one of our wheels gave out in the chicane. Our time may not have been the quickest, but everyone was riding high!!! Congrats to all the teams that took home prizes. Mad props to everyone that entered. The creativity behind these crafts was second to none. Thanks to everyone that voted and made donations. And last but not not least, thanks to the entire Cheesesteak Chariot team for making this possible.

Below are a few pics and videos of the event. Enjoy!!!

The Pits!