Soapbox Race Day Schedule

 

The Soapbox Race Day is near & everyone’s invited!

In case you haven’t heard, a soapbox is a gravity powered homemade ‘cart’ which must navigate a predefined downhill course, against the clock. The MicksGarage Soapbox Race will have up to 50 soapboxes all competing for the fastest time of the day.

This is a charity event in aid of the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation. All donations are welcome and are deeply appreciated, to donate click here.

Event Format & General Info

Date: Sunday 2nd November 2014

Time: 11.00 – 4.00pm (competitors need to arrive by 9am)

Location: Shanks Mare Pub, DerryPatrick Co. Meath. (35 mins from Dublin City)
Google Maps: Google Maps Location

GPS Co-ords: 53.4955871,-6.6849522

The Event Schedule is as follows:

9.00 – 10.00 Scrutiny & Sign – On

11.00 – 12.00 Road Closure & Practice Runs

12.00 – 13.00 Time Trial Challenge Run 1

13.00 - 14.00 Time Trial Challenge Run 2

14.00 – 15.00 Time Trial Challenge Run 3

15.00 – 16.00 Knockout Challenge

17.00 – 17.30 Road Reopens & Prizes

18.00 Raffle

*These times could be subject to change depending how things go!

All the entrants must be at the location before 9am. There will be ample parking available at the location and one of our parking attendants will guide you on the day.

After the scrutiny checks and team briefings have finished and the road has been closed, entrants will make their way to the starting line for some practice runs. The main races will start at 12.

These are the main awards that are up for grabs on the day:

1. Time Trial Challenge
2. Team Spirit Award
3.  Knockout Challenge x 2
4.  Least Effort Award
5. Ingenuity Award

 The raffle prizes are:

1. Kylemore Karting Voucher for €50
2. Supertooth Hands Free Kit
3. AutoGlym Vallet Case
4. Weekend Pass for the Royal Tara Golf Club
5. Party Mad Voucher for €50
6. Draper 24L Air Compressor & 5 Piece Air Tool Kit
7. Car Care Bucket
8. No H2o gift pack
9. Shanks Mare Voucher
10. Draper Socket Set

If you’re feeling peckish on the day, the fantastic Shanksmare Pub are running a special menu for us on the day!

Our aim is for everyone involved to have a fun-filled day and raise as much money as possible for this great charity. If successful we hope to make the MicksGarage.com Soapbox Race an annual event!

Some information about Our Soapbox Race chosen charity

On the 2nd November MicksGarage.com is holding our first charity SoapBox race in aid of the Jack and Jill Foundation Here is a small insight into Jack & Jill and why we have chosen to support the charity.

The Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation provides direct funding, to families of children up to the age of 4 with brain damage who suffer severe intellectual and physical developmental delay, enabling them to purchase home respite care. We also provide end of life care.  These are children who as a result of their condition require intensive home nursing care. The Foundation gives these families the Gift of time, time to do the things that we so often take for granted like shopping, taking their other children to the park, a night’s sleep etc.

Jack and Jill needs to raise over €3 million per year to provide these services. Less than 19% of our budget comes from the Government so they rely on innovative fundraising campaigns to reach our target. Please help us to help these families by making a donation or by holding a fundraising event on their behalf.

How Jack & Jill began

On 29 February 1996 Jack Irwin was born – a bonny bouncy baby. Two days later he suffered some invasive trauma in the hospital’s nursery.

While history does not reveal the immediate aftermath of this drama, it is probable that he died and was resuscitated. Certainly from that moment on, Jack could not swallow and was probably blind and deaf. His parent’s dreams were shattered and the heartbreaking task of keeping Jack alive began. 

"The senior pediatrician in the hospital was brutal but honest."

Asked for a route map of care for Jack once he left their intensive care unit, it was made clear that there were simply no services in Ireland available in 1997 to a baby like Jack. He cautioned that Jack’s needs would threaten the marriage and certainly damage the childhood of his healthy brothers and sister. To escape this trap, he advised the only way out was to get him admitted to one of the children’s hospitals. Then and only then would the State have to take responsibility for him.

"Spine chilling advice that resolved Jack’s parents to take action. Never again would any Irish family have to face such a horror"

Jack lived for 22 months – a desperate and painful life. A mix of drugs, physio, postural drainage, seizures, reflux operations, gastronomy and suctioning. The only saving grace was that he was cosy and warm and nursed around the clock by a dedicated band of five nurses and carers from the neighborhood.

His short life showed his parents the ideal way in which little children like Jack can be nursed. From their experience evolved the home respite care that has now been offered to over 1700 children and their families all over Ireland since 1997.

This leads to a situation where the Jack & Jill Foundation not only has to raise funding of up to €2.7 million per annum but must act as advocate for it’s families helping in securing a carer’s allowance, a medical card, correct housing, special equipment or a primary medical certificate.

Why is this the case?

In a rich country like ours, why do our families have to struggle to be granted even the most basic entitlements?

The root problem of this is historic. The State has previously taken the view that children such as those cared for by the Jack & Jill Foundation would die, probably before their second birthday, and therefore were never taken onto the State’s books.

Thankfully this attitude is slowly changing and the Jack & Jill Foundation applauds this.

At all times, we are mindful of the isolation and loneliness that families experience and we pay particular attention to the needs and emotions of the healthy brothers and sisters who can so easily be overlooked.

Read the stories of families that Jack and Jill have helped. MicksGarage.com have created a MyCharity page for our SoapBox Race Fundraiser, please click here and donate.

Thank You
Words by Amy

MicksGarage.com Soapbox Race: Update Bulletin Thingy No'1

Right folks this is the 1st official update/bulletin/news thing, so pay close attention!

1) We've had quite a few people asking about weight limits and braking systems. The weight limit and braking rules are obviously in place for safety reasons & it is for that reason we ask you to respect the rules where possible. That said, this isn't Formula One, we're in this to have fun and raise some money for charity and we won't be excluding teams if their kart is a few KG's over the limit. We would ask that common sense and a good sporting nature prevail (please don't turn up with a 2 tonne Trojan Horse and expect it to pass scrutiny!) We also ask that you don't come whinging to us if a kart is a few kg's over the limit or the braking system is a bit different and it starts doing well!! :) And pleeeease don't take this as carte blanche to disregard the rules altogether!!!

2) Towing: If you could fit your Karts with some sort of FRONT & REAR towing eye it would be very helpful as we intend to link karts together to tow them back to the top of the hill.

3) Race format: The race format will depend on no' of entries, weather conditions, fading light & how organised we actually end up being on the day! It is our hope and intention to run 1 practice run, 3 timed runs and if there is time,  a knock-out challenge (where 2 karts will run together)

4) Start: There will be a push start, no ramp.

5) There will be a jump of some description, we hope to make it optional, ie half the roads width.

6) A few people have asked us for sponsorship cards (which we hadn't thought of & is a great idea) We'll be getting some printed up and mailed out to all teams. (this is entirely optional and completely up to you)

That's it for now. Any questions, post them on here or email soapbox@micksgarage.com

Happy building!
Mick

MicksGarage.com Soapbox Race 2014

In Aid of The Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation


Event Format & General Info

Date: Sunday 2nd November 2014
Time: 11.00 – 4.00pm (competitors need to arrive by 9am)
Location: Shanks Mare Pub, DerryPatrick Co. Meath. (35 mins from Dublin City)
Map: Google Map
GPS Co-ords: 53.4955871,-6.6849522

Corporate entry: http://bit.ly/1nyNCk4
Privateers entry: http://bit.ly/1uCgOuw 

What is it?
A Soapbox is a gravity powered homemade ‘cart’ which must navigate a predefined downhill course, against the clock. The MicksGarage Soapbox Race will have up to 50 soapboxes all competing for the fastest time of the day. Time permitting we will also run a knockout challenge where carts will compete in head to head battles!

This is a charity event in aid of the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation. Our aim is for everyone involved to have a fun-filled day and raise as much money as possible for this great charity. If successful we hope to make the MicksGarage.com Soapbox Race an annual event.

Format:
There will be 3 competitive elements to the MicksGarage Soapbox Race with prizes for each:

1. Individual timed runs against the clock (prizes for 1st.2nd & 3rd)
2. Knockout challenge (prizes for 1st.2nd & 3rd)
3. Design & creativity (prizes for 1st.2nd & 3rd)

Scrutiny:

Scrutiny is from 9 – 10.30am on race day. Drivers are to present their soapbox racers in the scrutineers tent in the paddock.

• Carts will then be weighed and checked by scrutineers and a sticker issued to carts that pass 
• After scrutiny, Carts should return to the paddock 

Drivers Breifing:
Drivers briefing will commence at 11.00am outside the scrutineers tent. All drivers and team members must attend.

Race - Timed Runs:

• Carts will be pushed, when called to the staging area behind the start line.
• When called upon by the paddock Marshalls, the soapboxes must be positioned behind the start line to prepare for the race. 
• Team members must “push off” the carts from the starting area. No team member may cross the start line (other than the driver obviously) 
• The start line Marshalls instructions will take precedence and all instructions must be adhered to. 
• Practice run. The first run is a practice run. Carts must complete a run from start to finish. No time will be formally recorded for this. 
• Upon completing the practice run, carts will wait in the holding area to be towed back to the paddock (important to have towing eye accessible)
• Carts will be returned to the paddock by Quad and will be inspected by the paddock marshal to ensure they are safe to continue.
• ·Each cart will be allowed 1 practice run and 2 timed runs 

Race - Knockout Challenge:

• When all the timed runs are completed the Knockout challenge will begin
• Competitors will be chosen based on their fastest timed run and pitted against each other in a race to the finish line. The loser will be knocked out.
• The 1st fastest cart will compete against the slowest cart eg 1st vs 40th 2nd vs 39th and so on

Design & Creativity:
There will be prizes for the best designed carts / teams / team spirit etc

General :
You must obey the directions of the stewards at all times. The Race Director has ultimate responsibility for the conduct of the race and his decision in all matters is final.

All Drivers Must:

• Wear a helmet 
• Not be under the influence of alcohol 
• Sign a waiver 
• Be punctual to ensure the smooth running of the race 
• Must at all times control their vehicle in a manner to try and ensure their own safety as well as that of all spectators. 
• Anything on display or issued over social media is presumed to have been read and understood.