While Jenson Button and Takuma Sato strive to give Lucky Strike B.A.R Honda its first Grand Prix victory, the team has already savoured ultimate success by taking top honours - back in June in took top honours in the annual soapbox showdown at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. This, in their own words, is the story of their unheralded success...
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is the most prestigious motor sport event of the year and that goes for 'Soapbox racing', too. Now firmly established as one of the glamorous event's major attractions, Goodwood's annual Soapbox Challenge is strictly by invitation only.
In 2003 the B.A.R model shop entered the local Brackley soapbox race and won. Having earned its spurs, the team knew Goodwood was the logical progression. Enquiries were made and to everyone's great satisfaction an invitation arrived for the 2004 event… but only in January, giving the team less than four months to get their soapbox designed, built and ready for testing.
At Goodwood there are classes for both 'Roadsters' and 'Streamliners'. The B.A.R boys opted for the former and, after a few weeks of recycling old model patterns they were in a position to start machining the moulds that would be used to create the carbon monocoque.
Through some nifty negotiating they were able to obtain some out-of-date carbon fibre from our suppliers. While this material would not be able to be used on race cars in this condition, but was perfect for the soapbox.
The machining of uprights and fittings was done using old off cuts, the only thing that had to be purchased was some aluminium tube used for the construction of the axels. Contacts were also persuaded to provide some free supplies of bike components such as wheels, brakes, and steering parts.
Special tyres used in soapbox racing but luckily F1 team partner Michelin was able to supply some very good low rolling resistance racing tyres.
To speed up the process, the design was kept as simple as possible and most of the components had arrived three weeks in advance of the first planned test in April. However, during that three week period, no one saw much of their families as all involved in the project worked late into the nights and all the weekends.
Although the soapbox was fully finished in time for the first test, enough work had been completed for an initial shakedown. The first trial included a 'wiggle-woggle' test, put in place by the Goodwood scruitineers to ensure all soapboxes were stable and able to go round corners safely. Thankfully this fundamental task was successfully completed.
However some further clarification of the rules required further modifications, notably to prevent wheel-to-wheel contact.
The second test came seven week's before the big event and was all about getting the driver, Will Martin, comfortable and up to speed with the soapbox's handling characteristics.
Some fairly major revisions to the aero package had to be made thereafter including the addition of special shrouds that would pretty much fully enclose the wheels. A few further mechanical tweaks were also performed, and then the soapbox was readied for painting.
With only two weeks to go before the soapbox was booked to go to Goodwood the car was painted in an all black paint scheme. The help and skills provided by the B.A.R paint shop was much appreciated and made a big impact on getting the soapbox noticed.
Although the Festival of Speed is staged over three days, such is the time pressure on the hillclimb course that the soapbox competitors are only given one run per day: practice on Friday before timed runs on Saturday and Sunday with aggregate times of both runs being used to produce a final result.
Everyone was extremely nervous but the time posted of 1m 12.3s was good enough for first in class and second overall. However the two competitive runs down the hill would be alongside a rival soapbox causing some nervousness not only because this would it be the first time Martin had actually 'raced' down the hill, but it was also as we'd be up against the experienced Lotus team.
Both soapboxes started well in damp conditions and although the Lotus Streamliner gradually pulled away the distinctive B.A.R roadster followed in hot pursuit. Both boxes survived a sideways moment at the fearsome Molecomb corner, forcing the B.A.R driver to brake hard; nevertheless the clocks stopped at an even swifter 1m 09:2s - good enough for third overall and first in class.
Sunday morning dawn brighter and the B.A.R team was still confident of posting an even quicker time. This time the B.A.R box lined up along side the B&W loudspeeder entry - a streamliner soapbox that physics suggested should be more slippery and aerodynamically efficient than a roadster.
But, as lights went green so the B.A.R soapbox edged ahead. In it efforts to keep up the streamliner spun into the hay bales at Molecomb Despite another 'moment' at the same bend, the B.A.R machine sailed on to set an even more impressive time: 1m 07:7s.
The next pair of cars included one of the major rivals for Roadster honours but when both crashed at Molecomb, the officials decided that due to the conditions the race should be postponed. Then, after some further deliberations the stewards deemed racing would not continue and results would be based on the fastest times set on Friday and Saturday - a decision that placed B.A.R third overall behind the Lotus and Bentley streamliners and first in among the Roadsters class. The B.A.R team received further honours when it was also presented with a additional trophy for the 'Best Prepared Roadster' at the post-event prize-giving. Roll-on 2005!
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