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<\/p>\nThe Red Bull Soapbox Race is a global series of events that pit amateur drivers racing in homemade soapbox cars against each other in a battle not just for speed but for most innovative design. This unique non-motorized racing event challenges both experienced racers and amateurs alike to design and build outrageous, human-powered soapbox dream machines and compete against the clock in a downhill race.<\/p>\n
The rules are quite simple: all crafts must be human-powered, meaning no engines, pedals or external energy sources; the machine cannot exceed a maximum of six feet wide, 12 feet long, be at least seven inches from the ground and can\u2019t be taller than seven feet; must have fully functioning brakes and steering; and it can\u2019t weigh more than 176 pounds. Easy, right? Well, add in some crazy obstacles, like jumps, stairs, and bowl turns, to the course you\u2019re trying to barrel down at break-neck speed and things can get interesting.<\/p>\n
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One of the teams (shown in image above) competing in the Red Bull Soapbox event in Valkenburg, The Netherlands, on August 19th is a team sponsored by SOLIDWORKS value-added reseller CAD2M<\/strong><\/a>. The team includes an interesting assortment of men from various backgrounds, including a retired semi-professional dirt bike racer who will drive the car, four mechanics three of whom work in the automotive industry and one who is a skilled carpenter, and Teun Willems, the marketing manager at CAD2M.<\/p>\n The theme of the team\u2019s car is the Soccer European Championship of 1988. \u201cPeople might know that right now our squad is not performing that well. We want to bring the swagger back so we decided to build an 1988 soccer shoe to race, with and we\u2019ll be flying the original Team88 colors,\u201d says Willems. \u201cHopefully we\u2019ll inspire the players to find another gear and propel us to the top of ranking once more.\u201d<\/p>\n Will SOLIDWORKS be the team\u2019s secret to success?<\/strong><\/p>\n The team started out by buying an old go-kart frame; drew the frame in SOLIDWORKS and then determined where they would place the driver. But first the team did their homework by studying the previous year\u2019s event in which many of the teams did not finish because they crashed at the course\u2019s jumps. \u201cTheir crafts would nose dive violently, breaking wheels and frames in the process,\u201d says Willems. \u201cSo we used SOLIDWORKS to find the center of mass and move it. This should allow is to keep the craft more level at jumps, thus improving our chances of finishing the race.\u201d<\/p>\n