www.britishpedalcargp.co.uk

Ringwood’s “British Pedal Car Grand Prix” ~ Sunday 13th July 2008 Celebrates its 21st Anniversary The British Pedal Car Grand Prix was born by chance after the Ringwood Round Table organised a Jailbreak from the police station on Christchurch Road in 1986. Teams of three had to “escape” and see how far they could get in twelve hours wearing convict uniform. Two teams of cyclists from the Ringwood Twinning Association decided they would go by bike to Pont Audemer, Ringwood’s twin town. They coasted down the hill into Pont Audemer, at 11pm, in the pouring rain and were met with a warm welcome and a barrel of very good Beaujolais Nouveau. The French hosts of Pont Audemer challenged the Brits to their “Voitures à pédales” (Pedal-Powered Cars) and in 1987 one hundred and twenty Pont Audemerien’s came over, bringing with them two lorries carrying about 18 voitures (VAP cars, as they came to be known). The Ringwood Twinning Association managed to enter 5 British pedal cars but alas failed to beat their French counter parts. Since then this amazing community event sees 40 plus pedal-powered cars from all over the country take over the streets Ringwood town centre for a two hour sprint race in the style and razzmatazz of “Formula One Racing” at 2pm on Sunday 13th July 2008. This off-beat is something everyone should do at least once or at the very least come along as a spectator. With crowds of 8,000 to 10,000, the competitive tension, the thrills and spills, the enthusiastic commentary, the atmosphere of a Sunday afternoon, all go to make this a unique and most memorable experience. Both BBC Television and Satellite TV have filmed these “wacky races” with Radio and Media supporting the coverage of this biennially spectacle which now attract entrants from “the BBC”, “Wave 105.2FM” and “The Bournemouth Echo” and many more. Teams are made from up to four drivers per car and there are classes for juniors (under 16’s), ladies and seniors. The 1 kilometre circuit is flat out for most of the way with just a few corners of note, with overtaking at three abreast in the fastest sections. The local opposition is absolutely first class. Teams such as Spirit of Verwood, Royce and RH Franks are very hard to beat. The judging of the Concours D' Elegance is always held on the Saturday so that members of the public can come along and get a sneak preview of the competing cars. Race Day; The pedal cars assemble in the Furlong Centre from 10.00am, and are displayed there for the morning, prior to the parade laps from 1.30pm, with the race starting at 2.00pm. Spectators are able to walk around the whole course to watch the race from various different vantage points. The whole emphasis of the event is to have FUN! The pedal cars vary greatly in design with some very light and aerodynamic competitive cars, whilst others are built to amuse the crowds. The teams can change have their own pits and are allowed to change riders at the pit stops as many times as they like, which makes pit lane viewing very interesting for the spectators! The chequered flag is waved at the winning car at 4.00pm and the champagne spraying trophy presentations are held on the podium rostrum at 4.15pm. The event also raises sponsorship money that is then donated to selected charities: Oakhaven Hospice, providing specialist palliative care and support to those facing life-limiting illness and their loved ones in both a home and hospice setting ~ Tenovus Cancer Charity, a charitable organisation committed to the control of cancer through: quality research, prevention/education, counselling and patient care ~ The British Liver Trust & The Ringwood Young Firefighters Association:

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