The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Cartie race organisers get on soapbox in rallying call for entries
If entry numbers remain low, organising committee will have to consider if it is worthwhile going ahead with event
Organisers of the all-action Brechin cartie spectacular fear this year’s event may hit the skids due to a lack of entries.
With just a month to go to the Halloween in the City High Street spectacular, which regularly draws thousands of spectators to the town, community group Bravo Brechin has launched an urgent appeal for more racers to help keep the fun event on track.
The event is a round of the Scottish championship and has regularly attracted some of the country’s fastest carties since the inaugural soapbox derby of 2012 as the serious racers go for glory.
But the fun aspect of the day has also led to a variety of weird and wonderful entries hurtling down the high street, and the organisers are keen for locals to keep up their involvement by cobbling together a contender.
Gavin Brymer of Bravo Brechin said that a number of tweaks have been made to the format to keep spectators entertained during what will be Scotland’s biggest gravity race on Saturday October 29, but they are keen to rev up interest among would-be participants.
“The closing date is October 8 and so far we have received very few entries,” he said.
“People have always left it to the last minute, but we really hope there will be a good number of carties.”
Entry forms are available through the group’s Halloween in the City facebook page, with details also available by emailing bravobrechin@aol.com as soon as possible.
“Unfortunately if entry numbers remain low the organising committee will have to consider whether it is worthwhile going ahead with the event this year. However, we really hope we can get the numbers up,” added Mr Brymer.
“It’s a great day and usually attracts a crowd of two to three thousand.
“We’ve made some changes to the format this year and will actually have head-to-head racing as part of the event.
“The day will start with the normal time trials and people will be asked on their entry form if they want to race head-to-head. When we get the times from the first couple of runs we’ll then match up carties against each other.
“We’re also planning to put a couple of obstacles into the course, nothing too severe, but something that will hopefully add to the excitement.”
Additional attractions will include a pop-up food event in the Brechin sports centre car park close to the finish line.
“We have got to keep the momentum going and keep trying to raise the bar every year because people have come to expect a great event, so we really hope we can get more carties in to make it a big success again.”