Soapbox derby:
racing fun for creative teams
Bring real Formula 1 atmosphere to your company. This sparkling team event, complete with soapbox cars you build yourselves, is a celebration for the whole workforce.
The key facts at a glance
- Ideal for
- Teams of 20–250 people; an action-packed highlight for summer parties and company outings
- Team effect
- Encourages teamwork and creativity – from construction and design to race tactics
- Location
- Outdoors – space needed for the pit area and race track (gentle slope or teamio ramp)
- Requirements
- No previous DIY experience needed – wooden kits and professional tools are provided
- Special feature
- Two stages (build + race), including a car presentation with an applause meter and a bubbly shower
Build, race, cheer: take pole position together
Three, two, one… go! And the first soapbox cars are already hurtling down the ramp. Every metre counts. Meanwhile, the pit crews wait eagerly, ready to make adjustments at a moment’s notice. Every second counts and the whole racing team is giving it everything – after all, this is about winning the Grand Prix. Welcome to your very own Soapbox Derby!
But before the racing part of the team event can begin, the soapbox cars have to be built. Take a look down the pit lane: under a three-by-three-metre shelter, you’ll find everything a maker, artist or racer could wish for – from art supplies and cordless screwdrivers to protective pads and racing overalls.
There’s plenty of scope to get creative – with colourful bodywork designs and entertaining car presentations, for starters. Good teamwork matters here. Once the build is done, free practice follows before the Grand Prix begins. Grab pole position with your colleagues at this action-packed team event!
- Planning, organisation and delivery
- Two-stage team-building event
- Quality wooden soapbox car kits
- Equipment, tools and creative materials
- Safety gear for the drivers
- Optional: ramp for soapbox races
How Soapbox derby works
First, the assembled field of drivers is split into several racing teams. Then the development phase begins. As in Formula 1, there are two titles up for grabs: the drivers’ championship and the constructors’ championship. But before any race can start, the racing cars have to be built.
Both building and creative tasks await the teams. Don’t worry: you don’t need to know about brake balance, differentials or aerodynamic bodywork design for this – though it certainly won’t hurt when it comes to putting the soapbox car together from its kit. When it comes to the design, let your imagination run wild. Whether Ferrari red or “The Fast and the Furious” tuner style – a car that looks fast usually is.
In the car presentation, every team gets to unveil the genius of its own concept. What does the symbol on the racing flag mean? And are the two red-painted paper cups on the back really meant to be brake lights? Our applause meter tells us which team gets to start the race with valuable bonus seconds.
Time to hit the track! After a short test run, the competition kicks off with a thrilling qualifying round and a relay race. Everyone has a part to play: if a soapbox car leaves the track, the support crew has to be there straight away. When the racing is over, we announce which racing team has made its Soapbox Grand Prix dream come true – with a bubbly shower, of course.
“We Are the Champions” – with this event, you can count on it
Creativity and spectacle
Our Soapbox Derby offers more than action-packed races: it actively encourages teamwork and creative thinking, all in a playful, high-spirited atmosphere. The finished soapbox cars can then take pride of place in your company’s hall or, alternatively, go to a good cause.
Quality materials and equipment for success
We bring everything a successful Soapbox Derby needs: quality kits, professional tool kits and other equipment, plus creative materials for designs all your own. Helmets and protective pads are included as standard, of course.
We’re your pit crew
Our team guides you through the whole event, helping solve problems with a smile. We offer tips and tricks during the build, encourage each team to give its presentation everything and bring real Formula 1 atmosphere to the final race.
How was it? Here’s what our clients say
These companies joined our events and created lasting memories. Read what participants say about their experience.
We would book teamio again for our next team event straight away! :)
All of us at EKV Köln und Region really enjoyed our time with teamio. They were very professional and well organised. All the event equipment was tidy and well maintained. It showed us once again how valuable it is to have people who specialise in this professionally.
The team looking after us was very friendly, capable and calm. They spoke to us in a way that quickly built a good connection, even though we had never met before. Everyone was delighted with the successful event – with the small caveat that it was too short, because we were having so much fun and wanted more. The event also creates a good space for participants to talk through the way the equipment is set up, whether during the activities or alongside them. The offer of a photo is another good idea.
It was a great, entertaining evening and everyone enjoyed the quiz. Patrick and Edgar worked brilliantly with the two women and kept us perfectly entertained. They even thought of a prize for the winning team! ;-) Thank you – we will definitely be coming back to you ... !! :)
This year, we enjoyed a wonderful team event with teamio for the seventh time!! From our first wishes through every discussion to the delivery, everything was IDEAL. I can’t think of anything that should have been different or could have been better! Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen! After all these years of shared experience, we would even book teamio blind, without knowing what to expect!
It was a well thought-out, organised event from start to finish! They even provided sunscreen at every station! The hosting and encouragement struck exactly the right balance: it was fun without feeling over the top. Managing that with around 120 participants takes real skill. The feedback from employees was positive throughout! We would happily book again and can really recommend teamio! Thank you for a successful event!
Ready for some high-speed team building?
Want to line up with your racing team for a creative, adrenaline-fuelled event? Then put your foot down and get in touch with us now!
Questions and answers about the Soapbox Derby
How does a soapbox car event work?
After the welcome and briefing, the groups start building their own soapbox car and adding their own creative finishing touches. Once everyone has shown off their racers to each other, the racing phase begins, with several heats and a team relay. In the end – as so often happens – it all comes down to seconds.
How long does a Soapbox Derby take?
How long this fast-paced team event lasts depends on the number of participants, the time you have available and the site conditions – we usually plan for 3.5 hours.
Do you have a ramp?
Of course – no soapbox race without a ramp (or a slope), since the cars have no engine of their own.
Where do the kits come from?
We source the quality soapbox car kits for our events exclusively from a German carpentry workshop.
Can we take the soapbox cars we built home after the event?
Yes, once the team event is over you can add your homemade racing cars to the company fleet.
Where can we take part in the Soapbox Derby?
With our mobile Soapbox Derby we bring teams across Germany to the start line. We need space for the pit area and the race track. We’re happy to check what’s possible at your site.
Does the winning team get a prize?
The winning team receives a magnum of sparkling wine, just like in Formula 1. Whether you end up getting a shower of bubbly too, we’ll see …
Can you run the soapbox race team event in English too?
Yes, we’re happy to run the team-building event for you in English.
