Soapbox Racer
- Brand
- Red Bull
- Year
- 2009
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Food & Drink
- Mechanic
- Racing & Sports
- Platform
- Web
- Agency
- Less Rain
Objective
Red Bull's Soapbox Race is a live event series held in cities around the world, but only a handful of people could ever build a car and take part. Red Bull built an online counterpart so anyone could join in the same self-built, gravity-powered stunt culture from a browser, without the restrictions of the physical world, keeping the buzz around the real races going year-round.
Solution
Players start in a 3D garage and sketch the outline of a soapbox car with a single freehand line; the game turns that sketch into a 3D vehicle on the spot. From there they build, paint and decorate the car by hand, and every choice they make changes how it actually handles once it's on the track. Players then draw their own downhill track profile, which becomes a 3D course, personalise an avatar, and race the finished car down the slope on gravity alone against other players online. Beating friends unlocks further ways to customise the car, giving players a reason to come back and build again.
- 1
The player opens the site to a splash screen requiring Adobe Flash Player, with the option to skip the check and enter directly.
- 2
Inside a 3D garage workshop, the player builds a soapbox car by drawing its shape as a single freehand line; the game converts that drawing into a 3D model automatically, with no modelling tools to learn, and the resulting construction determines how the car handles on the track.
- 3
The player hand-paints and decorates the car directly on the 3D model, applying colours, stripes and stickers.
- 4
The player also customises a driver avatar before racing.
- 5
The player designs a downhill track the same freehand way, drawing a 2D line in a level editor that is extruded into a full 3D course.
- 6
The player sends the finished soapbox down the track under gravity alone, with no engine or pedals, aiming to reach the bottom.
- 7
Players race their own car and track against friends and other players online.
- 8
Winning races unlocks further garage equipment, including new colour palettes, sticker sheets, the ability to upload custom images onto the car, and additional tools such as a nail gun.
