Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

'Amazing' karts line up for Derby

By James Baker
Whanganui Chronicle·
14 Jan, 2017 04:41 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

YOUNG RACER: Twelve-year-old Scott Emerson in action at the 2014 Soapbox Derby.

YOUNG RACER: Twelve-year-old Scott Emerson in action at the 2014 Soapbox Derby.

The Totalspan Soapbox Derby will be back for Whanganui's Vintage Weekend, with the biggest field of carts to date.

Organiser Denise Vincent said the number of registered karts this year had exceeded expectations.

"It's growing and growing ... we've opened up a can of worms."

With 38 entrants at Whanganui's first Soapbox Derby in 2014, the numbers have steadily increased.

"They're coming in thick and fast and - ones that we know of - we're probably hitting 50."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Last year's floods put a damper on the derby, so this year she is eager to make up for lost time.

She says the 4000 spectators can expect to see carts of all sorts - basic jobs put together over a weekend to something a bit more impressive.

"Some of these guys have just gone well out, over and above with what they've designed. Absolutely just top of the bloody range."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Others have opted for something a bit more creative.

"Karts that look like chuck shoes ... there's old vintage looking cars, there's fire engines, there's Postman Pat, just amazing what's people can do out there."

For the uninitiated a soapbox derby is a race between unpowered karts down a slope.

For the Whanganui event there will be three categories for children, starting at 5, a drift trike class, and a category allowing adults to get in on the fun.

There will even be a wheelie bin race made up of the Derby volunteer committee.

"I think that one's going to be carnage galore to be honest.

"We might pull some brave souls from the audience who want to have a go."

Garmac Engineering will provide three jump ramps for the event, and the "Wall of Death" will make a return.

Karters are urged to make their way to the inspection pit at Drews Ave by 8am.

You must wear a helmet, clothes and shoes, and your kart must have decent brakes.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Thanks to support from local businesses there will be no shortage of spot prizes for the event.

It's free for all those under 5 and between $10 and $20 entry for all other entrants.

"That's per cart, so there's some families that might have three kids, but they're going to use the one cart so that would be a one-off $10 or $20," said Mrs Vincent.

"Obviously to watch it's free."

Entries are open up to the day, and Mrs Vincent expects a final tally of about 60 karts.

"Thank to all businesses and shops that made this possible," she said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The race will kick off at Queens Park raceway at 9.30am on January 23.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Good news for pilot academy as planes cleared to fly

Whanganui Chronicle

Wills Week promotes charitable giving

Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui backs new water services body with Ruapehu


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Good news for pilot academy as planes cleared to fly
Whanganui Chronicle

Good news for pilot academy as planes cleared to fly

The Whanganui academy's training certification remains suspended.

16 Jul 04:00 AM
Wills Week promotes charitable giving
Whanganui Chronicle

Wills Week promotes charitable giving

16 Jul 03:00 AM
Whanganui backs new water services body with Ruapehu
Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui backs new water services body with Ruapehu

15 Jul 09:15 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP